« 2024. # 6 (180)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2024. № 6 (180), 1413—1426

UDK 27-523.47-526.62(477.86-21)”16/17″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2024.06.1413

THE 17th—18th CENTURY ICONS FROM THE CHURCHES IN THE YEZUPIL TOWN IN IVANO-FRANKIVSK REGION IN THE CONTEXT OF ATTRIBUTION AND THE DOCUMENTS OF THE 18th CENTURY VISITATIONS

KOSIV Roksolana

• ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-1488
• Doctor in Art Studies,
• Professor, Head of Sacral Art Department at Lviv National Academy of Arts,
• 38, Kubiiovycha Street, 79011, Lviv, Ukraine;
• Leading Research Fellow,
• Andrei Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv,
• Contacts: e-mail: lanakosiv@yahoo.com

Abstract. Problem statement. Today, when Ukrainian artistic heritage in the international context still raises questions about identity and attribution, high-quality research is more relevant than ever. Both broad-scale studies, which place Ukrainian art within the international context, and narrower studies, which help scholars examine preserved works, and integrate them into the general history of art, are necessary. Our research belongs to such case studies, aiming to explore iconography of the Rogatyn-Voynyliv-Yezupil region through the example of the 17th—18th c. icons from the collection of the Andrei Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv. The icons from Yezupil are the least preserved (15 artifacts) compared to those from Dolyna and Voynyliv, but they represent a valuable example of the development of iconography in a region that suffered from frequent Tatar-Turkish raids and destruction in the late 16th and 17th centuries.

The purpose of the research are to examine the icons from Yezupil in the context of the town’s history and its churches, to establish the original placement of the artifacts in the church, and to attribute them.

The methods of reconstruction, formal and iconographic analysis, along with cultural context studies, are used.

Conclusions. The history of Yezupil and its churches indicates that it was a town with an active Ukrainian community. The 17th—18th century icons from the churches of Yezupil suggest that the townspeople, in the early 17th century, invited the leading Lviv master Fedir Senkovych to paint icons for their church, which reflects their desire to adorn the church in the best possible way. The icons from the 1650s—1670s allowed for the reconstruction of their placement — in the iconostasis of the town’s сhurch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. These professionally executed icons indicate significant artistic activity in this region. The authors of these icons were influenced by the 17th-century Lviv school of iconpainting. 1650s—1670s icons from Yezupil also share stylistic painting techniques with 17th-century works from the church in Sudova Vyshnia, which are likely authored by local masters. However, we believe that local iconographers also worked in this region, although identifying them by name is difficult at this point, as the studied icons from Voynyliv, Dolyna, and Yezupil are anonymous and lack precise dates of creation.

Keywords: icon, iconostasis, church art, church, Yezupil, church visitation documents of the 18th century, iconography, stylistics.

Received 5.11.2024

REFERENCES

• Kosiv, R. (2020). Icons of the 17th — first half of the 18th century from Voinyliv churches in Ivano-Frankivsk region in the context of church visits descriptions, reconstruction of location, and attribution.. The Ethnology Notebooks, 5, 1081—1096 [in Ukrainian].
• Kosiv, R. (2021). The 17th — early 18th century icons from the churches in the Dolyna town in the context of 18th century visitations descriptions and attribution. The Ethnology Notebooks, 5, 1218—1233 [in Ukrainian].
• Kosiv, R. (2012). Iconpainting on canvas in Ukrainian churches of the 17th — first half of the 18th century: purpose, iconography, artistic peculiarities. Сhronicle of the Andrei Sheptytskyi National museum in Lviv (Issue 9 (14), pp. 68—79). [in Ukrainian].
• (2013). «The Grand and the Great». Catalog of the exhibition. Kyiv [in Ukrainian and English].
• Kosiv, R. (2019). Processional double-sided crosses in the collection of the Andrey Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv. Christian sacred tradition: faith, spirituality, art. Proceedings of the 12th International Scientific Conference (Pp. 215—224). Lviv: Lviv Orthodox Theological Academy [in Ukrainian].
• (1900). Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic countries (Vol. XV, part 1). Warsaw [in Polish].
• (1887). Town and country records from the times of the Republic of Poland: from the so-called Bernardine archives in Lviv as a result of the foundation of the late Alexander Count Stadnicki. The oldest records of the Galician courts 1435—1475, 32 (Vol. 12). Lviv [in Latin].
• Czolowski, A. (1890). From the past of Jezupol and its surroundings. Lviv [in Polish].
• Gromyk, V., & Slobodian, V. (2016). Wooden churches of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Lviv [in Ukrainian].
• Vuytsyk, V. (2004). Architect Pavlo Rymlyanyn. Bulletin of the «Ukrzakhidproekrestavratsiya» institute. Volodymyr Vuytsyk. Selected works. To the 70th anniversary of the birthday (Issue 14, pp. 43—47). Lviv: «Ukrzakhidproektrestavratsiya» Institute [in Ukrainian].
• Melnyk, V. (1991). Church of the Holy Spirit in Rohatyn. Album. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
• Aleksandrovych, V. (2013). Masters of «small» centers of Ukrainian painting of the historical Peremyshl-Lviv region of the first half of the 17th century. Society. Almanac of Social History (Issue 10, pp. 9—30). Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
• Liske, X. (1876). Foreigners in Poland. Lviv [in Polish].
• (1743). General visit of the Galician krylos of the Lviv diocese in 1740—1743. Manuscript. Andrey Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv. Department of Manuscripts and old printed books. Ркл-16 [in Polish and Latin].
• (1757). General visit of the Galician krylos of the Lviv diocese in 1753—1757. Manuscript. Andrey Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv. Department of Manuscripts and old printed books. Ркл-18 [in Polish and Latin].
• (1890). Schematism of the entire clergy of the Greek Catholic diocese of Stanyslaviv for the year of the Lord  1890. Stanyslaviv [in Ukrainian].
• (1910). Schematism of the entire clergy of the Greek Catholic diocese of Stanyslaviv for the year of the Lord 1910. Stanyslaviv [in Ukrainian].
• (2019). At the Crossroads of Cultures and Nations. Galician Cities and Towns in the Josephine Land Cadastre (Vol. XI: Jagielnica and Jezupol). Krakow [in Polish].
• (1855). Schematism of the entire venerable clergy of the Metropolitan Greek-Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv for the year of the Lord 1855. Lviv [in Latin].
• (1888). Schematism of the entire clergy of the Greek Catholic diocese of Stanyslaviv for the year of the Lord 1888. Stanyslaviv [in Ukrainian].
• Nanovskyi, Ya. (1986). Yulian Pankevych. Essays on life and creativity. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
• (1925). Schematism of the entire clergy of the Greek Catholic diocese of Stanyslaviv for the year of the Lord 1925. Stanyslaviv [in Ukrainian].
• Svientsitska, V. (1939). Hand-carved crosses of the 17th—20th centuries. Illustrations (Part II). Lviv [in Ukrainian].
• Valko, O. (Ed.). (2018). Wooden carved crosses of the XVIth — early XXth century. Lviv: The Institute of Collecting of Ukrainian Art Monuments at the Shevchenko Scientific Society [in Ukrainian].
• Svientsitska, V., & Sydor, O. (1990). Heritage of the Ages: Ukrainian Painting of the 14th—18th Centuries in the Museum Collections of Lviv. Lviv [in Ukrainian].
• Helytovych, M. (2011). The «Vyshnia Masters» in the History of Ukrainian 17th-Century Icon Painting. Notes of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. Proceedings of the Commission on Fine and Applied Arts (Vol. CCLXI, pp. 209—222). Lviv [in Ukrainian].
• Kosiv, R. (2019). Rybotychi Center of Church Art of the 1670—1760-s. Lviv: Andrey Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv [in Ukrainian].

Read»