St. Methodius and St. Cyril
Type:
Icon
Period:
1900 year
Dimiter Sirleshtov - born in 1838 in Bansko. He studies iconography with Simeon Molerov as a teacher. Later on he becomes a student of Mihalko Golev and starts practicing wood-carving and house constructing. In the period 1890-1898 he paints the church “Saint Mother of God” in Boboshevo. Together with his apprentice Kostadin Popov he paints another church in Boboshevo – “St. Elijah” He paints the churches of the following villages of Kyustendil Province: Dragodan, Buranovo, Tzarkvishte and Palatovo. He makes decorative wall paintings in some private homes. Despite his long experience as iconographer he has never reached the level of his teachers. One can see the lack of vivid coloring in his works. Dimitar Sirleshtov uses in his works, one particular erminia, translated by himself in Bulgarian. He dies in 1913 in Bansko. Kostadin (Kotse) Marunchev - Born in 1886 in Bansko. Had started studying iconography at first under Dimiter T. Sirleshtov, Mihalko Golev and Simeon D. Molerov. Had not been working on his own, but mostly as a helpmate to someone of the Bansko master-painters. With Dimiter Sirleshtov he had been working, in the year 1900, on the icon of "The Entry into Jerusalem" in the "Saint Dimiter" church in the village of Padesh. In that same year the two of them had been working also on another icon, dedicated to Saint Great Martyr George, for the same church, and also on the icon of "Saint Dimiter". In the last years of his life he had abandoned the icon-painting and had taken to making chests - for household needs and wedding chests, on which he used to paint various ornaments. Had won the respect of the local population. His decorations are extremely fresh, colourful, and we see everywhere the excellent feeling for ornamentation in that painter. He had died in 1932 in Bansko.
Dimmensions (cm):
100
/ 62
/ 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
A traditional iconographic treatment of the theme. The two saints are portrayed in full length, dressed in archieratical vestments, with miters on their heads. Methodius is holding an open book in his left hand, and an archieratical staff in his right one. Cyril is holding an unfolded roll with a text on it in his left hand, and a cross in his right one. Both of them are standing on a level ground.
Iconographical technique: Combined
With velaturas. Used had also been the "wet into wet" method in the carnations. The varnish is applied thinly and evenly. The gilding of the aureoles and of the vestments of the saints is with gold-leaf and with engraving on the aureoles.
Base material: Wood
The base is made of two softwood panels, joined by means of two inserted beams. The ground coat is of plaster, laid thinly and evenly.
State, restoration traces and comments
There are, in the icon's lower left corner, as well as in other areas, damages, with a part of the painting layer missing as deep as the ground coat, where there are traces of restorative interventions.
