What cannot be measured
A priceless gift: the sacred icon made for one person
Priceless is what cannot be measured: the time someone has given to us, a prayer, a memory, a bond that passes to our children. Priceless gift ideas are rare for exactly this reason. A hand-painted sacred icon is one of them: a work born for one person that will carry their name for generations.
What makes a gift priceless
Some gifts are worth the brand they carry; others are worth what they are. The second kind are priceless, because no one could replace them with an identical object. They usually have four qualities:
They cannot be repeated
There is no second copy: the icon is painted once, by hand.
They hold time
Months of work, layer after layer: gesso, incised drawing, gilding, colours, highlights.
They carry sentimental value
They bear the name, the date and the dedication of giver and recipient.
They are handed down
They stay in the family and gain meaning over the years, like grandparents' icons.
Spiritual value: an icon is not an object
For the Christian tradition of East and West the icon is a window onto the sacred: whoever looks at it does not venerate wood and colours, but the person depicted. That is why the iconographer paints it in prayer, and why an icon has a value no commercial estimate can express. Giving one means entrusting the recipient to the protection of the Mother of God, their angel or their saint.
Sentimental value: a gift that carries a name
On the back of the panel, or in the booklet accompanying the icon, you can write the recipient's name, the date of a baptism or wedding, the names of parents, godparents or friends who give it. An old Russian custom held that at a child's birth their patron saint was painted on a panel exactly as tall as the newborn: the measure icon. Gestures like these turn a work of art into a priceless gift, because no other family will ever have one like it.
Artistic value: the work of a recognisable school
Concetta Basile is an Italian iconographer of the traditional school of iconography, a pupil of the master Lia Galdiolo, with 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: a linden multi-ply panel with glued canvas and a recessed field, more than ten layers of gesso sanded by hand, incised drawing, mordant gilding with 23¾ karat gold leaf, egg tempera with ochres, earths and oxides.
Queen of Life
The Mother of God with the scrolls of the Angelus and the Magnificat.
Saint Joseph the Nourisher
A newly conceived icon, commissioned by Archimandrite Father Alessio Mandanikiotis.
The Good Samaritan
Mission of Hope and Charity, Palermo, 2022.
The details
Face, decorated mantle and highlights painted by hand.
The gold
23¾ karat gold leaf, laid by hand.
The hands
The iconographer's work, stage after stage.
Priceless gift ideas for the people dearest to you
- For parents on an anniversary: the Holy Family or the Mother of God of Tenderness, with the dates of their wedding.
- For a newborn: the measure icon of their patron saint, as tall as they were at birth.
- For a godchild: the Guardian Angel, with the godparent's name on the back.
- For a priest at his ordination or a priestly jubilee: Christ Pantocrator or the Good Shepherd.
- For someone who saved or cared for us: the Good Samaritan, as a sign of gratitude.
- For a community: an icon for the church, chapel or oratory, with the names of those who wanted it.
Something priceless is not for sale
Precisely because its value cannot be measured, a sacred icon is not a shop item. 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is a priceless gift?
A gift no one could replace with an identical object: unique, made for one person, full of meaning and made to last. A hand-painted sacred icon, with the saint and the name of the recipient, is one of the finest examples.
What does "priceless" mean for a gift?
It means its value cannot be estimated in money: it is worth what it represents (a bond, a faith, a memory) more than what it is made of.
Why does a sacred icon have priceless value?
Because it cannot be repeated, it is painted by hand in prayer, fully gilded with 23¾ karat gold leaf, and because for believers it is a window onto the sacred, not a decorative object.
What gift of sentimental value can I give a child or grandchild?
The icon of their patron saint or Guardian Angel, with the name and baptism date on the back: a gift that will accompany them all their life and may one day pass to their own children.
What is a measure icon?
An old Russian custom: at a child's birth their patron saint was painted on a panel as tall as the newborn. Today it can be commissioned as a birth or baptism gift.
Can a priceless gift be given by several people?
Yes: families, friends, colleagues or a parish can commission the icon together. Everyone's names can be written in the booklet.
Does a hand-painted icon keep its value over time?
Yes: painted on a gesso-prepared panel and gilded in pure gold, with the right care it lasts for centuries. Over the years it also gains value as a family memory.
How do I commission a priceless icon?
By writing to Concetta Basile on WhatsApp or Telegram: you choose the subject, the size, the Greek or Latin inscriptions and the dedication. 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.