The official gift

Official and institutional gift: an icon hand-painted in Italy

A city welcoming a delegation, a diocese receiving a guest, a university conferring an honour, a foundation or a company thanking a partner: on these occasions you need an institutional gift, an official present that speaks of the place it comes from and stays in the memory of the recipient. A sacred icon hand-painted in Sicily by Concetta Basile joins art, history and meaning, and is a unique work made in Italy.

What an official gift needs

To represent the giver: a work of the territory, made by hand in Italy, telling a tradition.
To suit the recipient, whatever their culture: the icon is a language shared by Christian East and West.
To be worthy of the occasion: 23¾ karat gold leaf, a hand-prepared panel, egg tempera.
To carry the memory of the event: the institution, the guest's name, the date and the place can be written on the back of the panel and in the booklet.
To be documented: a certificate of authenticity on real parchment and photographs of every stage.

For which institutional occasions

Visits by distinguished guests

An official gift for a visiting civil or religious dignitary.

Delegations and twinnings

For a twin city, an embassy, a delegation from abroad.

Anniversaries

The centenary of an institution, a school, a hospital, a confraternity.

Honours and awards

Honorary citizenship, an honorary degree, a lifetime achievement award.

End of term

A thank-you to a president, a mayor, a rector, a director completing their service.

Corporate representation

For an international partner, a long-standing client, a board of directors.

Which subject to choose for an official gift

The subject is chosen according to the place and the recipient. The patron saint of the city or region the gift comes from ties the work to its territory; in Sicily, for example, Our Lady of Tindari, venerated in the sanctuary on the headland of Tindari. The patron saint of the recipient, or of their profession, makes the gift personal. For an institution that represents everyone, universal subjects such as Christ Pantocrator, the Rublev Trinity, icon of hospitality and communion, or the Good Samaritan, icon of charity, speak to every culture.

Our Lady of Tindari — The Mother of God venerated in the sanctuary of Tindari, Sicily. — Our Lady of Tindari
The Mother of God venerated in the sanctuary of Tindari, Sicily.

Rublev Trinity — Abraham's three angelic guests: the icon of hospitality. — Rublev Trinity
Abraham's three angelic guests: the icon of hospitality.

Christ Pantocrator — Round panel with Greek inscription. — Christ Pantocrator
Round panel with Greek inscription.

The Good Samaritan — Mission of Hope and Charity, Palermo, 2022. — The Good Samaritan
Mission of Hope and Charity, Palermo, 2022.

The icon carried to the Mission — Concetta Basile and the tenor Ilarion carry the icon to the Mission of Hope and Charity in Palermo. — The icon carried to the Mission
Concetta Basile and the tenor Ilarion carry the icon to the Mission of Hope and Charity in Palermo.

With Don Pino Vitrano — Don Pino Vitrano, leader of the Mission, with the tenor Ilarion and Concetta Basile. — With Don Pino Vitrano
Don Pino Vitrano, leader of the Mission, with the tenor Ilarion and Concetta Basile.

An official gift made in Sicily, in the line of a school

Concetta Basile is an Italian iconographer of the traditional school of iconography, a pupil of the master Lia Galdiolo, who personally presented her icons to John Paul II. She holds the attestation of Archimandrite, monk and hermit Father Alessio Mandanikiotis of the Holy Orthodox Church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In Sicily she paints, entirely by hand, icons of rare finesse and beauty: this is why an icon by Concetta is an institutional gift that represents Italy and its art craftsmanship.

Hand-painted sacred icon displayed in the lobby of an official building

How to commission an institutional gift

An authentic icon takes months of work: for a visit or anniversary already in the calendar it is wise to plan ahead. Every icon is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work, and arrives with a certificate of authenticity on real parchment, photographs of every stage and a booklet explaining its meaning.

The institution writes to Concetta Basile on WhatsApp or Telegram, stating the occasion, the person who will receive the gift and the place.
Together you choose the subject, the size, the Greek or Latin inscriptions and the text of the dedication on the back.
The icon is painted entirely by hand; every stage is photographed and documented.
The work arrives with the certificate on real parchment and the booklet, which can carry the institution's name and the reason for the gift.

Frequently asked questions

What is an institutional gift?

The official gift that an institution (a city, a region, a diocese, a university, a company) offers to a guest, a dignitary or a partner. It must represent the giver and be worthy of the occasion.

What should I give a distinguished guest?

A work that speaks of the place the gift comes from. An icon hand-painted in Sicily, with the patron saint of the territory or of the recipient, is a unique official gift full of meaning.

Is a sacred icon suitable as an official gift for guests of other cultures?

Yes, with the right subject: the icon is shared by Christian East and West, and subjects such as the Trinity of hospitality or the Good Samaritan speak to everyone. For non-Christians it remains a work of art from a thousand-year tradition.

Can the institution's name and the date be added to the gift?

Yes: the institution's name, the guest's name, the date, the place and the reason for the gift can be written on the back of the panel and in the booklet. The inscriptions on the icon itself remain in Greek or Latin.

What gift for a mayor or president at the end of their term?

An icon of the saint of their name or the patron of the city, with a dedication from colleagues or citizens on the back: a lasting thank-you.

What gift for a foreign delegation?

A work made in Italy that tells of its territory: a hand-painted icon of the city patron or of a Madonna venerated locally, with the booklet in English too.

Can an icon be a corporate representation gift?

Yes: for an international partner, a long-standing client or a company anniversary it is an exceptional gift, unique and made in Italy.

Can an institutional gift be shipped abroad?

Yes: the icon is delivered with protective packaging and, on request, insured shipping. Conditions are checked at the time of commission.

How do I commission an institutional gift?

By writing to Concetta Basile on WhatsApp or Telegram. Every icon is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work, and arrives with a certificate of authenticity on real parchment, photographs of every stage and a booklet explaining its meaning.