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Icon of Saint Nicholas
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey), was one of the most venerated saints in Russia. Considered almost a "national" saint, he was second only to the Mother of God as a protector and intercessor with God. The small figures in the icon's upper corners refer to the legend in which Christ and the Virgin appeared to Nicholas before he was elected bishop. The saint holds a Gospel book open to the passage read on his feast day, December 6: "At that time Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast" (Luke 6:17).
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Arthur and Marguerite E. Blake, Baltimore, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1967, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 1996-1997 | Russian Enamels. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1988-1989 | A Millennium of Christianity: Russian Art from The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Russia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 11 x W: 9 5/8 x D: 1/8 in. (28 x 24.5 x 0.4 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Marguerite E. Blake, 1967
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Byzantine, Russian, and Ethiopian Icons
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.648