The Portrait of the Prince Peter Earring (1583-1385) and the Portrait of a Princess. The Stove Tiles Found at Cerbureni, Argeş County / Portretul voievodului Petru Cercel (1583-1585) ?i portretul unei prinţese. Cahle medievale

This study brings evidence in favour of identifying the two portraits from the stove tiles found at Cerbureni, Argeş County, as representing Prince Peter Earring (1583-1585) and, respectively, Griselda, the sister of Sigismund Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania. The male character is portrayed with all the symbols of the royal authority. He holds in his hand the sceptre and wears on his head the tichia made of golden brocade with precious stones, which was an enthronement gift from the Sultan. The Prince's vestments are held by the large brooch on his shoulder, while his hair is tied up with a ribbon into a ponytail. He wears a pearl earring in his right ear, according to the specific customs of the French Royal Court of Henry the 3rd. The female character, a very young princess wearing a crown and a beautiful necklace, is identified with the help of Franco Sivori from Genoa who wrote about the planned wedding of Peter Earring, that had never materialized. The stove tiles ordered by the prince were meant to decorate one of the stoves at Târgovişte Royal Palace. However, the dethroning of Peter Earring in the spring of 1585 hindered both his planned wedding as well as the stove completion. The iconography of the stove tiles makes these terracotta fascinating and valuable documents of that time.