Darina Boykina
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Art Studies, Department Member
- Art History, Cultural History, Iconography, Pilgrimage, Late Byzantine Art, Ottoman Balkans, and 9 moreBalkan Art History, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Studies, Medieval Studies, Medieval Bulgaria, Bulgarian archaeology, Bulgarian history, Reliquary, and Српска црквена историја (Serbian Church History)edit
Although different aspects of the decoration of the reliquaries have been examined in Bulgarian art historiography, the symbolical meaning of the ornaments placed on them has remained beyond the interest of the scholars. To fill this gap,... more
Although different aspects of the decoration of the reliquaries have been
examined in Bulgarian art historiography, the symbolical meaning of the ornaments placed on them has remained beyond the interest of the scholars. To fill this gap, the study will attempt to demonstrate that the floral ornaments, including those that seem “merely decorative”, could have evoked meaningful associations for the believers. On the basis of some written sources, the article argues that they represent the
sacredness of the objects through the visual transformation of the concept of Paradise as a beautiful garden.
examined in Bulgarian art historiography, the symbolical meaning of the ornaments placed on them has remained beyond the interest of the scholars. To fill this gap, the study will attempt to demonstrate that the floral ornaments, including those that seem “merely decorative”, could have evoked meaningful associations for the believers. On the basis of some written sources, the article argues that they represent the
sacredness of the objects through the visual transformation of the concept of Paradise as a beautiful garden.
Research Interests:
The paper presents an unpublished silver chalice that dates back to 1875 and originates from the Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ in Sofia. Today, the church is almost completely destroyed, and a great part of its interior, such as... more
The paper presents an unpublished silver chalice that dates back to 1875 and originates from the Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ in Sofia. Today, the church is almost completely destroyed, and a great part of its interior, such as icons, iconostases, and church utensils, has been demolished or lost. The inscription placed on its base provides us with a wealth of information about the history of the church. The presented chalice is also an important artifact that fills a gap in the history of silversmithing in Sofia in the second half of the 19th century.
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The article presents a box for a cross from the second half of the 19th century, which is held in the collection of the National Church Museum of History and Archaeology in Sofia. The stylistic features of the painted decoration on the... more
The article presents a box for a cross from the second half of the 19th century, which is held in the collection of the National Church Museum of History and Archaeology in Sofia. The stylistic features of the painted decoration on the inner part of the lid of the box are analysed on the
basis on which an attempt to attribute the authorship and the dating is made. In addition, the functional specifics of the object are commented on, and a hypothesis about its origin is suggested.
basis on which an attempt to attribute the authorship and the dating is made. In addition, the functional specifics of the object are commented on, and a hypothesis about its origin is suggested.
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Research Interests:
Many museums and churches in Bulgaria keep in their collections icons, crosses and other items, presented by Bulgarian hajjis after their return from Palestine. Dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they are made more often... more
Many museums and churches in Bulgaria keep in their collections icons, crosses and other items, presented by Bulgarian hajjis after their return from Palestine. Dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they are made more often than not of olive wood with mother-of-pearl inlays, upon which are carved or engraved representations symbolizing major moments of the earthly life of Christ and Mother of God. Known are also numerous small jewels made entirely of mother-of-pearl, with scenes from Holy Week or single representations of the Mother of God, Christ, disciples or holy hierarchs depicted on them. The first part of the study provides systematized information from the literature about the development of manufacturing souvenirs in the Holy Land, helping to gain an insight into the historical and cultural contexts, in which these artefacts have been made. In the second part, an attempt is made to interpret the known in Bulgaria monuments, touching on their features and providing short commentaries on the selection of the saints and scenes contained in them.
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The reliquary of the Varovitets Monastery in Etropole is brought into science as a term at the beginning of 20th century by Petar Mutafchiev, who attempted to interpret the inscription for the first time. He read the date as 1692, 11th... more
The reliquary of the Varovitets Monastery in Etropole is brought into science as a term at the beginning of 20th century by Petar Mutafchiev, who attempted to interpret the inscription for the first time. He read the date as 1692, 11th July, which ever since has not been critically аpproached. This resulted in reassertion of incorrect facts in literature. In the current study, a new reading of the inscribed year is offered, namely that of 1751/52 indict 11. According to the inscription, the reliquary is made by goldsmith Boycho from Etropole, thus, it serves as the earliest artifact for the existence of goldsmiths’ trade in the town. The systemized historical data from the research about ore mining in the region shows that Etropole holds all the necessary conditions for development of goldsmiths’ trade. At the end of this exposition, the stylistic haracteristics of the decoration of the reliquary are analyzed briefly. They give grounds to suggest that goldsmiths’ trade in Etropole during the middle of the 18th century was influenced by the nearby goldsmith centre of Vratsa.
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This text examines the depictions of patron saints and saints protectors of monasteries placed onto the reliquaries of itinerant monks and attempts to interpret them in the context of pilgrimage practice in the period 18th–19th century in... more
This text examines the depictions of patron saints and saints protectors of monasteries placed onto the reliquaries of itinerant monks and attempts to interpret them in the context of pilgrimage practice in the period 18th–19th century in the Bulgarian lands.
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This article presents for the first time reliquaries made by Pazardzhik goldsmiths and the sources for them known in the literature. The taxidiotic boxes of Ignatious of Rila (Rilets) of 1842, Abraham (Avram) of Bachkovo of 1843, two... more
This article presents for the first time reliquaries made by Pazardzhik goldsmiths and the sources for them known in the literature. The taxidiotic boxes of Ignatious of Rila (Rilets) of 1842, Abraham (Avram) of Bachkovo of 1843, two reliquaries from the Batkun Monastery made in 1851 and 1861 and one from the Church of Transfiguration in Pazardzhik of 1869, are examined and analyzed in the context of goldsmiths’ trade in Pazardzhik. The text also presents systematized information about the development of the goldsmithing in Pazardzhik relying mostly on written sources: data from Ottoman documents, evidence from the 1720 Travel Notes of Chrysanthos Notaras, inscriptions from goldsmiths’ works, etc. Data shows that goldsmiths emerged in Pazardzhik as early as in the early 16th century as in the end of the following century there was already a functioning goldsmiths’ guild with an impressive number of masters that continued to actively develop during the 18th century and the 19th century. Such data as well as the preserved goldsmiths’ works provide a reason to propose a hypothesis that Pazardzhik is one of the options for the localization of the so-called “goldsmith centre in the area of the Bachkovo Monastery and Plovdiv”. The article puts just the beginning of an exploration of the goldsmiths’ trade in the town and its role during the period of Ottoman rule on the territory of present-day Central Southern Bulgaria.
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The article discusses once again the reliquary, which belongs to the Intercession of the Theotokos Monastery in Samokov. This is among the well-known artifacts of goldsmithing in Bulgaria during the 19th century, and information about it... more
The article discusses once again the reliquary, which belongs to the Intercession of the Theotokos Monastery in Samokov. This is among the well-known artifacts of goldsmithing in Bulgaria during the 19th century, and information about it has been published several times in the Bulgarian literature, but still numerous problems in its history, the donator and the contained relics are unsolved. However, the study deals with the reliquary’s decoration and its function. The first chapter of the text presents the stylistic and iconographic characteristics of the object, focusing on the composition Christ the True Vine placed on the lid of the reliquary, which is very rare in Bulgarian lands in this period. The examples of iconographic variations of the composition show that the unknown goldsmith from Vidin was influenced by the models used by the contemporary woodcarving craftsmen in the workshops of the Mount Athos, who followed the iconographic tradition of the 16th and the 17th centuries. At the end, the study presents briefly the liturgical relation between the image of Christ and the relics of the saints, according to The service for the consecration of the churches, in Vidin in 1881. The analysis shows that the decoration has liturgical function related to the specifics of the reliquary and its usage as a taxidiotic box.
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The article deals with an unpublished reliquary of St George the New Martyr of Sofia, which belonged to the collection of Kremikovtsi Мonastery. It is mentioned in several publications from the late 19th century until the middle of the... more
The article deals with an unpublished reliquary of St George the New Martyr of Sofia, which belonged to the collection of Kremikovtsi Мonastery. It is mentioned in several publications from the late 19th century until the middle of the 20th century, which, however, were focused mostly on the history of the monastery itself, rather than on the object or relics. These publications provide a brief information on the form of the reliquary, but not very precise. It is described as either a gilded silver reliquary from the end of 16th century, which was renovated in the beginning of 19th century, or a wooden box covered with leather binding like a book, in which is placed the reliquary from the 16th century covered with silver plaque from the 19th century. They also reveal that the reliquary contains a fragment from the arm of the saint. In fact, the reliquary of St George the New Martyr of Sofia does not contain a fragment from the arm, but from the upper part of the femur. The relics are enclosed in wooden rectangular box covered with blind-stamped leather binding, which could be dated to the 18th century. Another uncommon point in the decoration is the decorative paper glued to the bottom of the wooden box. On the inner side of the lid of the box is glued an engraving of St George Slaying the Dragon. This engraving probably belongs to the Russian graphic art from 17th–19th century, known as lubok. A small silver reliquary dated to 1593 is attached to the bone of the St George the New Martyr of Sofia thus continuing the Byzantine and Late Byzantine tradition. The bone and its simple reliquary are covered by gilded silver plaque from 1804. According to the features of the different parts of the reliquary, it seems that it is assembled at the beginning of 19th century by the abbot of Kremikovtsi Monastery named Christopher. The form of reliquary box as a book is very rare in Bulgaria. There are known just few similar reliquaries from the collection of Rila Monastery, but they were used as taxidiotе boxes. The formal similarities do not allow to define the reliquary of St George the New Martyr of Sofia as an example for such a taxidiotе box. Inscriptions placed on the present reliquary have the essential role in providing crucial information about its possible function. They play major part in the “decorative program” of reliquary, i.e. they have underlined its representative function. On the contrary, the inscriptions attached to the so-called taxidiotе boxes have a secondary place.
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This paper deals with two unpublished reliquaries from the Troyan monastery collection, which contain the relics of St. Januarius and St. Theodore Stratelates. They both are hand-shaped, which makes them extremely rare among the other... more
This paper deals with two unpublished reliquaries from the Troyan monastery collection, which contain the relics of St. Januarius and St. Theodore Stratelates. They both are hand-shaped, which makes them extremely rare among the other reliquaries in the context of sacral goldsmithing in Balkans. Many questions, however, on their origin, penetration, development and function in the Balkans remain unanswered and every new material would shed more light on the matter. Hand- or arm-shaped reliquaries are determined as an emblem of Western Medieval period because of their popularity in Catholic Europe, but also in territories under high Catholic influence. On the Balkans, those are the cities on the Adriatic coast, where arm reliquaries are kept, dated to the end of 11th and first decades of 12th century. The earliest known arm reliquaries in Orthodox sphere are produced by Wallahian goldsmiths in 17th century. During the 18th and 19th century the hand-shaped reliquaries reproduced most often the shape of votive hands, are found in monasteries in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as the monasteries of Athos. The latter, however, are the place, where western catholic tradition was transformed and from where distributed in the central Balkans.
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The paper deals with a monument, sporadically mentioned in scientific literature, of the earliest period of the Bulgarian National Revival: the Church of St Nicholas in the village of Katunitsa near Plovdiv. Decoration of the church – an... more
The paper deals with a monument, sporadically mentioned in scientific literature, of the earliest period of the Bulgarian National Revival: the Church of St Nicholas in the village of Katunitsa near Plovdiv. Decoration of the church – an iconostasis, icons and murals – has been commissioned on a regular basis well until the end of the period of the Bulgarian National Revival by a number of church donors living mostly in Katunitsa. The iconostasis and the icons in the Deesis tier painted by Zachary Zograph in 1834–1835, were dated to the earliest stage in the decoration of the church coetaneous with the construction of the building. Decades later, the Feast tire of icons were commissioned to be executed by different icon-painters along with the mural paintings at the naos of the church made by Alexy Athanasov. The latter were precisely dated to 1852. The same icon-painter painted the murals flanking the north entrance to the church in 1866. A thorough presentation of the church of the village of Katunitsa is of paramount importance not only because no attempts have been made to record it comprehensively, but also because it adduces examples of the earliest oeuvre of two of the most renowned and prolific icon-painters working in and in the vicinities of the city of Plovdiv, i.e. Zachary Zograph and Alexy Athanasov.
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The presented six reliquaries have ei¬ther not been published or have just been mentioned fleetingly in scholar¬ly literature. The best part of the ob¬jects is taxidiotic boxes carried by itinerant monks. These are made from silver or are... more
The presented six reliquaries have ei¬ther not been published or have just been mentioned fleetingly in scholar¬ly literature. The best part of the ob¬jects is taxidiotic boxes carried by itinerant monks. These are made from silver or are entirely wooden with metal finely decorated repoussé casings. All the objects under consideration have been used in Sofia or in its vicinities, which is attested to in the inscriptions they are bearing or in the books kept by the metropolitan church. In the eighteenth and the nineteenth centu¬ries, it was a common practice among the itinerant monks to enclose relics in a metal casing in the place to which they had been sent on a mission. The boxes were usually small in size, containing a small cross of carved wood and relics. Artefacts would oc¬cur among the later monuments made after the mid-nineteenth century that contain not relics but resemble reli¬quaries just on the face of it, in form and decoration. Some of them feature also paintings representing the pa¬tron saint either of the church or the monastery the object comes from. All the reliquaries have been made in the nineteenth century by goldsmiths from Sofia. In the concluding part of the paper, their stylistic and technical specifics are considered. The present¬ed cult objects both provide new in¬formation about the goldsmithing in Sofia and show that local monas¬teries were actively engaged with taxidiotic activity though of limited in scope compared with the large monastic centers in the Balkans.
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Сборник статии от XI студентска научна конференция, организирана от Студентски историко-археологически клуб "Проф. Велизар Велков" при Пловдивски университет "Паисий Хилендарски".
Research Interests: History and Archeology
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The connection between written sources and the materialisation of objects is important for understanding the processes of visual articulation in the Orthodox liturgy and other religious services. Liturgical artefacts reflect not only the... more
The connection between written sources and the materialisation of objects is important for understanding the processes of visual articulation in the Orthodox liturgy and other religious services. Liturgical artefacts reflect not only the artistic but, above all, the religious context of their time. Church utensils made of precious metal were intermediaries that could travel long distances, transporting ideas and iconographic patterns, various types of "secondary decoration", and the morphological characteristics of certain types of liturgical objects. In this sense, certain types of artefacts play a crucial role in the construction and formation of Eastern Orthodox visual culture and iconography.
https://www.eabs.net/EABS/Research-Units/Research_Units/Special-Sessions-Sofia/Objects_Materialising_the_Texts.aspx
https://www.eabs.net/EABS/Research-Units/Research_Units/Special-Sessions-Sofia/Objects_Materialising_the_Texts.aspx
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International Conference Southeast European Silversmithing 4 – 5.11.2022, Belgrade The conference on Southeast European Silversmithing aims to gather researchers dedicated to the study of sacral silver objects from the early modern... more
International Conference
Southeast European Silversmithing
4 – 5.11.2022, Belgrade
The conference on Southeast European Silversmithing aims to gather researchers dedicated to the study of sacral silver objects from the early modern period who will, through their research and work, contribute to the comparative analysis of this complex field. Material presented at the conference will contribute to the objective of improving methodological means of interpretation through the gathering of devoted researchers working in this area. The conference will enable the presentation of, thus far unpublished and unknown to the academic community, artistic silver objects. We believe that a more meticulous approach to this field of research will represent a valuable contribution to the field of art history and to a more comprehensive understanding of the visual culture of the specified period.
Southeast European Silversmithing
4 – 5.11.2022, Belgrade
The conference on Southeast European Silversmithing aims to gather researchers dedicated to the study of sacral silver objects from the early modern period who will, through their research and work, contribute to the comparative analysis of this complex field. Material presented at the conference will contribute to the objective of improving methodological means of interpretation through the gathering of devoted researchers working in this area. The conference will enable the presentation of, thus far unpublished and unknown to the academic community, artistic silver objects. We believe that a more meticulous approach to this field of research will represent a valuable contribution to the field of art history and to a more comprehensive understanding of the visual culture of the specified period.
Research Interests: Cultural History, Art History, Liturgical Studies, Material Culture Studies, Material culture of religion, and 15 moreVisual Culture, Balkan Studies, Mediterranean Studies, History of Roman Catholicism, History of Central and Southeastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Visual and Cultural Studies, Goldsmithery, Orthodox Christianity, Historia del Arte, Medieval Goldsmith`s Art, Silversmithing, Goldsmithing, Post-Byzantine art history/ Greek Silversmithing, and Jewellery, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Gold, Silver, Craft Guilds, Commonaute, Or, Argent
Southeast European Silversmithing The term "silversmithing" refers to the artistic production and manufacturing of silverware made of precious metals. Silversmithing also implies the various processes used in its shaping, as in the... more
Southeast European Silversmithing
The term "silversmithing" refers to the artistic production and manufacturing of silverware made of precious metals. Silversmithing also implies the various processes used in its shaping, as in the case of wrought articles of silverware, and in decorating the metal, such as by embossing, chasing, engraving, enameling, or using a filigree technique. The artistic shaping of the silver alloy is carried out by a trained master craftsman qualified as a silversmith. Through the centuries, the term "goldsmith" has always been understood to mean a worker in both gold and silver, although the term "silversmith" may also refer to a worker in both silver and gold. Both terms have often been applied without distinction to those who worked in either field. Typically, a silversmith will aim to create larger-scale work for functional or decorative purposes, like tableware, flatware, functional vessels, and ecclesiastical pieces. Silversmiths have usually been classified according to the type of pieces they make, the main groups being the large-workers and the small-workers. The conference on "Southeast European Silversmithing" encompasses the artistic production of sacral silver objects and different related phenomena.
Friday 4 November 2022 from 09:00 AM
The Rectorate Building – University of Belgrade
Studentski trg 1, (1 The Students` Square)
Saturday 5 November 2022 from 09:00 AM
Faculty of Philosophy – University of Belgrade
Čikа Ljubinа 18-20, (18-20 Čika Ljubina Street)
The term "silversmithing" refers to the artistic production and manufacturing of silverware made of precious metals. Silversmithing also implies the various processes used in its shaping, as in the case of wrought articles of silverware, and in decorating the metal, such as by embossing, chasing, engraving, enameling, or using a filigree technique. The artistic shaping of the silver alloy is carried out by a trained master craftsman qualified as a silversmith. Through the centuries, the term "goldsmith" has always been understood to mean a worker in both gold and silver, although the term "silversmith" may also refer to a worker in both silver and gold. Both terms have often been applied without distinction to those who worked in either field. Typically, a silversmith will aim to create larger-scale work for functional or decorative purposes, like tableware, flatware, functional vessels, and ecclesiastical pieces. Silversmiths have usually been classified according to the type of pieces they make, the main groups being the large-workers and the small-workers. The conference on "Southeast European Silversmithing" encompasses the artistic production of sacral silver objects and different related phenomena.
Friday 4 November 2022 from 09:00 AM
The Rectorate Building – University of Belgrade
Studentski trg 1, (1 The Students` Square)
Saturday 5 November 2022 from 09:00 AM
Faculty of Philosophy – University of Belgrade
Čikа Ljubinа 18-20, (18-20 Čika Ljubina Street)