Saint Demetrius, Mercurius, and George

Description The elongated figures and small heads of these warrior saints, as well as their solemnity and tranquility, are characteristic of the school of Dionysius, a master icon painter of the late 15th and early 16th centuries whose style became very influential. The three saints are identified by an old inscription on the back of the panel as Demetrius (patron saint of the ruling Rurikid dynasty), Mercurius, and George (patron saint of Moscow). As is traditional for "warrior saints," they are dressed in the style of Roman soldiers. The small image of Christ Emmanuel at the top was overpainted at a later date and only rediscovered in the course of modern conservation work.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
9/21/1965	Examination	examined for exhibition

Exhibitions

• Russian Art: Icons and Decorative Arts from the Origin to the Twentieth Century. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1959-1960.

Provenance Alexandre Polovtsoff (Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Polovtsov), Paris [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930