hand-painted icons and altarpieces
Helen McIldowie-Jenkins
St John the Evangelist Listening to the Word of God
'Let anyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying'
Rev. 2:7
Commission for St John's R.C. Church, Mildenhall, Suffolk, England. Original composition designed to fill a gap adjacent to the very unusual church organ, hence emphasis on 'listening'. Inspiration for the figure was taken from 12th c. MSS illustrations from the Great Lambeth Bible and a Russian icon, 'Angel with Golden Hair'. The background of the icon is a stylised representation of the surrounding Breckland scenery and features the rare local bird, the Bittern.
Tempera on panel with mordant gilded background.
Archangel Gabriel
For Sale. Copy of 15th c. Russian (Novgorodian) image of the Archangel Gabriel from a seven-icon Deisis (altarpiece) in which all the saints and angels incline in supplication towards the central figure of Christ Enthroned.
Tempera on panel with polished yellow bole background and water-gilded halo.
Rublev Trinity Detail
SOLD. Detail of left-hand Angel from Saint Andrei Rublev's Holy Trinity icon. This Angel possibly representing the Paraclete.
Tempera on panel, halo gilded with 'moongold'.
St Botolph
Commission for the Orthodox Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex, England. Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints). Saint Botolph (615 - 680 AD) became a monk at an early age and travelled extensively in N. France and England before founding a monastery at Iken (near Aldeburgh) Suffolk in 654 AD. Renowned for his prophecies, exorcisms, miracles and charitable works, Saint Botolph became a patron saint of travellers. A thatched church still stands on the site of his monastery at Iken overlooking the River Alde.
Tempera on panel, water-gilded halo, polished yellow bole background, drapery stylised in the more rounded, swirling forms of 12th c. English MS illumination.
For more information on Saint Botolph see Fr Andrew Phillip's article 'Holy Suffolk: Four Local Saints' at the link below.
St John the Theologian
'In the beginning was the Word...'
John1.1:6
Ordination commission. Design partially based on an 18th c. Russian model (Greek text at patron's request).
Tempera on linen-faced (pavoloka) oak panel, burnished water-gilded halo and matt mordant background gilding.
St Joseph
SOLD, original design. Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin, is shown bringing two sacrificial doves to the Temple in accordance with the Jewish rite of Purification following the birth of a child.
Tempera on panel. Water-gilded halo, mordant gilded background.
St Nicholas
Private Confirmation commission. Copy of Russian icon from Novgorod (1294). Saint Nicholas (4th c.) Archbishop of Myra (S.Turkey), is blessed by the adjacent figures of Christ and the Theotokos. Widely venerated for centuries in Russia and Europe for his emulation of Christ's love and charity, Saint Nicholas is also the patron saint of children, seafarers and travellers. His relics are now venerated in Bari, S. Italy.
Tempera on panel. Silver punched and decorated halo, water-gilded background.
St Parasceva
'I believe in one God, the Father Almighty.'
(text on scroll)
Private commission. Copy of a 16th c. Russian (Novgorodian) icon showing the 3rd century Greek Virgin Martyr, who was persecuted for her faith under Diocletian. Her unusual white veil references the Holy Cloth (Mandylion) and is read as a Redemption symbol. Saint Parasceva is venerated on Fridays, as her name in Greek means 'preparation' (as in Good Friday, the preparation day).
Tempera on rebated panel (kovcheg) Burnished water-gilded background.
St Peter
'Do you love me? ... Feed my lambs.'
'Do you love me? ... Look after my sheep.'
'Do you love me? ... Feed my sheep.'
John 21:15-18
Private Ordination commission. Text in Greek on request of patron (see above for translation). Original composition based on fragment of icon of Saint Peter in the collection of the British Museum, London.
Tempera on oak panel, water-gilded halo and mordant gilded background, polished red bole border.
St Anthony
'I beheld the snares of the devil spread out upon the earth'
Private commission. Copy of 16th c. icon of Saint Anthony the Great by the Cretan painter, Michael Damaskinos. Saint Anthony (251 - 356) is regarded as the founder of monasticism and a 'desert father' who followed a solitary life of prayer and ascetic discipline and having overcome temptation, achieved a great degree of wisdom and understanding - as recorded by Saint Athanasius.
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded panel.
The Great Taxiarch (Archangel Michael)
Private commission. Copy of Byzantine icon, c.1360. The Archangel Michael is venerated as the guardian of the church and the angel who leads the celestial armies into battle with the devil. The Archangel is shown holding the Sphere of the Universe which bears the cryptogram 'Christ the Righteous Judge'. He holds his angelic rod as a messenger of God and the elevated ribbon-ends of his head-dress signify his active duty in listening to God.
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded background.
St Audrey
'A heavenly life in word and deed'.
Commission for the Orthodox Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex, England. Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints). Saint Audrey (also known as Saint Etheldred) founded a double monastery on her dowried land at Ely in the Cambridgeshire Fens, c 673. Baptised and instructed by St Felix, Saint Audrey's chastity was not compromised by two arranged marriages and her piety became legendary. Miracles associated with her led to her shrine at Ely Cathedral becoming a major pilgrimage site in the middle ages.
Tempera on panel, water-gilded halo, polished yellow bole background, drapery stylised in the more rounded, swirling forms of 12th c. English MS illumination.
For more information on Saint Audrey see Fr Andrew Phillip's article 'Holy Suffolk: Four Local Saints' at the link below.
St Edmund
'Hail Martyr King, True to the Faith, Servant of heaven's glorious King'
Extract from feast day hymn.
Commission for the Orthodox Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex, England. Saint Edmund is shown holding a cross symbolising the faith he would not renounce and for which he was martyred by the Danes in 869 at Hoxne in Suffolk.
Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints).
Tempera on panel, water-gilded halo with polished yellow bole background, Drapery stylised in the more rounded, swirling forms of 12th c. English MS illumination.
For more information on Saint Edmund see Fr Andrew Phillip's article 'Holy Suffolk: Four Local Saints' at the link below.
St Edmund king and martyr
'King Edmund, the Christian, prefers to hold his banner high in the court of the Eternal King'.
Saint Edmund's words as later recorded by Abbo of Fleury (985), chapter IX (the first written account of the martyrdom).
Private commission and also commissioned for the Orthodox Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex, England, amongst several other icons. Original design with scenes on the border depicting his martyrdom based on 12th c. illuminations from MS 736 folio (Pierpoint Morgan Library, New York). (See also matching icon of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Theotokos Gallery)
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded halo.
St Felix
Commission for the Orthodox Church of St John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex, England. Saint Felix was French by birth but at the request of King Sigebert of East Anglia, he came to evangelise in his kingdom, probably landing at Felixstowe c. 630. His extensive missionary work took him all over East Anglia, founding schools, monasteries and baptising. His cathedral was at Dunwich.
Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints).
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded halo, polished yellow bole background. Drapery stylised in the more rounded, swirling forms of 12th c English MS illumination.
For more information on Saint Felix see Fr Andrew Phillip's article 'Holy Suffolk: Four Local Saints' at the link below.
St Mavra
An icon of true love
Private Collection. Original composition based on the prototype icon (destroyed by fire in December 2005) from the Church of Saint Mavra on Zakynthos. Saint Mavra was martyred in AD 286 during Diocletian's rule. She was crucified with Timothy, her husband of only twenty days and in sight of each other. Saint Mavra survived ten days on the cross, following mutilation and torture.
St Catherine of Alexandria
Private Commission. Copy of late 13th c. icon in the Basilica of St Catherine’s Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt. The original icon dates from the early Palaeologan period of Byzantine art and was possibly painted at the monastery by a refugee artist (who fled the Latin occupation of Constantinople 1204-1261).
Saint Catherine, who is venerated as a philosopher and for her steadfast faith at a time of persecution, is shown in Byzantine imperial court dress to emphasize the belief she was of royal descent. The artist has used the gilded background effectively within the composition for the crown and lorus (stole) and shield.
The icon is one of the earliest examples of a historiated icon (i.e., having scenes of the saint's life and martyrdom around a central full length image) and it is the earliest known icon of St Catherine in this format. This icon was copied by a Pisan artist in the 1250s, thus transmitting the historiated iconographic format to central Italy and influencing late medieval Italian painting. It has one of the only Byzantine depictions of Catherine being tortured on the wheel.
The fourteen scenes are: [top row L-R] Catherine in prayer, Catherine attacks pagan practices, Catherine imprisoned, [Right border, top-bottom] Catherine interrogated, The converted Rhetors fall at Catherine’s feet, Martyrdom of the Rhetors in the furnace, [Left border, top-bottom] Catherine is beaten, The Empress falls at the imprisoned Catherine’s feet, Catherine interrogated by the Emperor and Eparch [Bottom row, L-R] Catherine is tortured on the Wheel, Catherine and the Empress interrogated by the Emperor, Catherine and the Empress beheaded.
Rebated oak panel, braced and lined, 24ct water gilding, egg tempera (including Lapis Lazuli).
St Cedd Apostle of Essex
Commission for the Orthodox church of St. John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex.
St. Cedd (died c.664) was the brother of St Chad and became a monk at Lindisfarne under the Irish saints Aidan and Finan. He was consecrated as bishop c.654 and worked in the south and east of Essex, near Tilbury and Foulness. The icon depicts Cedd holding his ‘Cathedral’ - the ancient church at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, built amid the ruins of a Roman shore fort.
Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints).
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded halo, polished yellow bole background.
St Osyth of Chich
Commission for the Orthodox church of St. John the Wonderworker, Colchester, Essex.
St. Osyth (died c.700) was born a princess in Buckinghamshire. She was married at a young age for political reasons to Sighere, the apostate King of the East Saxons (Essex). Although her heart was not in the marriage, she strengthened Christianity among the East Saxons, continuing the work of St Cedd. Later in life she founded a convent at Chich (now called St Osyths) on the Essex coast and was martyred there by the Danes. Legend has it that after being decapitated she carried her head in her hands, in the manner of other cephalophoric martyrs, to the door of the nearby church.
Original composition (designed as part of a set of 6 East Anglian saints).
Tempera on panel, burnished water-gilded halo, polished yellow bole background.
St Elizabeth, Mother of the Baptist
Private commission. Original composition of St Elizabeth with scenes from her life (clockwise from L to R): the Annunciation to Zachariah by the Archangel Gabriel of St John's birth; the Visitation; scenes of the birth of St John.
These latter scenes along the bottom border depict the infant John being bathed (as a reference to Baptism), John in his cradle (as a reference to the birth of Christ), a table of birth gifts/food (as a reference to the new feast/eucharist Christ will instigate). The scenes are based on descriptions found in Dionysus of Fourna's 18th century handbook, The Painters Manual.
Tempera on panel, burnished and punch decorated water-gilded halo.
St Demetrios of Thessaloniki Enthroned
In memory of Constance who was born on his day.
Private commission for the Orthodox Parish of St. Helen of Colchester, Essex, England. Copy after the 13th c. icon, Tretyakov Collection, Moscow.
St. Demetrios the Warrior Saint, sits enthroned about to receive the crown of his martyrdom with the blessing of Christ. His sword is partly sheathed in readiness to defend…He wears imperial military uniform and fills the space with a dynamic presence. His rounded face is a sign of his beauty as a martyr and the red and green colour scheme symbolize sacrifice and new life in Christ.
Tempera and gold leaf on panel.
St Mark the Evangelist
'The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee'. Mark 1:1-2
Commissioned by the parish in memory of all who had worshipped at St Marks Church, Catford, South London. The figure of St Mark is shown gesturing to the opening words of his gospel. The three-quarter image is based on traditional Greek iconography, possibly for icons of Evangelists situated on Veneration tiers.
This particular icon was to be a symbol of the parish's continuity as the church faced possible relocation to another site and demolition of its pre-fabricated building. Happily however, St Marks will now be repaired and restored and can continue to serve the area. The icon has been installed in a new prayer corner within the church.
'Tempera on oak panel, 24 ct burnished water gilding.'
St Nicholas with two Vita Scenes
Presentation icon commissioned by the parish of St Nicholas's Church, Kings Norton, Birmingham. Several iconographic prototypes of full-length St Nicholas icons, in particular the Russian 'Zaraisk' model were combined to create this new image. At the request of the recipient, two 'miracle' scenes of 'The Dowry Money' and 'The Calming of the Storm at Sea' were added, although these scenes from the Saint's vita are rarely seen together.
Egg tempera and 24 ct burnished water-gilding on kovcheg panel.
St Augustine of Canterbury and St Jordoan of Bristol
Commissioned by the Friends of Bristol Cathedral, this pair of icons commemorate the early Church in the South-West of England and particularly Bristol's role as a central site for the evangelising of the English by Augustine and his man on the ground, Jordan.
Very little is known of St Jordan and no known images surive or exist of him. This image is an original composition, designed through consultation with local historian, David Higgins, author of St Jordan of Bristol: Foundations of English Christianity in the Bristol Region in the Seventh Century. Jordan was from a well-to-do Roman family and a young priest in Rome when he was one of those chosen by Augustine ('Apostle to the English') in 595 AD to accompany him on the Gregorian Mission to Christianise pagan Anglo-Saxon England. Jordan's mission was successfully established in the Bristol region and it is thought that his early church and tomb are within the environs of the present day Anglican cathedral.
The icons were blessed at a special service for the May 21 feast day of St Jordan and installed in the Elder Lady Chapel of Bristol Cathedral.
Arch-top oak panels, braced and lined, with tempera and 24 ct burnished water-gilding.
Blessed William Richardson
"...What could be more honourable or more glorious than to die for the confession of the true Faith and the Christian religion?"
attr. to William Richardson *
Original commission for St Bede's Roman Catholic Church, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
William Richardson (1572-1603) was a secular Roman Catholic priest during the Reformation and the last to be executed by Elizabeth I. He was one of the 105 Catholic martyrs who went to England’s Calvary - the infamous 'Triple Tree’ gallows at Tyburn’.
William was born in 1572 at Wales, near Sheffield, he studied at Reims in 1592 before being sent to the English seminary at Valladolid, Spain (founded 3 years before by the Jesuit, Robert Persons). William was ordained at Seville in October, 1594 and returned to England to minister to covert Catholics, often hiding under the name William Anderson.
He may have betrayed by a trusted associate and was either arrested at Clement's Inn on 12 February, 1603 or kept prisoner in Newgate for a week before being found guilty of Treason and condemned at the Old Bailey on the 15 February (under stat. 27 Eliz., c. 2) for 'being a priest and coming into the realm'. His trial and execution seem to have taken place with unusual speed.
At his execution, in which he was hanged, drawn, and quartered, he apparently showed great courage and his last words were "a prayer for the queen" (of Heaven?) His was the final martyrdom to take place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, as she was to die herself within a month. William was Beatified on 15 December, 1929 by Pope Pius XI.
*Extract from: ‘The One Hundred and Five Martyrs of Tyburn’ published Tyburn Convent, 1917, Burns & Oates.
Linden wood panel, 23 ct burnished water-gilding, tempera.
Notes on TYBURN
Elizabeth 1 replaced the single ‘King’s Gallows’ which had stood at Tyburn since 1196, with a more accommodating, three-sided, model in 1571. This wooden structure, apparently some 18 feet high could take 24 victims in total, 8 being hanged on each side.
The gallows (also known as the ‘Elms’, and the ‘Deadly Never Green Tree’, did not stay in the exactly same spot and, as the adjacent burial pits filled up, ‘wandered’ within the vicinity of Marble Arch. A simple, round plaque now marks it’s supposed last spot, on what is now the traffic island at the bottom of the Edgware Road, opposite the cinema.
In 1901, the Tyburn Convent was founded on the Bayswater Road, not far from the gallows site. Prayers are offered daily for the 350 Roman Catholic Martyrs, 105 of whom were martyred at Tyburn. In the Convent crypt, accessible to the public, is a Shrine to the Martyrs of Tyburn with a display of several relics of the martyrs and their sympathisers (Edmund Campion, John Houghton, Oliver Plunket, Sir Thomas Moore, Margaret Ward etc).
St Luke with the Prophet Daniel and St Anastasia
Privately commissioned Baptismal gift, inscribed with Croatian Glagolitic script. Based on traditional images of Luke, the icon painting Apostle is shown with the Angel of Creation on his shoulder as his 'inspiration' (the angel has a halo with the eight-pointed 'Star of Creation'; the visible seven rays represent the seven days of Creation, with the 8th day hidden, as the fulfilment of the plan of Salvation.)
Oak board, burnished borders, oil-gilded background and halo, egg tempera.