**Originally Listed At $150**

Greece, ca. late 18th to early 19th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera on wood, an icon depicting the venerated hieromartyr Saint Eleutherios (or Eleftherius). Shown in full portrait and seated on a Byzantine-style throne, he wears a long and gray episcopal vestment and a lengthy omophorion; he is depicted holding the Holy Gospel in his left hand, and is giving benediction with his right. He sits in front of a yellow-colored background with a large coronal halo behind his head, and a deep-red border with a serpentine line frames the image in its entirety. Size: 5.875" W x 7.75" H (14.9 cm x 19.7 cm).

The son of a prominent Roman citizen, Eleutherios was destined to be part of aristocratic society; his mother, Saint Evanthia, decided against such a high-status lifestyle and raised him in a life of Christian piety. His virtue and conviction of his Christian faith was so great that, at age twenty, he was promoted to the status of Bishop of Illyria. For traveling around the South of Europe preaching the word of the Holy Gospel, the Eparch Caribus tortured Eleutherios at the behest of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. After witnessing the beheading of both Eleutherios and his mother Evanthia in Rome, the Eparch Caribus eventually converted to Christianity; he was also subsequently executed at the hands of Hadrian. For his unwavering devotion to the Christian faith and spreading of the word of God, Saint Eleutherios is commemorated with a feast day on December 15th.

Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."

Provenance: private Ventura County, California, USA collection, acquired before 1990

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#122492

Age-commensurate surface wear with fading, chips, and discoloration to surface pigmentation as shown. Small chips to peripheries, and losses to original perforated suspension loop. Verso displays light abrasions, two small pins, and a suspension wire.