An Early 19th Century Antique Icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Half-Length, Holding the Gospel

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, was the best-loved saint of the Russian Orthodox world.

Here he is shown half-length and frontal, his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand, veiled, holding an open Gospel book. He wears the red phelonion of a bishop and the omophorion, a broad stole marked with large black crosses. Behind him, a burnished halo, with traces of its original gilding, is set against an ochre ground. The face follows the established type: high, domed forehead, close-curled grey hair, a rounded beard rendered in fine parallel strokes, and the grave, steady gaze that has made this image a focus of prayer for centuries. The flesh is built up in warm ochres over a darker underlayer, and highlighted with the controlled, linear hand of a trained workshop painter.

The open Gospel carries the Church Slavonic text appointed for the saint’s feast. It is the opening of St Luke 6:17, Во время оно ста Іисусъ на мѣстѣ равнѣ: “At that time Jesus stood in the plain, with the company of His disciples and a great multitude.” It is a conventional and fitting inscription for an icon of Nicholas, painted in a crisp hand with a red initial.

The panel is of traditional construction. The image is painted within a shallow recessed field, the kovcheg or “ark”, framed by raised margins. On the reverse, two inset counter-battens (shponki) are usually let in from opposite edges to keep the board from warping; however, one is missing. The reverse retains its dark surface and is extensively scratched with old marks and graffiti. Brass studs and a hanging wire have been added later, presumably when the icon came west.

A strong vertical scorch runs through the Gospel and down into the lower margin. It is almost certainly the mark of a votive candle or lamp that burned too close in the icon corner (krasny ugol) of a house or chapel. Such marks are poignant evidence of the icon’s devotional life rather than a defect to be disguised.

Provenance: Russian, 19th century. 

Material: Tempera and gesso on a recessed (kovcheg) wooden panel.

Condition: Commensurate with age and long devotional use. The face, hands, and vestments are well preserved. There are scattered paint and gesso losses throughout the margins and background, with exposed ground in places. The halo is rubbed and darkened, with losses to the gilding, and the saint’s identifying inscription is no longer legible. Old candle scorching runs through the Gospel book and lower margin, and there is an old split along the upper edge of the recess through the halo. The lower edge is worn and irregular. The panel is stable, with its original counter-battens. Hanging fittings are later. Surface dirt and old varnish have been left undisturbed.

Dimensions: Height 12¼ in (31 cm); width 10¼ in (26 cm); depth 1 in (2.5 cm)