Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery
Abstract
With the act of acquiring independence and in its further
development, the Serbian state was continually
linked to Byzantium, its heritage and achievements.
Since long ago, at the level of a postulate, this statement
was often taken as a point of departure in considering
phenomena, besides all else, even in the applied
arts which progressed dynamically in medieval
Serbia from the middle of the 13th century. Among the
circumstances that influenced the advances in manufacturing,
certainly the most important was the accelerated
economic growth driven by the exploitation of
mines, the stratification of society, i.e. the formation
of an aristocracy, the erection of fortified cities and of
urban settlements, and the trade in luxurious objects.1
That special economic and social context which led
to the formation of a multicultural environment was
clearly expressed in the very products made by artisans.
Although based on models from Byzantium, in their
complexity they also re...flected European Romanesque
art, and the general tendencies of Mediterranean art. Given that every kind of utilitarian and decorative object
expresses a different aesthetic and reflects a unique
trademark, so ceramic dishware, primarily the specimens
decorated in sgraffito technique most illustratively
depicts the Byzantine tradition and an expression
that is recognisable in the arts and crafts. This class of
ceramics, at the same time functional and luxurious,
apart from the art and craft aspect, also had different
economic and social implications, and is therefore suitable
for considering the overall dynamics of the society
in a given period. For this reason, the intention is
to examine the notion of inspiration, as highlighted in
the title of this article, from several aspects and in the broader context. Singling out the features reflecting the
Byzantine in ceramic vessels, elaborated on several occasions
in earlier works by local researchers, will therefore
serve as a sort of starting-point for considering
particular questions in connection with the organisation
of the pottery trade and the significance of sgraffito
dishware in Serbian medieval society.
Keywords:
Byzantine sgraffito / interpretation / decoration / technology / organization of production / craft specialization / local aristocracySource:
Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology, 2016Publisher:
- Belgrade : The Serbian National Committee of Byzantine Studies
- Belgrade : Institute for Byzantine Studies, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
- Belgrade : P.E. Službeni glasnik
Funding / projects:
- Urbanisation Processes and Development of Mediaeval Society (RS-MESTD-Basic Research (BR or ON)-177021)
Note:
- Byzantine heritage and Serbian art I, ed. Vesna Bikić
Collections
Institution/Community
Археолошки институт / Institute of ArchaeologyTY - CHAP AU - Bikić, Vesna PY - 2016 UR - http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1108 AB - With the act of acquiring independence and in its further development, the Serbian state was continually linked to Byzantium, its heritage and achievements. Since long ago, at the level of a postulate, this statement was often taken as a point of departure in considering phenomena, besides all else, even in the applied arts which progressed dynamically in medieval Serbia from the middle of the 13th century. Among the circumstances that influenced the advances in manufacturing, certainly the most important was the accelerated economic growth driven by the exploitation of mines, the stratification of society, i.e. the formation of an aristocracy, the erection of fortified cities and of urban settlements, and the trade in luxurious objects.1 That special economic and social context which led to the formation of a multicultural environment was clearly expressed in the very products made by artisans. Although based on models from Byzantium, in their complexity they also reflected European Romanesque art, and the general tendencies of Mediterranean art. Given that every kind of utilitarian and decorative object expresses a different aesthetic and reflects a unique trademark, so ceramic dishware, primarily the specimens decorated in sgraffito technique most illustratively depicts the Byzantine tradition and an expression that is recognisable in the arts and crafts. This class of ceramics, at the same time functional and luxurious, apart from the art and craft aspect, also had different economic and social implications, and is therefore suitable for considering the overall dynamics of the society in a given period. For this reason, the intention is to examine the notion of inspiration, as highlighted in the title of this article, from several aspects and in the broader context. Singling out the features reflecting the Byzantine in ceramic vessels, elaborated on several occasions in earlier works by local researchers, will therefore serve as a sort of starting-point for considering particular questions in connection with the organisation of the pottery trade and the significance of sgraffito dishware in Serbian medieval society. PB - Belgrade : The Serbian National Committee of Byzantine Studies PB - Belgrade : Institute for Byzantine Studies, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts PB - Belgrade : P.E. Službeni glasnik T2 - Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology T1 - Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery UR - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1108 ER -
@inbook{ author = "Bikić, Vesna", year = "2016", abstract = "With the act of acquiring independence and in its further development, the Serbian state was continually linked to Byzantium, its heritage and achievements. Since long ago, at the level of a postulate, this statement was often taken as a point of departure in considering phenomena, besides all else, even in the applied arts which progressed dynamically in medieval Serbia from the middle of the 13th century. Among the circumstances that influenced the advances in manufacturing, certainly the most important was the accelerated economic growth driven by the exploitation of mines, the stratification of society, i.e. the formation of an aristocracy, the erection of fortified cities and of urban settlements, and the trade in luxurious objects.1 That special economic and social context which led to the formation of a multicultural environment was clearly expressed in the very products made by artisans. Although based on models from Byzantium, in their complexity they also reflected European Romanesque art, and the general tendencies of Mediterranean art. Given that every kind of utilitarian and decorative object expresses a different aesthetic and reflects a unique trademark, so ceramic dishware, primarily the specimens decorated in sgraffito technique most illustratively depicts the Byzantine tradition and an expression that is recognisable in the arts and crafts. This class of ceramics, at the same time functional and luxurious, apart from the art and craft aspect, also had different economic and social implications, and is therefore suitable for considering the overall dynamics of the society in a given period. For this reason, the intention is to examine the notion of inspiration, as highlighted in the title of this article, from several aspects and in the broader context. Singling out the features reflecting the Byzantine in ceramic vessels, elaborated on several occasions in earlier works by local researchers, will therefore serve as a sort of starting-point for considering particular questions in connection with the organisation of the pottery trade and the significance of sgraffito dishware in Serbian medieval society.", publisher = "Belgrade : The Serbian National Committee of Byzantine Studies, Belgrade : Institute for Byzantine Studies, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade : P.E. Službeni glasnik", journal = "Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology", booktitle = "Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery", url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1108" }
Bikić, V.. (2016). Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery. in Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology Belgrade : The Serbian National Committee of Byzantine Studies.. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1108
Bikić V. Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery. in Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology. 2016;. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1108 .
Bikić, Vesna, "Byzantine inspiration in Serbian medieval pottery" in Processes of Byzantinization and Serbian archaeology (2016), https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1108 .