Icon - Holy Trinity and the saints - Wood

Large Antique Greek Orthodox Icon
The Holy Trinity - unity and saints - Izmir (Smyrna) circa 1780-1840
Impressive museum-quality Eastern icon of large size (58*41 cm)
Originating from a family heirloom from Izmir
The panel shows a rare and rich composition of the New Testament Trinity, surrounded by the four Evangelists and a register of important patron saints at the bottom, including Saint Charalampos, Saint Stylianos (with child) and Saint Paraskevi.
Quality and Technique:
The icon is of high artistic quality, executed in egg tempera with refined gold hatchings on the garments of the divine figures. The faces are painted in the typical miniature style of the Smyrna school, with striking use of light at Saint Stylianos.
The presence of nail holes on the front confirms that the icon was equipped with a precious metal Riza, which indicates the high status of this object.
Raised crossbars (3 cm thick) are fixed with hand-cut bent nails.
These are indispensable features of a pre-industrial, authentic piece.
My grandfather says they were only added much later.
History: in 1922 there was a large exodus of Greek settlers.
And a very large fire in the city; this icon was saved along with many other icons.
From Samos it came to the Netherlands.
It has been in my personal possession since 1983.
Another note about quality.
Artistic Use of Light
The icon excels in the symbolic illumination of facial features (Photismata), especially on Saint Stylianos and the child; a bright and radiant color palette is used.
This divine light is applied with extreme precision in countless fine layers, which is characteristic of the Smyrna School.