Career
Kostandin Shpataraku (fl 1736-1767) was an Albanian painter of 18th century. The region is located in the southern highland of Elbasan, Albania, in today"s Gjinar, formerly in the Ottoman Empire. Shpataraku was beheaded by the Ottomans in Elbasan.
His family took his body and buried him in his village, head apart from the rest of the body, so the Ottomans could not find his exact grave.
A small chapel was built later to commemorate him. He is also commemorated as a saint by the locals, on September 21.
Many of his icons are in Ardenica Monastery, Saint Jovan Vladimir"s Church near Elbasan, Vithkuq, and in the "Museum of Medieval Art" in Korce. In 2010, an icon painting attributed to him was sold to Hetem Ramadani for 75,000 euros at a charity ball hosted by Liri Berisha, wife of the Albanian premier.
The icon had formerly been in the ownership of the family of the modern painter, Alush Shima.
