Toile imprimée pour broderie de perles (sans perles) – icône « Sainte Raïssa »

“St. Raisa” — a waist-length image of the martyr with her hands folded on her chest; the whole piece rests on shades of blue.

What the picture shows

The saint stands almost frontally, her head slightly turned. A blue maphorion with broad soft folds covers her head and shoulders, with chestnut hair showing beneath and falling over one shoulder. A pink-red inset shows at the neckline. Her hands are crossed on her chest, the fingers long and finely drawn. The halo is large, worked in pale blue, ochre and gold rows within a thin outline. The beading is partial: beads cover the figure, the halo, the corner rosettes, the ornamental side band and the cartouche below, while the pale background with its printed leaf pattern stays exactly as printed on the canvas. The field is finished in the traditional way: two corner fans above, side bands of fine ornament and a signed cartouche below.

What you get

• Natural artist canvas with the full-colour pattern printed on it — no chart to follow on a screen
• Colour key for Czech Preciosa beads
• Beads, needles and thread are chosen separately

Specifications

• Finished size: 170×230 mm (6.7×9.06 in)
• Beads needed: approx. 4,745
• Bead colours: 11
• Base: natural artist canvas

The piece is vertical. Its short colour list makes it manageable for someone stitching an icon for the first time. Finished work is usually set in a narrow frame or in an icon case.