RECONSTRUCTED CROWN OF KING TVRTKO I PUT ON DISPLAY

BELGRADE, JANUARY 14 /SRNA/ – The exhibition "Waiting for the Permanent Display" at the Historical Museum of Serbia in Belgrade has been enriched with new exhibits, including a reconstruction of the crown of King Tvrtko I Kotromanić.

The display has also been expanded with a replica of the hand cross – the staurotheke of Saint Sava, and a copy of the Studenica Cross from the northern doors of the Church of the Virgin Mary, dating from the time of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, the Historical Museum of Serbia announced.

The crown of Tvrtko I, who bore the title King of the Serbs, Bosnia, the Littoral, Hum, the Lower Regions, the Western Lands, Usora and Podrinje, was created based on analogies from the period, with special reference to the Angevine votive crown from the 14th century.

The lily, as the main motif of the Angevine ruling house, had previously been adopted as a royal symbol in Serbian lands, the Historical Museum of Serbia noted.

The statement adds that a crown with lilies also appears on the coins of Tvrtko I Kotromanić. The reconstruction was made of gold-plated silver and decorated with freshwater pearls, amethysts, rubies, tourmalines, garnets and emeralds.

The reconstruction of the possible appearance of the crown of King Tvrtko I Kotromanić was created by filigree artist Goran Ristović Pokimica in consultation with archaeologist Marko Aleksić.

The replica of the hand cross – the staurotheke of Saint Sava was also made by filigree artist Goran Ristović Pokimica, modeled after the original kept at the Museum of the Catholic Diocese of Borgia in Pienza.

The cross bearing the inscription "Sava, the first Serbian archbishop and patriarch" is preserved in this museum as a gift from Pope Pius II.

The relic originates from the treasury of the Žiča Monastery, from where it was moved by the widow of Lazar Branković to the court of her father, Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, out of fear of the Ottoman advance.

For the same reasons, her father transferred the relic to Italy in 1461, where it has been preserved ever since.

The replica is made of gold-plated silver and decorated with freshwater pearls, rock crystal, amethysts and sapphires.

The copy of the Studenica Cross, one of the well-known symbols of Serbian architecture and culture from the time of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, was made by sculptor Vladimir Jablanović.

The disc-shaped stone composition was created based on the famous depiction of the Studenica Cross located above the northern doors of the Church of the Virgin and made of the same type of marble.

The marble stone sculpture represents a special cultural and artistic treasure of the Church of the Virgin, as evidenced by this cross, which combines early Christian symbolism of the anchor, symbolizing salvation and security, with symbolism of fertility and progress, represented through floral ornaments at its ends.

The exhibition "Waiting for the Permanent Display" is conceived to provide insight into selected segments of the future permanent exhibition – in the side halls present items that belonged to the founders and their successors from the Karađorđević and Obrenović dynasties, while the remaining space covers the period of pre-Nemanjić and Nemanjić rulers, the fall of the Serbian medieval state under Ottoman rule, as well as the period of the Serbian Despotate.

The exhibition also presents reconstructions of crowns and garments of Serbian medieval rulers and queens, created with the aim of recalling this period of Serbian history.