See the Book

SAINT NICHOLAS

32 x 26.8 x 2 cm

19th century

Depicted in bust, in frontal pose, the saint wears a pale rose phailonion and a white omophorion decorated with gold crosses in relief. In his left hand he holds a gold-bound gospel book on which the scene of the Crucifixion is painted, and with his right he blesses. The halo is adorned with gilded leaves also in relief. On the deep blue ground an inscription in white capital letters: O ΑΓΙΟC NHKOΛΑΟC. The icon is executed with great care in rendering the smooth surface of the flesh on the face and the right hand. The flabby face with its mellow expression, the soft drapery and the vegetal ornaments in gesso relief on the halo are traits of early nineteenth-century art in the Northern Balkans.

CONDITION  Good except for some damage in the upper section, where part of the saint’s halo has been destroyed.

Bibliography Unpublished.