Abstract: In the traditional orthodox iconography of the last centuries, it is easy to find icons of holy equestrian knights riding their spirited steeds defeating fearsome enemies of the faith, horrible legendary animals, or simply roaming their land. Such is the case of Saint George, Saint Demetrius, and Saint Menas, …Things happening from the horse should not go unnoticed. One of them is the greater general vision. Another is the greatest combat power. And yet, that perspective has often been overlooked. On the other hand, the physical and conceptual distance between good and evil, between us and others, is also greater: the horse separates them. A 17th-century unpublished icon of Saint George is going to be described. A comparative description of the icon, and fundamental elements of the iconography in that time (water, beast, horse, armor, ...) will be considered.

Keywords: antique icon, Saint George, black horse

REFERENCES

Acheimastou-Potamianou, M. (1998) Icons of the Byzantine Museum of Athens (Atenas).

Böhler, B. A. et al. (2007) R. Zacharuk, N. Hadjiev, S. Comati, B. Groen, E. Bakalova, I. Georgieva, M. Antova. Feuer und Geist. 1000 Jahre bulgarische Ikonen (Frankfurt).

Borgia, E. & Elefante, M. (2022) Un Eulogion di San Phoibammon da Antinoupolis, Analecta Papyrologica XXXIV (205–231) (Messina).

Bormpoudaki, M. (2017) Figures of mounted warrior saints in medieval Crete. The representation of the equestrian Saint George “Thalassoperatis” at Diavaide in Heraklion, Zograf 41 (143–156) (Belgrade).

Bozhkov, A (1984) The Bulgarian icon (Sofia) / [Божков, А. (1984) Българската икона (София)].

Gallés, M. (2020) Three in one. Identities through post-Byzantine icons of Saint Demetrius in the Balkans, Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Byzantine and Medieval Studies “Days of Justinian I” Skopje 15-16 November 2019 (269–279) (Skopje).

Grabar, A. (1966) La edad de oro de Justiniano (Madrid).

Kazanaki-Lappa, M. (2009) Arte bizantina e postbizantina a Venezia. Museo di Icone dell’Istituto Ellenico di Studi Bizantini e Postbizantini di Venezia (Treviso).

Pandurski, V. (1977) Art monuments in the Churuch Museum – Sofia (Sofia) / [Пандурски, В. (1977) Паметници на изкуството в Църковния музей – София (София)].

Parpulov, G. (2020) Magnificent icons in Bulgaria (Sofia).

Paskaleva, K. (1987) Bulgarian Icons Through the Centuries (Sofia).

Paskaleva, K. (1991) Icons from Bulgaria (London).

Popovska-Korobar, V. (2004) Icons from the Museum of Macedonia (Skopje).Rapp, C. (2016)

Brother-Making in Late Antiquity and Byzantium: Monks, Laymen, and Christian Ritual, Kindle/Oxford University Press (Oxford).

Rousseva, R. (2016) Golden book. Icons from Bulgaria 9th – 19th centuries (Sofia) / [Русева, Р. (2016) Златна книга. Икони от България ІХ – ХІХ век (София)].

Savova-Kasabova, R. (1977) Icins from the Vrtsa vicinity (Sofia) / [Савова-Касабова, Р. (1977) Икони от врачанския край (София)].

Vassilaki, M. (2004) Icons of the seventeenth century (part one). The icons of the iconostasis of 1611, in VVAA, The treasury of the Protaton (volume II) (Mount Athos).

Velmans, T. (2005) El icono. De la caída de Bizancio al siglo XX (Bilbao).