Sava Henția

Sava Henția (1 February 1848, Sebeșel - 21 February 1904, Sebeșel) was an Imperial Austrian-born Romanian painter, decorator and illustrator.

Biography He was one of fourteen surviving children of a priest. In 1862, after finishing his primary education, he was apprenticed to an uncle, who taught him how to retouch photographs. The following year, he caught typhoid fever and the quinine that was used to treat it damaged his hearing.

His work with photographs encouraged him to pursue a career in art. From 1865 to 1870, he studied at the Bucharest National University of Arts with Gheorghe Tattarescu and Theodor Aman.

After the war, he worked as a teacher, interior decorator and book illustrator. Between 1901 and 1902, he was one of the artists commissioned to restore the murals and altarpieces at the Brebu Monastery. At the Cernica Monastery, he produced portraits of that institution's founders.

His home in Sebeș became an historical monument. It was not properly maintained, however, and the roof collapsed in 2001. After further deterioration, all that remained was the front wall and foundation. It was later taken off the list of historical monuments. A street in Bucharest is named after him.

Selected paintings