Godfried Donkor is known for bringing history and social issues into his work as well as for the gold leaf auras and backgrounds he often uses, a reference to religious Christian paintings from the early renaissance or Christian Orthodox iconography.
The unusual shape of this painting was part of its appeal. Shaped like the piece of renaissance church altar, the wood panel is unlike any other work in the collection. The golden leaf colored background of course invokes images of gothic or byzantine churches, and the painted wings of the two angel-boxers feels like a wink to Flemish masters. Contrasting in their modernity are the collage elements of the work: the figure of the man on the painting, the boxer, a perennial figure of Donkor works, and the skyline of downtown Johannesburg.
St Maurice was a black commander in the Roman army and a Christian martyr. We have yet to identify who the St Maurice of Godfried Donkor is.
