220 - ICON “SAINT NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER WITH SELECTED SAINTS” RUSSIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY.

ICON “SAINT NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER WITH SELECTED SAINTS” RUSSIA, LATE 19TH CENTURY. An icon depicting Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in a half-length representation, one of the most venerated saints of the Orthodox world. The saint is shown in traditional episcopal vestments with a cross-patterned omophorion and a blessing gesture of the right hand. In his left hand he holds an open Gospel with Church Slavonic text. The face of the saint is rendered in the canonical manner of Russian icon painting, characterized by spiritual concentration and a strict plasticity of features. The background of the icon is covered with a richly gilded ornamental decoration executed in a repoussé technique over the gesso ground. The ornament forms a complex system of vegetal and geometric motifs typical of Russian icon painting of the second half of the 19th century. Around the head of the saint is a decorative halo adorned with colored inserts imitating precious stones, enhancing the solemn character of the composition. On either side of the saint’s head are medallions depicting Christ the Savior and the Mother of God. Christ is shown presenting the Gospel to Saint Nicholas, while the Mother of God offers the episcopal omophorion. This iconographic motif is connected with the ecclesiastical tradition of the restoration of Saint Nicholas’s episcopal dignity after the events of the First Council of Nicaea. The borders of the icon contain images of selected saints placed in vertical panels on a cinnabar-red background. Among them are saints particularly venerated in the Russian Orthodox tradition, including John the Baptist, Saint Alexis Metropolitan of Moscow, John Chrysostom, Mary of Egypt and others. Such icons were often created as private commissions and could reflect the names of the heavenly patrons of the members of the commissioning family. The composition is distinguished by its rich decorative character and the characteristic combination of painterly and ornamental elements typical of Russian icon workshops of the late 19th century. Dimensions: 44 × 55 cm. Material: Wood, gesso, tempera, gilding, repoussé ornament. Condition: Good. Minor losses consistent with age. Width: 44cm, Height: 53cm, Depth: 3cm, Weight: 3kg, Condition: Good, Material: Gilding, Wood, Tempera, ID: ID-ANTQ-16389