BULGARIA - 17th century Saint Demetrios on horseback.... Lot 13

BULGARIA - 17th century Saint Demetrios on horseback. Icon in tempera 58 x 34 cm. Damage, missing parts and cracks. The icon represents a popular interpretation of Saint Demetrius on horseback killing the Roman emperor, symbol of paganism, or according to Greek legend, killing the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan, in 1207 during the siege of Thessalonica. A peculiarity of this icon is that Saint Demetrius is designated by the epithet "Great Voivode". Xyngopoulos associates this epithet with the influence of Hesychast ideas. According to him, it is inspired by the text of Patriarch Philoteus of Constantinople, which describes the vision of Christ the King surrounded by nobles, including the great voivode Saint Demetrius of Saint Gregory Palamas. According to Ralitsa Rousseva, the origin of this epithet goes back to the hagiographic literature dedicated to this saint: the function of his father and of the saint being precisely that of grand voivode. Bibliography: DJOUROVA (Axinia) and GUEROV (Gueorgui). The treasures of Bulgarian icons. Editions du Patrimoine, 2009. Page 66-67.