Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas

Painting

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.027

Description

Tempera on curved wooden panel bordered in red, green, and olive green before the lowered image. There is a Cyrillic caption at the top. The central image, framed by gold leaf, depicts a man in red robes with white stole holding a gold gospel book in a coffin draped in green brocade. He is carried through the streets with pink and white buildings in the background. The coffin is flanked by several males.

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

circa 1890

Place

* Untyped Place

Kostroma, Russia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Label

Location

Back of icon, sticker with "19", "33", and charcoal marks

Dimensions

Height

14 in

Width

12 in

Exhibitions

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Surveying the Sacred: Analysis of the Scheuring Collection of Eastern Orthodox Icons (2025)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

For the biography of St. Nicholas, refer to 2005.02.066. St. Nicholas’s relics are shown being moved by a procession of holy men to the city of Bari, Italy, visible in the background, in order to avoid desecration by the Muslims. Lavish use of gold and red, the presence of elongated figures, and little evidence of perspective reflect the Byzantine style effectively. A tri-bar cross appears in the crowd and on a building in the background. Through the archway an icon of the Virgin Eleousa can be seen.