Вратичка от бронзов триптих с изображение на св. Георги – войн

Panel of a Triptych with St. George the Warrior

Abstract

The panel of a bronze triptych with the image of St. George dated back to the 12th century can be attrib­uted to a group of fine art works made in Thessaloniki (Fig. 1). It was found in the fortress near the village of Samotino, Varna region.

The half of a cross with equal bars was cast on its outer side. It is exquisitely made in the shape of a “tangled rope” whose interlaced design gives the shape of the bars of the cross. The end of each bar divides into three separate branches. There is a round medallion in the center of the interlaced tangles.

St. George the Warrior in a full-length size is depicted on the inner side on the door-panel. The saint, vested in a plated armor and a short tunic with a cloak, is holding a spear in his left hand. With his right hand, he is holding the cloak falling down from his right shoulder with parts of the armor visible underneath the folds of the garment. The item sticking up behind his back is most probably the handle of a sword. The figure was made in high relief although some of the fine details were defaced. The figure of the saint is quite disproportionate – the head is quite big, the torso is wide and short, and the legs are very thin.

The armour and the clothing of the saint show close similarity to a group of encolpions, which were very popular in the 11th–12th century Byzantine Empire. The arrangement of the armor plate-scales, the drapery of the cloak and the lack of a shield relate this representation of St. George to the relief icons with embossed im­ages made from various materials in the 12th or even the early13th century.