Research and photographing of medieval monuments under the auspices of the National Museum in Belgrade to 1941

Abstract

The text reconstructs research and photographing of primarily Serbian medieval monuments on the territory of Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija, Macedonia, Montenegro, Herzegovina, Dalmatia and Mount Athos undertaken from 1907 to 1940 by experts employed at the National Museum in Belgrade or other researchers under its patronage. The paper aims to highlight the significance of these research activities for the development of the study of medieval art in Serbia, as well as the importance of this collection of photographs for present-day research. Analysis of archival documents has provided insights into the circumstances in which this research was carried out, as well as into the role of the National Museum in the preservation of monuments in the field.

Keywords

• Serbian medieval art
• National Museum in Belgrade
• Vladimir R. Petković
• field research
• collection of photographs on glass plates
• publication series Serbian Monuments