Some icons with scenes of the life and the dormition of Saint Nicholas (pl. 104-113)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide some art historical evidence for the iconographical study of the life of Saint Nicholas.The evidence mainly derives from icons of the Castoria Collection. Problems such as the relation between the various texts and their illustration, specific iconographical types of the scenes and their origin, as well as their chronological sequence in the narrative cycles, have not found their solution in this study. Occasionally, however, a more detailed discussion takes place in order to define the nature of a problem more clearly. The material includes in the first place a double - faced icon from Castoria (No. 430, 107x101 cm). A. One side bears a full - length and full-face depiction of the Saint in the central area (84 χ 32 cm) (pi. 104a) and twelve scenes from his life in the frame (see diagram on p. 280). The scenes are as follows : 1. Totally destroyed. Probably it depicted the Birth of the Saint. 2. The Saint appears to Constantine in a dream (pi. 105a). 3. The Saint appears to the eparch Ablabios (pi. 105β). 4. The three liberated generals bring gifts to the Saint (pi. 106a). 5. The Saint saves three youths from decapitations (pi. 106β). 6. The three guiltless generals in prison (pi. 107a). 7. The very rare scene probably represented the miracle of «άβροχεία», according to which the Saint's prayers caused a rainfall (pi. 107β). 8. The Saint saves a ship from foundering (pi. 108a); in the upper right corner a depiction of a town (probably Jerusalem) is included. 9. The scene, whih is badly preserved and rather rare, probably depicted an act of charity of the Saint (pi. 108 β). 10. This scene is difficult to identify (pi. 109a). The falling daemon, however, and the inclusion of the imposing buildings allow us to suppose that the destruction of the temple of Artemis was depicted there. 11. The scene is badly damaged. From a well preserved inscription, however, it is identified as the cutting of the oak tree. 12. The Dormition of the Saint (pi. 109β). These twelve scenes have not been arranged in chronological order The painter (or the donor) was not interested in presenting the events of the life of the Saint but in recording his gratitude to the Saint interest. The following factors lead us to this supposition : the main part of the frame reserved to the biographical cycle of the Saint is taken by the story of the three generals. Moreover, we do know that during the Byzantine period Castoria served as a place of exiled who have included many officials from Constantinople such as Nicephore Magistros Kasnitzis (the donor of the well-known small church in this town). Hence we consider that the donor of the icon in question selected the scenes of the Saint's life with a specific puspose in mind : he wanted to ensure for himself the assistance of Saint Nicholas, as was the case with the three generals. The connection of the story of the generals with the personal adventure of the exiled in Castoria may probably account for the large number of churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas in that town. It is not easy to date the icon under consideration because of a notable difference in style between the depiction of the central area and the frame scenes. Nonetheless, general stylistic factors such as a lack of balance which characterizes the posture of the Saint in the middle and a certain eclectic approach in regard to the iconography may date the icon to the last years of the fourteenth or rather the beginning of the fifteenth century. A number of iconographical and stylistic affinities with other icons from Castoria and from Scopie may support the hypothesis of the existence of a local school under the influence of an important artistic center such as Constantinople or Salonica. B. On the other side of the panel (No. 430) one sees the remnants of the scene of the Dormition of Saint Nicholas (pi. 110β). Furthermore the Dormition of Saint Nicholas is depicted on another panel from Castoria (No. 496, 41 χ65 cm) (pi. 111). The composition is simple and austere. The horizontal axis is balanced by the six vertical axes of the standing figures. On stylistic grounds we assign this depiction to the first half of the fifteenth century. Depictions of the Dormition of Saint Nicholas are preserved from the Byzantine period proper both in frescoes and icons. They follow in general the iconography of the Dormition of Saints which is distinguished in two types. However variants may be noticed in the iconographie features of one of the above types, that from which stems the Dormition of Saint Nicholas· These are: a) the burial proper; b) a symbolic rendering of the death of the Saint (Dormition). As for the Castoria panel it bears certain analogies with a fresco at Krapsi (Epirus) which is dated in 1564. Further study will show whether wer are here dealing with an original composition or a copy after an older model.