Coronation of Tsar Dušan

Following the conservation works, the painting is currently being prepared for display in the National Museum

By Museums of Serbia

Pavle Paja Jovanović (1859 - 1957)

Coronation of Tsar Dušan (1900) by National Museum in BelgradeMuseums of Serbia

The composition, over twenty square meters in size, with a theme depicting the coronation of Tsar Dušan in Skopje in 1346, was painted as an order from the Kingdom of Serbia to participate in the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. Paja Jovanović commenced with preparing this painting two years earlier by travelling and collecting material in Vienna in the palace library, then in Constantinople, Venice, Skopje, and in Kosovo and Metohija.

Coronation of Tsar Dušan (1900) by National Museum in BelgradeMuseums of Serbia

His advisor in preparation was the famous Serbian historian Stojan Novaković (1842-1915). The artist used a different, at the time modern "plein air" painting technique, and the reason for that was the informal wish of King Milan for the artist to paint an artwork that would be suitable for making a large tapestry. However, its version in the tapestry technique was never created because, according to Paja Jovanović's testimony, King Milan spent the money intended for that purpose on repaying previous debts.

Coronation of Tsar Dušan, National Museum in Belgrade, 1900, From the collection of: Museums of Serbia
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Portal, Belgrade City Museum, Photographer: Vladimir Popović, From the collection of: Museums of Serbia
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To make serious preparations for creating this monumental painting, Paja Jovanović collected valuable material and made photographs, sketches and studies during two years of fieldwork in the south of Serbia and in Kosovo and Metohija, which back then was a part of Turkey. Taking advantage of his stay in the Gračanica monastery for a few days, Paja Jovanovic used a photo-camera - which he did not let go of on many of his travels - to take pictures of frescoes that were  rare documents about the state of medieval Serbian frescoes at the end of the 19th century.

Coronation of Tsar Dušan (1900) by National Museum in BelgradeMuseums of Serbia

Subsequently, based on the sketches of Byzantine court dress, he ordered the chief costume designer of the Vienna Opera, the famous Blaschke, to make ruler's garments of brocade and silk for Emperor Dušan and Empress Jelena, as well as a chasuble for Protovestiarios Nikola Buća, who reads the proclamation in the foreground. However, the best reference for the reconstruction of the Serbian ruler's medieval costumes, Paja Jovanović found on the frescoes in the choirs of the Gračanica Monastery in Kosovo.

Fascinated and amazed by their beauty, he did not hide his enthusiasm that he found exactly what he was looking for, which he would later, in his later years, endorse in his memoirs: "Gračanica enchanted me at first glance ... frescoes in the choirs, as well as many portraits of influential people, who thus created permanent monuments for themselves ... Those paintings of Stratelates in the choirs are so astonishing, that I am convinced they represent the best frescoes in the world of that time ... ".

Serbian cavalry under the leadership of Duke Preljub (pictured in close-up on the right, on a horse with knight's equipment) wears Venetian armour. Paja Jovanović reconstructed the warrior's armour by ordering the making of identical armour in Viena after  seeing the armour sample on the warriors' sculptures on the famous memorial monument of the medieval ruling family Scaligeri from Verona.

Despots Oliver, Vukašin, Uglješa and Gojko, and members of the court camarilla, wear Byzantine court clothes. The Dubrovnik envoys in the group presented on the left wear Venetian city clothes, and the German Guard, under the leadership of Palman Teutonicus, wears military armour from the 14th century with full combat equipment. The authentic medieval coats of arms, painted on spears on the far right, were taken from a book on coats of arms called "Armaila Illyricorum" used by Jovanović in the Viennese court library.

This valuable manuscript book once belonged to the treasury of the Žitomislić monastery in Herzegovina, but the Austrians took it from the monastery during Herzegovina's occupation brought it to Vienna. Jovanović found in it over fifty shield-shaped medieval coats of arms of ruling families, where the coats of arms of the Kobilović (Obilić), Ohmučević, Dejanović and other families that were painted on the spears of the Serbian cavalry, are recognised as the most important ones on the painting. Drawings of those  coats of arms, symbols and costumes can be found today in the artist's legacy at the Museum of the City of Belgrade.

Coronation of Tsar Dušan, National Museum in Belgrade, 1900, From the collection of: Museums of Serbia
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Scheme with the names of the personages in the painting "Coronation of Tsar Dušan" 1.Tsar (Emperor) Dušan 2. Empress Jelena 3. Prince Uroš 4. Serbian Patriarch Joanikije 5. Bulgarian Patriarch Simeon 6. Vukašin Mrnjavčević 7. Despot Jovan Oliver 8. Sebastokrator Dejan 9. Cyrus German, abbot of Mount Athos 10. Gojko Mrnjavčević 11. Nikola Buća, Protovestiarios 12. Palmanus Teutonicus 13. Uglješa Mrnjavčević 14. Despot Siniša 15. Tsar Alexander of Bulgaria 16. Gjon Kastrioti  17. Giunius Derse (envoy of Dubrovnik) 18. Giunius de Calichio (envoy of Dubrovnik) 19. Nifficus Nik. Condola (envoy of Dubrovnik) 20. Avrambek Kefal Sereza 21. Mancil Liverija, Duke of Volerom, Serezom 22. Angel Metohita i Strumom 23. Aleksije Camplahon, Great Chiaus 24. Preljub “Kesar” 25. Grgur Orlović 26. Hrabrenović 

Coronation of Tsar Dušan (1900) by National Museum in BelgradeMuseums of Serbia

The painting "Coronation of Tsar Dušan" received many laudatory awards as well as a gold medal. On the other hand, the artist himself was a little dissatisfied with the painting technique. Thus, from the Paris exhibition until the late years of his life, he painted this theme of the coronation of Emperor Dušan on several occasions, in different formats, in several styles and for various needs. 

After the Second World War, the painting changed its name to "Proclamation of Dušan's Code", and this change was in a way justified and explained by the author himself in a newspaper article from 1955, where he said he envisioned the composition with Stojan Novaković as an act of coronation and as an act of proclamation of the code. The extent to which this masterpiece was appreciated and sought after is also reflected in the fact that more than ten of its larger and smaller replicas and variants are known so far. 

Credits: Story

Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia

National Museum in Belgrade
Belgrade City Museum
The Gallery of Matica Srpska

The narration was provided by: National Museum in Belgrade.

Credits: All media
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