St Eleftherios II

A devotional icon of St Eleftherios from Alaya in Asia Minor. The work combines a painted face with a silver revetment, decorated with rich vegetal motifs and finely worked repoussé. The Saint is depicted in episcopal vestments, blessing with his right hand and holding an open Gospel book.
Η επιζωγραφισμένη επένδυση καλύπτει σχεδόν ολόκληρη την παράσταση, αφήνοντας ελεύθερο μόνο το πρόσωπο.
The revetment covers almost the entire image, leaving only the face visible. The reverse wooden surface bears handwritten records of the birthdates of children in the family that owned the icon, dated from 1906 to 1914. This practice was widespread in Asia Minor: families noted important dates on the backs of sacred icons so that they would be accompanied by the Saint’s blessing and kept safely in the home.
These entries constitute valuable testimony to the everyday life of the Greeks of Alaya and to the close relationship between family memory and the sacred objects preserved during the uprooting.