Jesus Handcrafted Silver Greek Religious Icon

Jesus Pantocrator

SILVER, GOLD AND CENTURIES TRADITION OF CRAFTMASHIP
IS ALL IT TAKES TO CREATE SUCH ICONS (C.202.8SG)

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Buy your loved ones a true and meaningful gift
that symbolizes all that Christianity is about.

Love, compassion and repentance.

Icon Specifications :

The Icon is made of pure silver (950/1000degrees) plated on wood.

Sizes

Jesus : The icon size is 10.6x8.6inches (27cm high x 22 wide).

This icon is copy of original byzantine art licensed from Museums.

Silver is specially varnished so that it never looses its shine or blackens.

Never clean using chemical agents, feather instead to clean.

The icons have a certificate on the back stating composition and material.

Theme :
A historical perspective : It may sound strange to some people but many of the territories that belong to today’s , have for hundreds of years been under the rule of the Byzantine empire. Syracuse was actually the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire for five very bizarre years from 663 to 668 AD.
Remaining from that period are the bathhouse in Akradina, the necropolis of Ortygia Island, some faded frescoes in the crypt of the church of Santa Lucia and a few chambers in Euryalus Castle. Later on even as the Byzantine Empire lost its power, relations between Byzantines and western people, were in the contrary intensified through trade and population migrations, leaving deep traces in art and iconography.
The Comnene Dynasty (1025-1204) The Macedonian emperors were followed by the Comnene dynasty, beginning with the reign of Alexius I Comnenus in 1057. Empire lost most of its eastern territories to the Seljuk Turks. Although Byzantium was no longer a great power, following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Comnenans were great patrons of the arts, and with their support Byzantine artists continued to move in the direction of great emotion in their works.
Themes such as the Virgin and Child and the Threnos (the lamentation over Christ's body) became more common. The finest Byzantine work of this period was actually outside the Empire: the Basilica of St Mark in Venice, begun in 1063. The basilica is based on the great Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, now destroyed, and is thus an echo of the age of Justinian. The acquisitive habits of the Venetians mean that the basilica is also great museum of Byzantine artworks of all kinds. The Latin Occupation of Constantinople (1204-1261)
Eight hundred years of continuous Byzantine culture were brought to an abrupt end in 1204 with the sacking of Constantinople by the knights of the Fourth Crusade, a disaster from which the Empire never recovered. Although the Byzantines recovered the city in 1261, the Empire was thereafter a small and weak state confined to the Greek peninsula and the islands of the Aegean.
The Palaiologan Period (1261-1453) Nevertheless the Palaeologan Dynasty, beginning with Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1259, was a last golden age of Byzantine art, partly because of the increasing cultural exchange between Byzantine and Italian artists. Italian-style frescoes began to replace the traditional mosaic-work. The Religious significance of icons : Icons are a Liturgical Art, not simply a craft or form of personal expression. Icons serve a distinct purpose which is an aid for prayer. While one can pray at any time, the icon creates an atmosphere conducive to it. Their mere presence evokes a sense of holiness changing both the space and the viewer.
Together with this is their ability to convey divine truth, teaching the sacred events of Holy Scripture without using words. Icons are said to be "written" not "painted," the most logical reason to make this distinction is that Icons like the Holy Scriptures are never re-written or re-interpreted but are reproduced from their sacred originals. Iconography in the original Byzantine style, within the depiction of the theme also contains many symbolic additions.
 Knowing what these symbols mean help the viewer understand what the subject of the Icon is and it's deeper theological significance.
Theme of Jesus Pantocrator : In this Icon, Christ the Ruler of All (Pantocrator ) stands before the observer blessing with His right hand, and holding the books of the Gospels in the other. The face of the Lord conveys both the expression of loving mercy and also the fearsome and soul-seeing look of judgment. Especially obvious in this icon are the eyes. A Byzantine description of this type of Icon notes: "His eyes are joyful and welcoming to those who are not reproached by their conscience, but to those who are condemned by their own judgment they are wrathful and hostile." The head of the Lord is always depicted with a special halo. The halo itself is an element that predates Christianity, it was used mainly in the East as a way of signifying royalty or nobility. Christianity has adopted it as a way to illustrate Divine Light emanating from within a person. In the case of Christ, the halo is adorned with cross design and inscribed with the Greek words "O wN" (pronounced O Own) meaning "I Am" or "The Being" which is the Old Testament Name of God. The other inscription, IC XC, is an abbreviation of Iesous Christos, Jesus Christ. When the book in Christ's hand is open, The Icon is generically called Christ the Teacher. Depending on the Gospel verse displayed in the Book, the title may vary, for example; Christ the Merciful, the Life Giver, the Savior of the World. The archetype icon on St. Catherine's Monastery in mount Sinai is said to be one of the masterpieces of Byzantine Christian Art. This is an early type of the Christ Pantocrator. Wearing a tunic (chiton) and a draped outer garment (himation), Christ makes the sign of blessing with the right hand and holds in the left a very thick Gospel-book. The eyes are not alike in size and shape, the mouth is asymmetrical with a melancholy expression, the rather short beard has an inward curve and the hair falls back over the left shoulder. The exceptionally high quality of the painted icon suggests that it must have been the product of a Constantinopolitan atelier in Justinian's age. This may be further confirmed by the fact that the iconographical type it represents was created at the time when Justinian was emperor, although we cannot be absolutely certain about that. It should be remembered at this point that the Monastery of St. Catherine had been founded by Justinian and that the emperor had presumably sent various gifts to the Monastery, including perhaps this very icon At one time the icon was dated to the 13th century. However, its cleaning and conservation in 1962 revealed the original encaustic layer, thus pointing to a much earlier date in the 6th or 7th century. (.85 X .45 meters)
Meaning : The icon teaches us that Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh (St. John 1:14). Unlike a secular portrait, icons painted according to the canon reveal the Divine person Who is the second Adam; ­ He is not merely human, He is truly human because He has restored our human nature to what it was before the fall and which now shines with the light of His Divinity. The Greek letters ?O? written in the halo surrounding His head is the Greek translation of the Hebrew YHWH (He Who Is); the name spoken to Moses from the burning bush. Thus Jesus is explicitly identified with the God who delivered the Israelites from bondage in in the first Passover, and who, in the second Passover delivers all mankind from bondage to the devil, sin and death. The icons of the Pantocrator reveal our Lord in every aspect of His humanity and divinity. They express the compassion and tenderness of the Savior who is accessible to the prayers of man, as well as the Righteous Judge who will judge the world and the peoples with His truth.
Western Influences : This icon can be distinguished from the classical orthodox Pantocrator icons by looking at many of its details. Jesus face is less extruded when compared with Byzantine and eastern samples. The outer garment (cape) is much more elaborated than that of eastern icons, and finally the background is tiled with floral motifs.

BYZANTINE ICONS FOR SALE ON OUR EBAY SHOP RIGHT NOW
	Icon Theme	Link to shop
	Virgin Mary Icon with Child : Silver and Gold Icon of Great Beauty. The original icons dates back to the 14th century, and although this is a byzantine icon its style has strong western european influence. Wouldn't this be perfect in your kid's room? The icon size is 10.6x8.2inches (26.5cm high x 21 wide)	View all Virgin Mary Icons in our store clicking the link below : Virgin Mary Icons
	St. Michael the Archangel : Magnificent Icon together with the Last Supper they are most probably the most impressive icons in our range. St. Michael is shown with his armour and holding his sword. This is a perfect gift for the Michael in your family. The icon size is 10.6x8.7inches (27cm high x 22wide).	View all St. Michael Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Michael Icons
	St. Nicholas Silver and Gold : Silver Icon with Gold Leaf Details. A beautiful item for your collection, or a once in a lifetime gift to your beloved Nick. The icon size is 7.4x6.3inches (19cm high x 16 wide).	View all St. Nicholas Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Nicholas Icons
	St. Irene : Silver and Gold Icon with The icon size is 7.4x6.3inches (19cm high x 16 wide).	View all St. Irene Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Irene Icons
	Jesus Pantocrator : This is a small size icon, but none the less it is very beautiful and is one of our customer;s favorites. In pure silver it will be a great addition to your baby's room. The icon size is 5.7x4.3inches (14.5cm high x 11 wide).	View all Jesus Icons in our store clicking the link below : Jesus Icons
	St. John The Baptist : Does the John in your family know the true story of his name? St. John the Baptist icon is the perfect gift for him. The icon size is 10.6x8.7inches (27cm high x 22 wide)	View all of St. John's Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. John Icons
	St. Katherine : St. Katherine holding her pen on the one hand, and a cross on the other. Is your Katherine in the family a dynamic but sensitive person as well? This might be the just the gift for her. The icon size is 7.4x6.3inches (19cm high x 16 wide).	View all of St. Katherine's Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Katherine Icons
	The Last Supper Silver and Gold : The icon size is 10.6x8.7inches (22cm high x 27 wide)	View all of the Last Supper Icons in our store clicking the link below : The Last Supper
	Silver Madonna with child : The icon size is 5.7x4.3inches (14.5cm high x 11 wide).	View all Virgin Mary Icons in our store clicking the link below : Virgin Mary Icons
	St. Andrew the Apostle : Andrew was one of Jesus favourite disciples. Andrew is one of your dearest people in this world. Honour him with this item that depicts Apostle Andrew. The icon size is 7.4x6.3inches (19cm high x 16 wide).	View all of St. Andrew Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Andrew Icons
	St. Barbara Silver Icon : The icon size is 5.7x4.3inches (14.5cm high x 11 wide). Barbara would love to hang this on her wall for luck and	View all of St. Katherine's Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Barbara Icons
	St. Basil the Great : Defender of the faith and of the church from hairesy, one of the church's most distinguished saints. The icon size is 7.4x6.3inches (19cm high x 16 wide).	View all of St. Basil Icons in our store clicking the link below : St. Basil Icons

Shipment and Delivery:

Item will be shiped 2-4 business days after payment is received.

Freight Charges are as denoted in the add.

You have the following shipment options :

Standard service  :

Standard Mail service. Usually takes 15-20 days to reach you after payment is effectuated (and cleared). Delivery time is not guaranteed. You get no refund if the item is lost in the mail and the item travels at your own risk. It is fairly safe to use this means of shipment, but if you know that things get stollen in the area that you live, please choose the Expedited service.

Expedited service :

The item is shipped with express and registered (trackable) mail.

It is delivered only to you, your signature is required. Usually takes 8-12 days to reach you after payment has been effectuated (and cleared). Delivery time is not guaranteed.

If you choose the expedited service you will be covered by our "safe delivery" policy (see below) meaning that we will insure the product with our mail service.

Safe delivery policy :

By choosing "expedited delivery" as your shipping service you will be covered by our "safe delivery policy".

• In case of non delivery within 60 days of payment you will be sent a new item free of charge or get a full refund.
  
• In case of substantial damage (e.g. item arrives broken) you will be sent a new item or get a full refund.
  
• In case of minor damage (scratches/dents) you will get a partial refund reaching up to 20% of the auction or buy it now price.
  

The damage must be declared within five days of item reception (the date of reception will be checked from the online tracking system) and the damaged item must be reported to your mail service properly. In case of small damages digital photos must be sent to us with email showing clearly the damage.