National Museum Belgrade – Serbian Medieval Art
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National Museum Belgrade – Serbian Medieval Art

The National Museum of Serbia is the oldest, the most important and the most prestigious cultural institution in Serbia. Although it was established in 1844, it moved into its current building in 1950.

The museum collection consists of over 400000 objects which, in addition to local treasures, also includes foreign masterpieces.

 

 

HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

 

The museum was closed between 2003 and 2018. I remember that I visited it in 2002. At that time, it was in a very bad state and in desperate need of renovation. The same exhibits were there, but I remember that I didn’t enjoy the visit. An inadequate lighting didn’t complement the art exhibits. Furthermore, worn out carpets and dirty walls transmitted a rather depressing image of what should’ve been a scintillating temple of culture.

One more tragic observation is that younger generations didn’t have access to the most important cultural institution in the country for 15 years. Luckily, those days are over!

The National Museum re-opened in 2018. It’s been renovated to the highest standards, appropriate for an institution of such extreme cultural importance for the country and the Serbian nation. It is smaller than other famous European museums, but that doesn’t mean that it is less precious.

 

 

PERMANENT COLLECTION

 

The new permanent exhibition represents cultural developments in that part of Europe, from prehistory to the 20th century. The emphasis is on the Serbian cultural heritage. In my opinion, the Serbian medieval art, as well as the 18th and the 19th century Serbian painting are the most fascinating.

The international collection is also rich and interesting. But, that’s something that you can also see in other European museums, with famous masterpieces.

The building that houses the National Museum was originally a bank. In the atrium, you can see the vaults from that period. Now, they present numismatic collections, from the beginning of the coin minting to the present time.

The National Museum is in Republic Square, next to the National Theatre. As you can see in the photo below, they’ve beautifully restored the museum building and the square in front of it. Both, the building and the square look magnificent now.

 

Belgrade
National Museum

 

 

ORTHODOX FRESCO PAINTING

 

The Orthodox fresco painting represents the peak of the Serbian medieval art. Its birth coincided with the creation and development of the Serbian medieval state but, unlike the Serbian state, it didn’t cease to exist during Ottoman occupation.

While the Serbian architecture had seen mixed influences of both Byzantine and medieval Italian states, fresco and icon painting remained deeply rooted in the Eastern Byzantine tradition. Serbian rulers commissioned fresco painting as the highest form of religious decorative expression. Following the political and military growth in the 13th and the 14th centuries, the unknown artists decorated the biggest number of existing and new sanctuaries.

The oldest Serbian portrait is representation of Mihailo, the ruler of Dioclea. Records from 1077 mention the Holy See addressing him as king, indicating that he had been crowned some time before.

The portrait dates from around 1080 and it’s in the Church of the Archangel Michael in Ston, in present day Croatia. The church is a small building with a jagged facade, typical of the Pre-Romanesques period, to which it belongs. The building interior was once completely covered with frescoes done in the new Romanesque style. Mihailo holds a model of his foundation, with his face in bright and expressive colours.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Portrait of King Mihailo Vojislavljević – Church of the Archangel Michael, Ston, Croatia – around 1080

 

 

MEDIEVAL SERBIA

 

Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Serbian Grand Principality, from 1166 to 1196. A member of the Vukanović dynasty, Nemanja founded the Nemanjić dynasty. He is remembered for his contribution to the Serbian culture and history. Additionally, he founded a state that would evolve into the Serbian Empire and the national church.

He was introduced to Constantinopolitan art during his captivity under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. Later, around 1175, he hired Byzantine masters – from either Constantinople or Thessaloniki. Those artists adhered to the classical, mature phase of the Komnenian period, with its stylization and also with strong contours and pathos.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Healing of the Blind Man – Church of the Mother of God Ljeviška, Prizren (first half of the 14th century)

 

Serbia, in the period from King Stefan the First-Crowned (1196-1227) to King Stefan Dragutin (1276-1282), prospered and grew stronger. The former land of Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja became the Kingdom of Raška in 1217, while the emancipated Serbian church was elevated to an archbishopric in 1219. But, territorially and economically invigorated Serbia found itself on route of the Crusaders going to the Holy Land, the invading Mongols and other nomadic people.

The economy experienced a particular surge during the rule of King Stefan Uroš (1243-1276), with the arrival of Saxon miners and the intensive use of country’s vast and varied mineral resources. Consequently, Serbia’s increased material wealth resulted in an improved culture of everyday living, manifested at the court, in homes and in monasteries.

 

National Museum Belgrade
The Wedding at Cana (fragment) – Church of the Mother of God Ljeviška, Prizren (first half of the 14th century)

 

 

SERBIAN MEDIEVAL PAINTING

 

In the realms of church and culture, this period saw a systemic introduction of the Slavic liturgy, development of an authentic literature in the Serbian language and construction of new churches in the national style. The medieval Serbian painting reached its zenith in the 13th century. Its importance exceeded national borders and limits of the Byzantine cultural sphere.

Three frescoes featured in this post are the oldest layer of frescoes in the Prizren cathedral and they represent scenes of miracles of Jesus Christ. The painting style includes elements of Komnenian artistry – noticeable in the appearance of figures and draperies – combined with the 13th century idiom, evident in the renditions of flesh. This anachronistic style points to the work of local masters.

 

National Museum Belgrade
St. Cosmas and Damian – Church of St. Nicholas, Palež (mid 14th century)

 

Another notable fresco is of the Serbian Queen Simonida, in Gračanica monastery in Kosovo. Born as Simonis Palaiologina, she was a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and also the fourth wife of the Serbian King Stefan Milutin.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Queen Simonida – Gračanica Monastery, Kosovo

 

 

SERBIAN ITALO-CRETAN ICONS

 

The Italo-Cretan school describes an important school of icon painting, which flourished while Crete was under the Venetian rule, during the late Middle Ages. It reached its climax after the fall of Constantinople, when it became the central force in Greek painting during the 15th, the 16th and the 17th centuries.

 

Serbian Medieval Art
St. Sava and St. Simeon – Hilandar Monastery (second half of the 16th century)

 

 

Serbian Medieval Art
Radul, Deesis with St. Sava, St. Simeon Nemanja and Serbian Saints (1676)

 

 

Serbian Medieval Art
St. Stefan Dečanski with an Angel and St. Nicholas – Ohrid (18th century)

 

The Cretan artists developed a particular style of painting under the influence of both, the Eastern and the Western artistic traditions and movements. The most famous product of the school – El Greco – was the most successful of many artists who tried to build a career in western Europe and also the one who left the Byzantine style farthest behind in his later career.

 

Serbian Medieval Art
St. Sava and St. Simeon (18th century)

 

 

Serbian Medieval Art
St. Nicholas and St. Sava – Monastery of the Holy Trinity (18th century)

 

There was a substantial demand for Byzantine icons in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. As a Venetian possession since 1204, Crete had a natural advantage and dominated the production and supply.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

Even before the fall of Constantinople, there is evidence that leading Byzantine artists had been leaving the capital in order to settle in Crete. The migration of Byzantine artists to Crete reached its peak after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Crete became “the most important centre of art in the Greek world”, that influenced artistic developments in the rest of the Orthodox world.

 

Serbian Icon - National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

 

ICONS OF THE EASTERN ORTHODOXY AND EARLY MEDIEVAL WEST

 

In the icons of the Eastern Orthodoxy and Early Medieval West, there is very little room for the artistic license. Almost everything within the image has a symbolic aspect. Thus, Christ, saints and angels – all have halos. Additionally, angels (and often John the Baptist) have wings, because they are messengers. Figures have consistent facial appearances. They hold attributes personal to them and use a few conventional poses.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

Also, the colour plays an important role. Gold represents radiance of Heaven; red represents divine life. Blue represents human life. Finally, white is the Uncreated Light of God, only used for resurrection and transfiguration of Christ.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

If you look at icons of Jesus and Mary: Jesus wears the red undergarment with the blue outer garment (God become human). Mary wears the blue undergarment with the red over garment (human was granted gifts by God). Thus, the icons convey the doctrine of deification.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

Letters are symbols too. Most icons incorporate some calligraphic text naming a person or a depicted event. The text is often in a stylised manner.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Serbian Icon

 

 

SERBIAN 18th CENTURY RELIGIOUS PAINTING

 

Frescoes and icons in this post are all from the National Museum in Belgrade. They represent only a very small part of the magnificent collection.

 

National Museum Belgrade
The Mother of God with Christ and the Saints – Jovan Četirević Grabovan (1784)

 

There is also a small collection of the 18th century religious paintings. I’ve included some of these paintings in this post, so that you can get an idea of this area of the Serbian art too.

 

National Museum Belgrade
Coronation of the Mother of God – Jovan Popović (1761)

 

 

National Museum Belgrade
Coronation of the Mother of God – Dimitrije Popović (cca. 1770)

 

 

Serbian Medieval Art - National Museum Belgrade
The Crucifixion – Nikola Nešković (c. 1780)

 

If you go to Belgrade, make sure that you visit this museum. The collection of frescoes and icons is outstanding.

 

Serbian Medieval Art
The Crucifixion – Jakov Orfelin (c. 1780)

 

Personally, I make sure that I visit the National Museum every time when I’m in Belgrade. Certainly, one visit is not enough if you want to see everything properly.

But, thanks to these photos, I can look at these marvellous works of art whenever I want.

 

 

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