Between Trapeza and Sofra. Metal Vessels from the 13th to the 19th Century in the Collections of the National Museum of Serbia

The exhibition “Between the Trapeza and Sofra. Metal Vessels from the 13th to the 19th Century in the Collections of the National Museum of Serbia” presents metal vessels collected over more than 150 years, diverse in type and purpose, material and technique. You can see silver and gilded plates and glasses that were an integral part of ceremonial tables and personal valuables, as well as those made of other non-ferrous metals used daily for storing, preparing and serving food and drinks. Hand-washing utensils were also considered part of tableware, so the small number of preserved objects used for that purpose shows the attention paid to their decoration.

Of the total number of 81 metal vessels from the collections of the Department of the Middle Ages of the National Museum of Serbia exhibited on this occasion, almost half are silver, sometimes gilded, while the rest are made of base metals and alloys, such as copper and lead, brass and bronze.

The presence of influences from various cultural environments is noticeable both on vessels created during and on the territory of the Serbian medieval state, and on areas inhabited by the Serbian people in the Ottoman Empire. Simple Byzantine forms, plant and animal ornamentation characteristic of Western Gothic art, as well as rumi, hataj and saz motifs present on works of Ottoman provenance are encountered. In some examples, these elements coexist, and on a smaller number of vessels, religious iconography is also represented.

With their diversity, the metal vessels in the exhibition “Between the Trapeza and Sofra” provide a glimpse into the types and shapes of vessels found, used, and often made in the territory of traditional Serbian lands from the early 13th to the dawn of the 20th century. The desire was expressed to bring this long period closer to visitors through the method of display and provide insight into the customs and habits related to dining and other activities that accompany or precede it. In addition to their historical and ethnographic value, the exhibited vessels are also of great artistic importance, since many of them display unique iconographic and decorative solutions that cannot be found outside the collection of the National Museum of Serbia.