Artwork
Sfântul Nicolae
Sfântul Nicolae is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1810 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Bukovina. The image depicts Saint Nicholas, dressed in flowing robes, holding a book in one hand and three golden spheres in the other.
About this work
Overview
The image depicts Saint Nicholas, dressed in flowing robes, holding a book in one hand and three golden spheres in the other. His expression is composed and solemn, and the composition is rendered with crisp, defined lines complemented by fine stippled texture.
Subject & Meaning
As a devotional icon, the figure serves as a focus for prayer, emphasizing Saint Nicholas’s role as a patron of generosity and protection. The book symbolizes his wisdom and teaching, while the three golden balls reference the legend of his charitable acts.
Technique & Style
The artist employs cross‑hatching to model the drapery and facial features, creating a sense of volume through intersecting strokes. Stippling adds subtle tonal variation, particularly in the fabric folds, giving the drawing a tactile quality while maintaining a precise, linear aesthetic.
Context
Such devotional images belong to a broader tradition of religious icons used in personal and communal worship. Similar works appear in ethnographic collections that document regional practices of creating portable, prayer‑focused artworks.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
