Saint Nicholas of Myra (the Wonderworker) with the Miracle of Nicaea and interceding saints, 19th century

Egg tempera on panel

Height x width: 35.5 x 30.5 cm

This fine panel painting, executed in egg tempera, constitutes a splendid testimony of Central Russian Orthodox sacred art, datable to the second half of the 19th century. The work fits fully into the devotional production associated with highly skilled Russian artisanal workshops, where a steadfast fidelity to traditional archaic canons is coupled with extraordinary executive elegance. The painting features the characteristic central recess of the panel, the so-called *kovcheg* (ark), designed to delimit the sacred space of the main representation from the outer frame. The warm chromatic application, centered on deep tones of greens and earths, is illuminated by the brilliant red of the crosses and embellished by very fine gold highlights that animate the faces and garments. The rigorous iconographic layout clearly displays at the top, distributed across the upper frame, the large dedicatory inscription in Old Church Slavonic "СТЫИ НИКОЛА ЧУДОТВОРЕЦЪ" (Svjatyj Nikola Chudotvorec), which introduces the monumental and hieratic figure of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, portrayed in a half-length frontal pose according to the classical modules of Russian devotion. The Saint is presented with his customary episcopal attributes: he wears the omophorion while making the solemn gesture of blessing with his right hand and supporting the book of the Gospels with his left. His stern yet deeply compassionate gaze, high receding hairline, and short gray beard enhance his authority as a Father of the Church and protector of the faithful. Flanking him is the traditional Miracle of Nicaea, the so-called Deesis of Saint Nicholas: within small medallions are visible on the left the Savior Jesus Christ offering the Gospels, and on the right the Mother of God caught in the solemn act of pointing to the Saint as a seal and testimony of the legitimacy of his episcopal role. On the outer side frames (the edges of the panel), the standing figures of chosen intercessors are inserted, identified by their respective contracted archaic inscriptions: on the left margin, the winged figure of the Angel of Christ is distinguished ("АНГЕЛЪ ХР" — Angel Christov), while on the right margin the monastic silhouette of Venerable Saint Luke is recognized ("ПРП. ЛУКА" — Prepodobnyj Luka), included to symbolically watch over the family and protect the owner of the icon. The entire pictorial surface is protected by the traditional linseed oil-based varnish (olifa), which has imparted a warm and amber aging patina to the panel, enhancing the density of the original mineral pigments.