17th Century Old Believer Icon "Nicholas the Miracle Worker"

Period: icon - 17th century, conservation - 20th centurySize: length - 48.5 cm, width - 43.3 cm, height - 3.0 cm.The larger part of the painting is occupied by a half-meter view of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker, maintained in the style characteristic of Orthodox icon painting. In his left hand he holds an open book, and his right hand blesses with a gesture with two fingers folded, as is customary among Old Believers (before the reform of Patriarch Nikon). Above his head is a halo. In the upper right corner the Blessed Mother of God is depicted looking down at him from the clouds and handing him an omophorion (protective bedspread). The upper left corner depicts Jesus Christ blessing Nicholas the Miracle Worker and holding a book for him.The icon is painted using oil technique on gesso, arranged on a tree. Every detail of the image of the Miracle Worker is carefully drawn, from the nail plates to every hair on his head. The margins of the icon are drawn and outlined in black paint. The religious symbols, signs, and letters correspond to the Old Believers' trend in Russian Orthodoxy. Importantly, the icon preserved only separate parts of the decoration, namely the faces of Nicholas the Miracle Worker, which were originally painted. In fact, most of them are the result of conservation work carried out in the 20th century in Russia (as indicated by specific conservation methods, structure and color tonality).The icon has a vertical crack running through the center of the painting. The pegs are elongated over the head, fixed with forged nails. But the nail nailed to the upper beam is factory-made.