Tempera on curved wooden panel with Cyrillic carving on the back. The painting is bordered in dark maroon and black before transitioning to a bright yellow-gold background. The central image features a man with brown beard and hair in church robes with a sword in his right hand and a castle in his left hand. Near the sword, a small circular portrait of Christ holding a gospel book is portrayed. Near the castle is another circular portrait of Mary with her arms held out.
Type of Painting
Panel
Artwork Details
Medium
Tempera
Collection
Betsy Scheuring Icon Collection
Acquisition
Accession
2005.02
Source or Donor
Betsy Scheuring
Acquisition Method
Gift
Credit Line
Gift of Betsy Scheuring
Made/Created
Date made
1800 - 1850
Place
* Untyped Place
Northern Russia
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Icon
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Symbol, Religious
Nomenclature Sub-Class
Religious Objects
Nomenclature Class
Ceremonial Objects
Nomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects
Dimensions
Height
12-3/4 in
Width
10-1/4 in
Depth
2 in
Exhibition
Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)
Interpretative Labels
Label Type
Cultural/Historical Context
Label
For the biography of St. Nicholas, see 2005.02.066. This particular image was made popular after a statue of St. Nicholas placed upon a defensive wall of Mozhaisk was said to have saved the city from certain devastation. In one hand the saint holds a model of the city, and the other hand holds the sword with which he allegedly defended it. Christ and the Virgin flank the saint, and all three figures are portrayed in the Byzantine style. The applied varnish has aged and darkened the colors.
