В търсене на образците на румънските владетелски евангелия
Searching for the Models of the Romanian Rulers' Gospels

Summary/Abstract: The article treats of the typological similarity in the principles of illumination of the London Gospel of Tsar Ivan Alexander and the two manuscripts kept at the Suceviţa Monastery – a gospel commissioned by the Wallachian ruler Alexander II Mircea (1568–1577), known as Suceviţa 23, and the other one made on order of the Moldovan ruler Jeremiah Movila (1595–1606), known as Suceviţa 24. The author dwells on the amazing similarity not only in the illustrating principles which stem from the only known today Byzantine model – the Codex Parisinus graecus 74 – but also in the miniatures of the donors' portraits and in the iconography of certain scenes. A special emphasis is put on the similarity between the London Gospel and the Suceviţa 23 gospel. The reasons for the choice of a model in illuminating the respective gospels are discussed. In this connection the article also examines the poetic texts included around the miniatures of Paris. Gr. 74, which shed additional light on the problems of illustrating the gospels in the Byzantine Commonwealth. These texts undoubtedly put an accent on the theme of leadership and are closely related with a donation or a commission made by representatives of the royal or high-clerical authorities – kings, aristocrats, high-ranking clergymen. For this reason they were neither widespread nor typical of the production of the Byzantine illuminated manuscripts but rather reflect the specific ideas of the commissioners. They help us gain an insight into the preferences and the interests of the Bulgarian king and the Romanian rulers.

• Details
• Contents