Artwork
prăznicar cu sfinți
prăznicar cu sfinți is a drawing by the Baroque artist Ioan Pop de la Făgăraș. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the Alba Iulia Orthodox Archdiocese.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1852 by the Romanian folk artist Ioan Pop de la Făgăraș, the work known as *prăznicar cu sfinţi* is a painted panel now conserved in the Museum of Ethnography. The composition consists of nine miniature scenes set within a richly colored ornamental border, each scene framed by a simple caption in a non‑Romanian script.
Subject & Meaning
The individual squares depict a range of religious and secular motifs: saints bearing crosses or books, figures in regal attire, mounted riders, and architectural elements. The juxtaposition of sacred icons with everyday activities suggests a narrative of communal celebration, linking spiritual intercession with local customs.
Technique & Style
The artist employs flat, vivid pigments and a graphic simplification of human features, rendering faces with minimal lines while clothing is rendered in elaborate detail. The border is filled with interlacing red, green and gold motifs, a decorative scheme typical of 19th‑century Romanian folk painting, emphasizing pattern over perspective.
History & Provenance
After its completion in the mid‑19th century, the panel remained in the artist’s native region before entering the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it serves as a representative example of the visual culture of Făgăraș and its surrounding communities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ioan Pop de la Făgăraș painted religious scenes in the mid-1800s, like *Încoronarea Fecioarei* (1846) and *Duminica Floriilor*.
Sfinții militari
Sfânta Treime (Sfânta Troiță, Filoxenia, Cina de la Mamvri)
Duminica tuturor sfinților
Prăznicar – Botezul lui IS HS
Scene din viața lui Iisus
Sf. Nicolae și Învierea lui Iisus, cu 24 scene de praznic
Nașterea lui Iisus
Judecata de Apoi
Prăznicar – Scene din viața lui Iisus
Învierea lui Iisus, cu 12 scene de praznic
Sfânta Treime; Înălțarea Sfintei Cruci