Studia Humanitatis No. I (XXI) / 2026
Zoomorphic and fantastical motifs in the decoration of Brâncoveanu charters
Associate Professor Dr Ion Marian Croitoru, Dr. Oana-Mădălina Popescu The study analyses the zoomorphic motifs of the snake in the miniatures on the charters issued by the Holy Martyr Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714), identifying specific examples signed by scribes such as Radu Șufar and Mihai, son of Stan, and demonstrating that the snakes on the ornate initials symbolised the wisdom of the Christian voivode-wisdom received through ecclesiastical consecration-rather than mere decoration.
