Malinowski, Jerzy [Hrsg.]; Siemiradzki, Henryk [Gefeierte Pers.]: Co znajduje się w obrazach Henryka Siemiradzkiego? (Sztuka Europy Wschodniej / The Art of Eastern Europe, Warszawa: Polski Instytut Studiów nad Sztuką Świata, 2017)

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Grzegorz First

Grzegorz First
The Egypt of Henryk Siemiradzki.
The Martyrdom of the First Christians
(Saint Timothy and Saint Maura, his wife)
Created in 1885, H. Siemiradzki’s painting depicting a scene of the first Christians’ martyrdom {Timothy
and his wife Maura) belongs to a group of paintings in which, besides the motifs of Ancient Roman origin,
numerous oriental elements appear, in this case Egyptian. In the sphere of inspiration, the work recalls
the story of a couple ot martyrs from the Egyptian Thebaid who, according to the ecclesiastical sources,
having refused to pay homage to pagan deities, were tortured and executed by crucifixion (beginning of
the 4th century AD, under Diocletian). Referrmg to the place of origin and martyrdom of the Christians,
the painting gathers a number of Egyptian elements, both architectonic (the Egyptian tempie and the
statuę of Sphinx in the background) and movable (the portable barque with the statuę of Isis, Egyptian
garments, pectoral). These elements harmonise with the Roman artefacts such as the altar, Caesars bust,
or the garments of the Roman governor. On the one hand, the Egyptian elements, which primarily make
up the dramas background, emphasise the connection with the site of the martyrdom, and on the other
hand they seern to additionally stress the “paganism” of the ancient religions, which is particularly evident
in the contrast between the luxury of the Roman and Egyptian objects of worship and the simplicity of
the female martyrs dress.