Royal Altar Gates
Type:
Plastic iconographical object:
Royal doors
Period:
From
the beginning of the
19 century
to
the end of the
19 century
Dimmensions (cm):
149
/ 84
/ 4.5
Location
Country: Bulgaria
Province: Blagoevgrad
Village: Padesh
Church: St. Great Martyr Dimiter
Source
Country: Bulgaria
Province: Blagoevgrad
Village: Padesh
Church: St. Great Martyr Dimiter
Description
The woodcut decoration is of stylized floral motifs. In the upper part it ends with the heads of two dragons with their bodies twisted in the form of the letter "S". There are on each of the two gates four pictorial fields: two ovalshaped (medallions) and two rectangular ones, with arches in their upper part. The ovalshaped fields are with a convex surface and are situated one under the other in the central part of each one of the wings. Painted in waist-length and with rolls in their hands in the upper 12 x 16 cm medallions are the prophet-kings David (on the right-hand side) and Solomon (on the left-hand side). Painted in the lower ovalshaped 17 x 25 cm medallions is the scene of "The Annunciation": on the left wing is the Holy Mother of God in full length, seated on a throne, and on the right wing - Saint Archangel Gabriel. The rectangular ones are next to each other in the lower part of the gates. Portrayed in the lower part of the gates, are the liturgists Saint Nicholas, The Wonderworker Saint Gregory the Theologian (on the left wing), Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Basil the Great (on the right wing). All of the are holding books in their left hands, and with their right hands are blessing.
Iconographical technique: Tempera
The painting is a primitive one, of a granular structure, placed in small medallions, interwoven in the wood-carving. The varnish cover is applied thinly and unevenly. Applied on the letter's protruding parts of the base is a gilding with gold-leaf on bole.
Base material: Wood
The base is of two wings, made of softwood panels without any beams. The front part is decorated with a high-relief wood-carving. The ground coat is of plaster, and the grooves are painted with an even pale blue tone.
State, restoration traces and comments
There are no traces of any previous restorative intervention. There is a donor's inscription down below.
