Day 2: BlessedMart Jesus Christ the Pantocrator Icon

Hello, and welcome to day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas season 2! Today, you are with The Catholic Man’s sister, Ivy Pham who has reappeared in time for the holidays.  I present to you an icon of Jesus Christ the Pantocrator from BlessedMart.  

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you know someone who is a fan of Byzantine art, or if you are a fan – no shame in gift shopping for yourself – then I think you would love this.  It stays true to the Byzantine style as far as I know, which makes sense because BlessedMart sells art in this style. It is hand painted on a wood panel that is 22cm tall, 16cm wide, and 2cm thick.  You can see and feel the different layers of paint as the artist added more detail. There is so much attention to detail that was put into this piece. The precision required with each stroke is very high; the artist executed that wonderfully.  From the standpoint of just comparing the images of this piece and a print-out, it really does compete.  

The image depicted in this piece is a fairly common Byzantine piece.  If you were considering getting this for someone who collects icons that are painted, or on wood panels, I don’t know if this piece would really add to their collection.  However, that is a very specific instance and I would imagine most of us are just looking for something to hang on our wall or set on a desk. In that case, I think it would be a great addition to your space.  

In terms of the painting, I noticed that the halo goes right up to the top while the rest of the picture has a border that is a little thinner than 1 cm in width.  I kind of wish there was a continuous border all the way around or they made it so that there was no border at all and the artist would paint right to the end of the panel.  I also think they could’ve given Jesus’ hair a bit more contrast compared to his face and the background. His clothes are so vibrant by comparison that my eyes automatically travel to them, and then they have to wander upwards to find His face.  Overall, I still think it’s beautiful and would satisfy anyone who is looking for something like this.  

There are two things that I think are worth noting.  Firstly, the photos for this particular icon on the BlessedMart website – in my opinion – does not do the actual product justice.  I feel a bit bad saying this because on the website it says photographs were carefully taken, but I think they could’ve done a better job.  The second thing is the ink used for the text on the book is water soluble (yes, I learned this from experience from having the icon blessed with Holy Water by a priest, as custom in the Roman Rite), so if you have particularly sweaty hands I suggest being a bit more cautious.  

This piece is close to $100 CAD.  I don’t think that is an unfair price considering the quality and the fact that it was hand painted with such care.  If you can get it on sale, then that is an even better deal. Overall, I think this would be a great gift for a Byzantine art lover.  If you already have something similar, you can go through the BlessedMart website and I think you will find something else you’d like.  

The Catholic Man’s thoughts and Review

BlessedMart really brought me to the Byzantine tradition. Besides the beautiful hand painted icon of also offered a candle holder, beeswax candles and even incense.
On my part, I am going to speak about the candle holder, which holds a thin taper. It is a custom for Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians to burn beeswax candles in front of icons just as Roman Catholics often light votive candles in front of statues. While the candle holder is brass (I think), small but beautiful, I admire the candles the most. When I opened them from the package, the first thing I smelled were the beeswax candles. 100% beeswax has such as distinct smell, a “sweet” smell to it which I love. When burnt, the candles release a wonderful aroma.
Just as Roman Catholics reverence sacred images with incense in the liturgy, the Christians of the East do so more frequentlly not only during worship but within household “icon corners” or prayer space. The incense I received from Blessed Mart is quite unique – I am used to the “Three Kings” incense used at my parish, and therefore, have only used a small number of incense (yes, there are hundreds of aromas for incense). Blessed Mart’s incense has a unique smell that seemed somewhat citrus. It had a very pleasant aroma – and trust me, going on pilgrimages, even down to the United States, I have had bad experiences with incense aroma; one I remember, smelled like burnt rubber.
My sister very eloquently reviewed the beautiful icon which I have used on several occasions and I have only received positive feedback. The items that came with it only dignified the icon.
I understand the Eastern Christians have much reverence for icons. I love Byzantine icons and I recommend this gift for Catholic lovers of art, and those who love to pray with icons.
Thank you BlessedMart for giving us the opportunity to feature you on The Catholic Man Reviews.

• 

• 

• 

That’s all for today’s review; I hope to see you back for day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas!