Imago pietatis: «Adună pe robii Săi cu mare predicare la potir». Reprezentarea miniaturală Hristos viţa-de-vie din Slujebnicul mitropolitului Ştefan al Ungrovlahiei şi semnificaţiile sale euharistice (1652)

1 February 2010


Authors
Jan Nicolae
Pages
29-56
Abstract

This study represents a theological investigation of the sources of an image present in a handwritten Liturgy Book from the middle of the XVIIth century: the Liturgy Book of Metropolitan bishop Stephen of Hungro-Wallachia drawn up around 1652, as wel as its possible successors, illustrated beginning with the end of the XVIIth century in the mural painting and icons on glass from Wallachia, Transylvania and Maramureş. Represented with a vine that grows out of His rib and curves behind the crucifix – which is the background of the scene –, Jesus crushes a grape in the chalice, thus proving to be the source of Eucharist himself. Excursion into Occidental art reveals that at the origin of this representation most probably lies a xylograph from an Ukrainian printing, that prabaly reached in the Romanian area once with typographer masters sent by Petro Mohyla, the Metropolitan of Kiev, at the request of Voivod Matei Basarab.

Keywords
mystical winepress; Ukrainian engraving; Brancovan painting; icon on glass; the Eucharist