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30 pages, 12291 KiB

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Communion Under Both Kinds in the Lublin Frescoes and Gregory Tsamblak’s Liturgy at the Council of Constance

by Mirosław Piotr Kruk

Religions 2025, 16(3), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030391 - 20 Mar 2025

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Communion Under Both Kinds in the Lublin Frescoes and Gregory Tsamblak’s Liturgy at the Council of Constance. The aim of this publication is to draw attention to the fact that a rather lengthy discussion of the peculiar depiction of the Communion of the Apostles in the krthodox paintings of the Roman Catholic chapel of Lublin Castle has overlooked the fact that the Orthodox Metropolitan of Kiev Gregory Tsamblak, who was an envoy of the founder of the frescoes, i.e., King Władysław Jagiełło of Poland, to the Council of Constance, gave Communion under two forms during the liturgy he celebrated there and that this was recorded in the annals of the Council. Several issues are worth considering here—the depiction of this Communion in a Roman Catholic Church, its unusual form and the fact that Tsamblak celebrated this liturgy at the Council, which gave separate attention to the question of Communion under both kinds. Metropolitan Tsamblak appeared at the Council in 1418, the same year in which the Lublin paintings were made. It is likely that it was Tsamblak who may have worked with King Władysław Jagiełło to set their programme, just as they both united their efforts to create a framework for Christians of different denominations to coexist within one state organism. Thus, it also seems important to recall this remarkable person and the role he played at a key moment after the unification of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disseminating Christian Beliefs Through Word and Image in Medieval and Renaissance Times)

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17 pages, 16160 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Repainting and Authentic—Mineral Pigments in the Color Palettes Used in Three Old Romanian Royal Icons

by Zizi Balta, Daniela Cristea-Stan, Paul Mereuta, Dragos Mirea, Daniela Filimon, Alina Buterez and Ioana Stanculescu

Minerals 2024, 14(12), 1218; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121218 - 29 Nov 2024

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Abstract

The interior of Orthodox churches is entirely decorated with paintings, icons, and frescoes, to help create a special environment for the prayers and visitors. The paintings have religious, esthetic, and historical value, being created in the Byzantine tradition and following recommendations on style and materials according to old church canons. Particular importance is attributed to the Iconostasis decorated with icons on several registers, as well as to polychrome wooden ornaments and imperial doors. This work presents the scientific investigation results of three royal icons, theoretically dating to the 19th century, from the Iconostasis of the Runcu church, an important 19th-century Romanian historical monument, aiming to answer questions regarding their age and constituent materials, especially what were the mineral pigments used in the color palettes for their painting and if there were any old repainting interventions, in order to assist their restoration and conservation. Methods of characterization employed were optical microscopy, SEM-EDX spectrometry, ATR/FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Results obtained allowed us to date, attribute, and evaluate the conservation state of the Royal icons; to our knowledge, this study is among the very few research studies carried out so far on the religious heritage conservation field in Romania. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Historical Mineral Pigments, Volume II)

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12 pages, 9035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lutheran Apocalyptic Imagery in the Orthodox Context

by Anita Paolicchi

Arts 2023, 12(3), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12030099 - 11 May 2023

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Abstract

Dürer’s Apocalypse was undoubtedly the prototype for the many apocalyptic representations that suddenly appeared in Central Europe by the end of the sixteenth century: the influence of Dürer’s Apocalypse extended far beyond the German borders, towards Western, Southern and Eastern countries. The Apocalypse text is extremely rich in symbols so that it could easily be enriched with additional meanings: Cranach’s reworking of Dürer’s iconographic model in the 1520s, under Luther’s personal guidance, became a key instrument of transmission of the Lutheran doctrine and anti-papal criticism. The reception of these prototypes in the Orthodox world followed different routes, as two different works of art can prove, namely, a cycle of frescoes on Mount Athos and a series of Gospel book covers made at the end of the seventeenth century by an unidentified Transylvanian Saxon Lutheran goldsmith. In the latter, the Cranach prototype, which was originally made with the purpose of transmitting the Lutheran doctrine, was brilliantly adapted by the goldsmith to a different context. The comparative analysis of the same scene by Dürer, Cranach and the Transylvanian goldsmith can be useful to show how art could be employed to transmit a religious and political message while adapting it to the specific needs and characteristics of a culturally and religiously different context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Byzantine, Post-Byzantine and European Art History and Cultural Interchange)

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15 pages, 4197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance and Religion: Dancing Bodies in Macedonian Orthodox Fresco Painting

by Sonja Zdravkova Djeparoska

Arts 2021, 10(4), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/arts10040088 - 20 Dec 2021

Viewed by 5995

Abstract

Although dance as a topic has been explored through various theoretical and thematic discourse, little attention has been paid to the presence of dance motifs in Christian imagery. An examination of Orthodox Macedonian medieval fresco painting provides a fascinating point of entry into this overlooked subject. Analysis reveals the presence of two dominant approaches, conditioned primarily by the position of dancing in the philosophical-ethical discourse present in the Bible and other late antique and medieval theological texts. Some frescoes and icons show the body as a channel through which the Lord is glorified. Others show it as an instrument and reflection of immorality instigated by demonic powers. As in each approach, the bodies have differing semantic qualities, valuable information can be obtained about the performing practices present in this historical period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A 10-Year Journey of Arts)

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