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"Archangel Michael"
written by Ustinian Tilov
Catalog # 1.11
Medium: tempera on wood.
Hand-made according to the
Bulgarian Iconographic tradition and
techniques.
Possible heights:
A) 19 - 21 cm
B) 25 - 27 cm
C) 38 - 40 cm
As for the width, the proportions of the original icon will
be kept.
The Archangel Michael, 17th C., from Plovdiv. Tempera on wood, 61 x 46 cm. Now at the Old Bulgarian Art department of the National Art Gallery
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The Archangel Michael is shown half-length and full-face, holding a drawn sword in his right hand and an orb with Christ’s monograms in his left. He wears brown armour and a red mantle, decorated with a white doted ornament in the shape of a flower.
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Here we have a new style of treating the face, and it has been brought to the extreme. A band of baked sienna, the basic shade, has been left uncovered around the oval of the face, lending it a frail mystical appearance. The prominent parts are painted pink ochre in an elongated, almost geometrical shape. The stylization apparent in the face is repeated in the hand which is unnaturally lean.
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The tendency to apply pure colours can be observed in the treatment of the fabrics. The central area is surrounded by a carved border with a cord-like ornament, characteristic of the 17th C.
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