Details
AN IMPORTANT ITALO-CRETAN ICON OF SAINT NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER
BY PHILOTHEOS SKOUPHOS, POSSIBLY CORFU OR ZANTE, THIRD QUARTER OF 17TH CENTURY
The Saint shown enthroned as Bishop of Myra, holding the Book of Gospels in his left hand, his right raised in blessing, flanked at his shoulders by the half-figures of Christ and the Mother of God, signed at the foot of the throne cheiri Philotheou hieromon[achou] (by the hand of Pholotheos the Hieromonk), the lower portion depicts two well-known scenes from the saint's life, the saving of three innocent men from execution, and the gift of money to the pauper about to sell his daughters into prostitution - 17 in. (43.1 cm) high .
Philotheos Skouphos (died 1685) was born in Chania in Crete, then under Venetian rule, and by 1638 was abbot of a monastery outside the city where he learnt the art or icon-painting. In 1646 he, with other refugees from the Turks, sought refuge in Corfu until 1650, where he worked with Emmanuel Tzanes. From 1653 until 1665 he lived in Venice until his appointment to the castle monastery of Zante where he taught icon painting. Se P.L. Vokotopoulos, Eikones tes Kerkyras, (Athens, 1990), pp.139-142; and M.I. Manousakas, "Anekdotos Epistole kai Agnostos Eikon tou Philotheou Skouphou" in Charisterion eis A.K. Orlandon, pp.261-277, which includes a life of the artist, and a list of 21 signed icons, of which 13 are dated, located in the Byzantine Museum in Athens, and in other collections in Greece and Italy.
BY PHILOTHEOS SKOUPHOS, POSSIBLY CORFU OR ZANTE, THIRD QUARTER OF 17TH CENTURY
The Saint shown enthroned as Bishop of Myra, holding the Book of Gospels in his left hand, his right raised in blessing, flanked at his shoulders by the half-figures of Christ and the Mother of God, signed at the foot of the throne cheiri Philotheou hieromon[achou] (by the hand of Pholotheos the Hieromonk), the lower portion depicts two well-known scenes from the saint's life, the saving of three innocent men from execution, and the gift of money to the pauper about to sell his daughters into prostitution - 17 in. (43.1 cm) high .
Philotheos Skouphos (died 1685) was born in Chania in Crete, then under Venetian rule, and by 1638 was abbot of a monastery outside the city where he learnt the art or icon-painting. In 1646 he, with other refugees from the Turks, sought refuge in Corfu until 1650, where he worked with Emmanuel Tzanes. From 1653 until 1665 he lived in Venice until his appointment to the castle monastery of Zante where he taught icon painting. Se P.L. Vokotopoulos, Eikones tes Kerkyras, (Athens, 1990), pp.139-142; and M.I. Manousakas, "Anekdotos Epistole kai Agnostos Eikon tou Philotheou Skouphou" in Charisterion eis A.K. Orlandon, pp.261-277, which includes a life of the artist, and a list of 21 signed icons, of which 13 are dated, located in the Byzantine Museum in Athens, and in other collections in Greece and Italy.