Egg Tempera & Gold Leaf on Hand-Hewn Single-Plank Panel

Unrestored — Devotional Survivor

An authentic Orthodox icon of Christ the Great Hierarch, created c. late 18th to early 19th century.

Hand-painted in egg tempera and gilded with gold leaf over a traditional gesso ground, on a single, hand-hewn wooden board.

Incised halo, raised gesso beading, and original gilding remain intact. The surface carries natural craquelure from age, and the tempera shows the matte depth and pigment behavior found only in pre-industrial icon work. UV examination confirms no modern repaint or intervention. This piece has never been modern-restored.

A structural crack developed long ago and was stabilized in the mid-20th century by a previous custodian — a vernacular preservation method common in Orthodox diaspora households. This repair was not cosmetic; it was devotional custodianship, ensuring the icon’s continued life of veneration. It remains structurally sound and spiritually intact.

This is not a reproduction, studio replica, or export souvenir.

It is a lived icon — created for prayer, preserved through upheaval, carried forward by the faithful. True sacred objects survive not because they are protected, but because they are cherished and defended.

Details

Subject: Christ the Great Hierarch (High Priest)

Period: c. 1760–1825

Medium: Egg tempera, gold leaf, traditional gesso ground

Support: Single-plank hand-hewn wood panel

Features: Incised halo, raised gesso pearls, original varnish, natural craquelure

Condition: Unrestored; devotional preservation to rear; no modern inpainting

Examination: UV-verified original surface

Provenance

Private Eastern-European Orthodox family, later preserved in the diaspora.

Dimensions:  15.5" H x 11.5" W x ~1.5" D 

Notes:

Later devotional metal and gemstone casing typical of mid-20th-century diaspora use; original icon panel remains untouched.”

School/Region: Greek-Balkan-Russian Orthodox workshop tradition (c. 1760–1825).