Antique Russian icon with brass riza, Saint Nicholas of Myra, 12x10 in, 19th century

Antique Russian icon with brass riza, Saint Nicholas of Myra, 12x10 in, 19th century.

Ancien icon from Russia depicting Saint Nicholas of Myra with an elegant brass riza.

His iconography, enriched starting from the Byzantine icons between the 10th and the 13th centuries, includes episodes set in Russia, such as rescue on the River Dniepr.

The icon portrays Saint Nicholas of Myra wearing bishop's vestments and the omophorion adorned with crosses, blessing with one hand and holding the Gospel in the other. His expression is firm, with a high forehead, wrinkles, focused eyes, thick eyebrows, and a short beard, symbolising the defender of the Christian faith against heresy, as well as an exorcist and a healer.

Saint Nicholas was born in Patara in 280, became the bishop of Myra in Lycia, and died between 345 and 352. During the Council of Nicaea, he bravely opposed the heretic Arius, was stripped of his episcopal insignia, and imprisoned, but was freed by Christ and the Virgin, restoring his freedom and bishop's dignity, strengthening him in the true faith.

The relics of this saint, revered in Europe and the Greek and Slavic world, were stolen from Myra in 1087 and taken to Bari, sparking various literary versions.

The icon comes with a blue velvet case and an evaluation by a specialised expert.

Origin: Moscow, Russia.

Technique: egg tempera.

Materials: wood, levkas, brass.

Actual measurements: 12.3x10.3 in.

Era: mid-19th century.