In anticipation of “Christmas at the Manor,” the Politehnica University of Bucharest – Pitești University Center and the Golești Museum invite you on Friday, 19 December 2025, at 12:00 p.m., to the opening of the exhibition “Good Tidings. Medieval Manuscript Miniatures.” The exhibition brings together works by Lecturer Dr. Teodora Necula and by a large, talented, and ambitious group of undergraduate and graduate students from the Sacred Art Department within the Faculty of Theology, Letters, History, and Arts in Pitești.
The miniatures displayed at the Golești Museum narrate the most beautiful biblical story, structured around three fundamental themes: the Nativity of the Lord, the Three Magi, and the Flight into Egypt. It is the season of joy and hope, of the Birth that stands as a promise of humankind’s salvation.
The special guest of this opening is the Department Director, Professor Dr. Priest Nicolae Brînzea.
Manuscript miniatures represent one of the most refined art forms of the Middle Ages, the result of a synthesis between the techniques of painting, the erudition of scribes, and the religious and cultural needs of the time. Their origins can be traced back to Late Antiquity, and they developed spectacularly between the 7th and the 16th centuries, both in the West and in the Byzantine sphere, each region cultivating its own distinctive features. Essentially, the miniature is not merely a small image; it is a way of illuminating the manuscript, of bringing radiance to sacred or literary text, making it intelligible, memorable, and worthy of veneration.
The process of creating miniatures was slow and meticulous. The manuscript was copied onto parchment — a support obtained by preparing calf or sheep skin, which was cleaned, stretched, smoothed, and cut into uniform sheets. Guiding lines were then drawn, and spaces were left for initials, frontispieces, and painted scenes. The miniaturist first sketched the composition with fine lines, then applied the gold, regarded as a symbol of divine light. Gilding was carried out on a special base layer onto which extremely thin gold leaves were adhered. Only after the gold had been applied were the layers of color added, prepared from mineral or vegetal pigments mixed with various binders, most often watercolors based on gum arabic or vegetal gums. The colors were laid down progressively, from the base tones to the final details, contours, and highlights.
In the West, miniatures followed the evolution of artistic styles — from the sobriety of the Carolingian period and the monumentality of the Ottonian era to the dynamism of Gothic art and the refinement of the Renaissance. In the Byzantine sphere and in the Eastern European regions influenced by it, tradition was more consistent: faces modeled in warm tones, rigorous drapery, saturated colors, and a strong focus on sacred scenes, votive portraits, and geometric or vegetal ornamentation. The Romanian principalities, positioned at the crossroads of Byzantine, Slavic, and Western cultures, developed their own schools of miniature painting, particularly within monastic environments. Moldova stands out, where the Byzantine tradition was reinterpreted and adapted to local sensibilities.
Manuscript miniatures are not only works of art; they are living documents of spirituality and cultural identity. They preserve styles, iconographic patterns, traditional garments, political and religious symbols, while their technique reveals the depth of artistic knowledge in medieval workshops. Their study remains essential in the history of Romanian and European art, for these concentrated images — whether votive portraits or pages adorned with gold — continue to speak to us about a world that placed the image in the service of the text, and the text in the service of faith.
For today’s students preparing to become restorers, creating reproductions after medieval miniatures means discovering and learning ancient techniques, becoming familiar with materials and tools, with different types of writing supports, but above all, it is a creative effort and a spiritual exercise. Together with Lecturer Dr. Teodora Necula and the students of the Sacred Art and Icon Restoration programs, we invite you to discover a unique exhibition that brings us closer to the joy of the Nativity of the Lord.
Students, graduate students, and alumni exhibiting in this exhibition:
Year 1, Bachelor’s: Popa Valentin, Maria Hulea, Liviu Rapițeanu
Year 2, Bachelor’s: Sister Anastasia, Popa Nicoleta Janina, Ciobanu (Ghimpeteanu) Mirela, Laura Chirețu (Jecu), Boldoi Elisabeta, Soare Cristina, Sima (Vasile-Stoica) Georgiana, Palade Bianca, Popescu Francesca, Pistol Ion
Year 3, Bachelor’s: Pîrvu Octavian, Alex Jigman, Ciobanu Robert, Ruse Emanuela
Year 1, Master’s: Popa Andrei Valentin, Stoica Adriana Mihaela, Georgescu Petre Răzvan, Popescu Adriana, Boțoghină Valentina, Ion Stelian, Voicu Gabriela, Stanoiu Cătălin Marin, Marinică Gheorghe Marius, Vasile Paula, Roxana Pitz, Roșculeț Ștefania
Year 2, Master’s: Sinca Ovidiu, Ilie Ana-Maria, Tănăsescu Mihai, Roman Iulica Luminița, Marcu Lucica Ana-Maria, Popa (Stănescu) Ștefania Mihaela, Manole Cătălin
Alumni: Dobrișan Gabriel, Ion Oanță, Laura Chierciu, Balanoiu Mirela, Viezuianu Dana, Pupaza Maria, Vasilescu Alexandra, Călimoceanu Maria Antonia.
