Saint Nicetas Vanquishing Satan
unknown
Basic information
- ID
- С-I-1424
- Author
- unknown
- Name
- Saint Nicetas Vanquishing Satan
- Date of creation
- 18th c.
- Culture
- Eastern Europe
- Technique
- carving
- Material
- wood polychrome gilt
- Dimensions (height x width x depth, cm)
- 94.5 x 68 x 31.5
Additionally
- Type
- sculpture
- Genre
- religious
- Provenance
- Ivano-Frankivsk collegiate
Information about author
Object description
Nicetas was a Christian martyr of the 3rd–4th centuries. According to apocryphal texts, he was a son of Emperor Maximilian. Nicetas was known to be religious from a young age. After seeing God's Sign in his dream, he openly admitted to being a Christian. For that confession, he was tortured and imprisoned. When Nicetas was in prison, Beelzebub appeared before him as an angel, trying to seduce the saint. The sculpture shows the moment Satan revealed his true identity, and Nicetas vanquished him. The saint was traditionally represented as a warrior fighting against Satan. In this sculptural image, Saint Nicetas, the Vanquisher of Satan, is depicted as a young man in clerical clothing sculpted in horizontal folds falling down. The sculptor did not adhere to the correct proportions when carving the man. The tilted head of the martyr is framed by dark curly hair; his arms are outstretched. Nicetas is shown sitting on the vigorous Satan, depicted with horns and his tongue out. The influence of local colouring is evident in his work.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
