19th-century icon Saint Nicholas
This Orthodox icon depicts Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, shown half-length, blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospel in his left. He wears bishop’s vestments richly decorated with crosses and gold motifs, emphasizing his ecclesiastical authority. The gilded background symbolizes the divine realm. In the upper corners, Christ presents the Gospel and the Virgin presents the omophorion, recalling the vision affirming Nicholas’s role as bishop. The Cyrillic inscription identifies him, and the open Gospel bears a Church Slavonic text. Painted in the Russian tradition, likely 18th–19th century, the icon highlights Nicholas as bishop, teacher, and miracle-worker.
Technical Photography
Ultraviolet Fluorescence (UVF) – The retouched areas appear darker and are immediately mapped.
Infrared Photo (IR) – The IR image penetrates the paint layers, revealing underdrawing and compositional details not visible in normal light. The saint’s facial features and outlines of the garments are more schematically traced. The book text remains partially legible, but some figures and decorative details fade or change in appearance, indicating pigment differences due to the retouches.
Reflected Ultraviolet (UVR) – The UVR image highlights areas of retouching and later interventions. The surface abrasions are accentuated, making alterations more obvious than in visible light.
Infrared False Color (IRFC) – The IRFC image highlights areas of retouching, where pigments different from the originals have been used.
