58. Icon on wood, "Saint Theodore Tyron the Great Martyr", painted by Mincu, Arges, 1821, extremely rare collection piece

The centerpiece of the composition portrays Saint Theodore Tyron, standing, dressed in Roman soldier attire, stepping on a dragon pierced by a long spear he holds in his right hand. With his left hand, he holds a shield and an olive branch, a symbol of martyrdom. His uniform is close to what Roman officers wore, with the painter taking some artistic liberties with his portrayal, including: the plumage of the helmet, the breastplate, the cloak that falls in soft folds, but particularly the face of Saint Theodore Tyron, which is painted by Mincu, the painter, in a real portrait style, completely different from the canons imposed by Erminia. Also, the placement of Saint Theodore Tyron in a landscape, we can see that this is treated, on one hand, according to tradition, as the grassy ground at his feet suggests depth, while on the other hand, it fits within the style of Western easel painting, with the background landscape of the icon displayed in an aerial perspective. In the lower right corner is the name of the painter written in Cyrillic, in black, and the date: "Mincul Zu (grav) 1821 May 16”.

Dimensions

width 23 cm, height 30.5 cm

Description

tempera and gold foil on wood, signed and dated, bottom right, in black, in Cyrillic: "By Minku Z. 1821 ..."

Research information

A painter with certain artistic qualities, Mincul is representative of the transition period from traditional religious painting to Western easel painting. Through his artistic qualities, he managed, by combining the traditional style with elements of Western influence, to create a painting of certain artistic value.

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