St. Nicholas

Painting

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

St. Nicholas

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.007

Description

A small flat wood panel backed with deep red velvet topped with partial painting under silver plated riza. The painting clearly shows St. Nicholas as a man with dark brown eyes and a white beard, moustache, and hair. Greek initials appear on either side of him etched in the riza. The riza also gives St. Nicholas a miter crown , a closed book in his left hand, and another object in his right. The riza is tinged in gold and purple colors and features floral features in the four corners.

Type of Painting

Panel

Artwork Details

Medium

Wood

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

Time Period

20th Century

Place

* Untyped Place

Greece

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Makers Mark

Location

Repeated twice, top and bottom of riza

Transcription

(Л?)oб, 3 digit number (808? 908? 948?)

Language

Cyrillic

Translation

Possibly POB, silver quality

Notes

The exhibit booklet states the makers mark translation is JOB but this is inconsistent with the symbols shown. First letter may look like a "J" but that is not found in the Greek or Cyrillic alphabets; reassess. The last letter is definitely a Cyrillic б (more evident in the top inscription).

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

3-5/16 in

Width

2-13/16 in

Depth

3/4 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. The riza has an elaborate repoussé surface, and the cartouche in the frame has a floral pattern nicely complementing St. Nicholas’s facial features. He is dressed as a bishop and is making a benediction with one hand and holding a Bible with the other.