International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

The Sunday of all Saints
(Cheia înțelesului, 1678, signed and dated „Ioanichie Bakov 1678”), 
of Ukrainian origin (Cazania of Petru Movilă, Kiev, 1637) to which are added elements coming 
from the Mount of Athos in the 17
th
century (Constantine and Helen are introduced in this theme); 
more variants have been found, the last one being present up to 1830;
The Supper of Mamre
(Advarium, the end of the 18
th
century, signed by Ioanichie Bakov, or 
in Octoih, 1774, signed by Popa Constantin);
The Virgin Hodegetria
(Evhologhin, 1722, or Slujba Sfintei Varvara și Sofronie din Atena și a 
Sfântului Hristofor din Mela, 1769);
Constantine and Helen
(Catavasier, 1742) is the favourite theme, which appeared in 5 variants;
St. John Chrisostom
, St. Basil (signed and dated „Dimitrios 1698”), St. Gregory (Liturghii, 
1729) found in three further variants signed or not by other engravers;
Descent into Hell
(Apostol, 1643; Penticostar, 1743, signed by I. Bakov in 1700 etc.);
Holy Women at the Sepulchre, The Healing of the Paralytic, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman, 
The Healing of the Man Born Blind, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit (all of them in Penticostar, 
1743, some of them signed by I. Bakov) have as sources of inspiration Ukrainian engravings from 
Kiev and Lviv from the 17
th
century; other variants of these themes can be found in 1768;
The Vision of Peter from Alexandria
(Penticostar, 1768, 1782, 1820).
The stylistic features of Byzantine manner of the religious woodcuts of Bucharest are the 
following : a certain concern about stylizing, decorative effects and symmetry; frontal, hieratical 
and hierarchical rendering of figures; their heads are positioned at the same level (isocephaly), 
landscapes and architectural elements are more or less conventional, concentrated or superposed 
plans, the reverse perspective, clothes etc.
The sources of inspiration of these engravings can be found in religious writings printed in the 
Romanian area (Buzău, Râmnic, etc.) or abroad (Kiev, Lviv, etc.). Therefore, throughout many centuries, 
the art of Byzantine tradition has been manifest in the book illustrations of Bucharest as regards both 
the approach of themes and of their style, a natural phenomenon for a people of Orthodox confession. 
This conservative character is due to the strict censorship of the Church, at that time. 
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, 
CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0314.

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