Three Personal Icons with St Nicholas: 13th century AD
These icons all show St Nicholas, a late Roman saint in the eastern Mediterranean area, whose remains were re-discovered in East Greece in the 11th century. He was later popularised in the West as Father Christmas.This tiny icon is of steatite.
The second icon with St Nicholas is cast of copper alloy, and shows clearly how St Nicholas was always portrayed, with beard, book and hand raised in prayer. Small portable icons served as personal cult objects and as shields against evil. St Nicholas' features have been smoothed down from continued use, and the pierced hold may have been to suspend it for wearing.
The third icon of St Nicholas is made of stucco, a cheaper alternative to the more expensive examples carved in steatite.
