Technique of glass icons painting

School of glass icons at the Nicula Monastery between tradition and contemporaneity

Painting on glass is recorded since the most ancient times, starting even with Antiquity. It traverses the great currents of Western Europe, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque in order, at the beginning of the 18th century, to excel in the traditional craft sphere as well.

With sacred or profane accents, the glass painting technique was also used in the Romanian space, where the theme was primarily religious and will be reflected in the well-known icons on glass

Born in the sacred space of the Nicula monastery, under the deep stream of the weeping icon of the Mother of God with the Child, the School of Glass Icons is defined as the first and most significant manifestation in the series of those that will take place in the 18th century and the future.

Thus, icons on glass are found in different areas of our country, being present in Transylvania, Wallachia (Muntenia), Banat (the territory between the Danube, in the south, and Mureș, in the north) and Moldova. Along with Nicula, other centres are: Iernuteni, Şcheii Brașovului, Făgăraș, Olt Country, Lancram, Laz, Alba Iulia-Maieri, Mărginimea Sibiului, etc.

The emergence of glass painting centres is closely related to the existence of glass workshops(glajarii), a fact that directly contributes to the spread of this craft. The flourishing of this art in Central Europe generated the organized export of art objects in the area of Eastern Europe, reaching the fairs in Hungary, Serbia and Transylvania.

According to the hypothesis of the Dancu spouses, glass painting entered the territory of Transylvania in the first half of the 18th century, the technique belonging to the Central European tradition. However, glass painting in Transylvania presents its own, specific and unique character, being a craft adopted on a well-defined artistic and folkloric background, and chiselled through the ermines of iconography.

The Transylvanian peasant raised this technique to the rank of peasant art of the purest essence  completely devoid of any urban intervention, like other crafts deeply rooted in the Romanian folk background.

Also, another important characteristic of the glass icons in the Transylvanian space is outlined by the fact that the subjects depicted are, almost exclusively, religious themes, belonging to the Orthodox iconography of Byzantine origin, being, at the same time, the only region where the craft was practiced under this form.

Among the characteristic elements of this glass painting technique, we should mention the severe and hieratic manner in which the saints are depicted, the existence of gold leaf in the decoration of the nimbus, the representation of decorative objects or even the background, the elements of Byzantine architecture or the manner of rendering the landscape. This category also includes the neat way in which the drapery details are outlined that define the geometry of the anatomy of the figures and, under the compositional relationship, the compartmentalized construction of the themes in the case of the holiday icons, there being a main, dominant scene, around which is written, with great care, several small scenes, like Byzantine miniatures.

As a source of inspiration used in the creation of icons on glass, the artisan peasants also resorted to the parietal paintings from the local village churches, respecting, in general terms, the design and chromatics, as much as the technique and materials allowed them. In addition to the cult orthodox painting, the craftsmen also used, as a model, the icons printed on paper, namely the woodcuts, the latter being made in the village of Hăşdate, located near Nicula.

As we have already shown in the paper, researchers in the field consider the village of Nicula in Cluj County to be the first center where glass painting was done in Transylvania. Most likely, starting from the 18th century, the craft of painting icons on glass took off in the area after the miracle performed in the local monastery, namely the lachrymation of the icon of the Mother of God with the Child in 1699.

Among the craftsmen who worked in the Nicula area, only around 30 names were recorded, although their number was certainly higher. From documents, but also from oral tradition, names such as: Ion Moga, Ion Apostol Popescu, Ştefan Belindean, Gheorghe Belindean, Maria Lucăcian, Maria Chifor, the Prodan family, Ghimbăşan, Gheorghe Feur, etc were recorded as Nicula glass painters. They were active between the second half of the 19th century and the 20th century.

From a stylistic point of view, the Nicula icons are distinguished by the manner of the drawing and the specific chromaticity, as well as by technical elements, such as the size of the bottle or the appearance of the frame.

The drawing, with small features specific to each individual icon, is generally undulating, the lines laid down with certainty, showing differences in thickness that suggest the idea of dynamism to the compositions. Another specific feature is the simplification of the forms, the essentialization of the drawing and the stylization of the represented elements. In this case, the characters represented are distinguished not only by their over-dimensioning, but also by the more careful and detailed manner in which they are drawn. However, in the case of the icons on glass from Nicula, it is precisely the expressiveness that emerges from the “clumsiness ” and the sincerity with which the Nicula peasant reduced the cultic message, through the prism of his own artistic vision, that is impressive.

Among the specific decorative elements, one can distinguish, first of all, the border, or the portico, present in most of the icons from Nicula. This one, outlined by a strip that contrasts with the shades of the background, decorated with zăluţe, always frames the characters or scenes represented. Obviously, this border has a role that goes beyond the purely compositional valence, finding its origins in popular art, more precisely in the motif  of the rope of life, so frequent in the Maramureş area, on the objects and doors carved in wood, on the doors of churches, or in the composition of the frames of the wooden icons. This life rope, also called twist, refers to the notion of infinity, eternity and salvation, framing the sacred area of the composition.

As for the chromatic specificity of the Nicula icons, it is restricted, for the most part, to eight basic colours: black, white, ochre, brown, brick-red, olive-green, blue-grey and gold. The simplification of the colouring does not harm the pictoriality and complexity of the composition, , on the contrary, it gives the icons the impression of modern works of art, characterized by minimalism and drama, the arrangement of colours being laid out with an almost scholarly precision, creating the illusion of depth and dynamism. The elegance of the Nicula chromatics is also due to the preponderance of the red-white-black accord, so often found in Romanian popular art.

The transparencies, effects and general harmony of the vivid chromatic compositions in complementary nuances are due, on the one hand, to the rudimentary technique, but also, of course, to the sincere and authentic artistic sense, typical of the Romanian peasants.

Depending on the theme, the glass icons may be classified or ordered typologically. The most common themes are Christological and Mariological; followed by the hagiographic and the Old Testament ones.

Christological themes include the great holidays dedicated to Christ the Redeemer and more: Annunciation (Blagoveștenie), Birth (Christmas), Circumcision, Reception, Baptism, Transfiguration, Entry into Jerusalem (Palms), Crucifixion, Descent from the Cross, Lamentation or Prochod, Descent into Hell or Resurrection, Ascension (Ispas), Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) , Last Judgment, Last Supper, Christ the teacher (Pantocrator), Christ in the Chalice, Christ the Vine, Christ the High Priest, Jesus the King, Deisis, Feast, Holy Trinity.

The compositions that have the Mother of God as a predominant element are especially those from Tradition: Nativity of Mary the Mother of God, Entry into the Church, Assumption, the Mother of God with Child, Our Lady of Sorrow, Our Lady of Sweet Love, Our Lady of Guidance (Odigitria, Our Lady of the Orating Type, Our Lady of the Reign, Our Lady of the Passion.

The hagiographic scenes follow in the place of honour: The Holy Prophet Elijah, The Holy Hierarch Nicholas, The Holy Hierarch Nicholas surrounded by 12 scenes from his life, The Holy Hierarch Haralambie, Saint John the Baptist, The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, The Holy Three Hierarchs, Saint Theodore of Tyron, The Holy Great Martyr George, The Holy Great Martyr Demetrius , Saints Constantine and Elena, Saint Pious Parascheva, Saint Great Martyr Catherine, Poor Lazarus, along with those dedicated to  the Archangels Saints: Saint Archangel Michael and Gabriel.

A series of unique compositions represent The Heaven Table or Scenes from the Old Testament – Adam and Eve in Heavens.

A distinct segment is the presence of themes that come from the doctrinal environment of the Roman Catholic Church, such as: Saint Anthony of Padua, the Coronation of the Virgin, the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Family, Jesus with the lamb and Saint John the Forerunner, Saint John with the lamb, Jesus with the globe.

University Professor PhD habil. Marcel Ghe. Muntean