Hello, I was wondering if anyone would know where I could purchase a hand painted version of "Our Lady of Stella Maris". My family and I have been trying to decide what icon we want to get for our house this year for Christmas. If we could find a good Stella Maris, that would be ideal. Sadly, I can't find any good ones online, can anyone provide us with a little assistance? Thank you for your time, God bless.

ER,

I'm not familiar with OL Star of the Sea as a common Eastern devotion involving the Theotokos and, thus, not a traditional iconic subject - others may know differently.

The only 2 icon images of the Theotokos under this title which I've seen are one by Father William McNichols, whose iconography I don't find particularly edifying. Your take may be different.

The other is by a Coptic iconographer, Stephane Rene, and painted in the "New" Coptic iconographic style. Rene does some nice work, although this would not be one of my favorites. Again, you may feel differently.

I noticed just now, in checking online, that an iconographer in England titles her site Stella Maris Icons, but I don't see that she has painted an icon of that particular title.

Growing up in eastern Massachusetts where the Italian and Portuguese fishing communities have a strong devotion to Mary under this patronage, I've seen many statues but never an icon. Quite honestly, the most beautiful representation that I think I've ever seen is an online photo of a carved wooden statue that is displayed in a Latin church in Iceland. It's been a long while since I first saw it and it took a bit of digging, but here it is. I've never seen a copy of it elsewhere.

Many years,

Neil

There is the Saved from Drowning icon which one may consider to be an equivalent to Our Lady, Star of the Sea. I don't have information about the history of this particular icon. I thought I'd post it in case you may be interested.