Original scientific paper

ON ARCHAIC MAIOLICA IN MEDIAEVAL BRIBIR

Vedrana Delonga ; Split, Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika

Abstract

A large collection of archaic maiolica was yielded by archaeological excavations at Bribir (ancient town Varvaria, Mediaeval Bribir), situated on Bribirska glavica near Skradin in the central Adriatic hinterland. Most pieces were found in the Franciscan monastery near St. Mary's Church at Dol and in some town quarters that belonged to the masters of Bribir- the Croatian princes and governors from the Subic family and their feudal circle. The remains of archaic maiolica belong to the oldest group of painted glazed pottery found in mediaeval archaeological strata. This ceramics was imported from the east and central Italian workshops. Entire series of north pottery were produced in workshops on the western Adriatic coast, in Romagna, Marche and Venice. It was mostly luxurious, glazed table ware of the Italian trecento intended for a narrow circle of religious and wordly feudalists. The pottery finds from Mediaeval Bribir belong to several groups. Most numerous is the group of the standard archaic maiolica of the north Italian origin, of the so-called "green-brown" style. It was frequent in the Bribir strata of the first half of the 14th century but only sporadic in the second half of the same century. Archaic maiolica from the territory of central Italy was less frequent than that from the north Italian "bottegas". It dates from the second half of the 14th century and the first decades of the 15th centuries. The use of the "green-brown" - style pottery was followed so-called blue archaic maiolica ("blue-brown" style) made of light yellow clay. This pottery is characterized by floral motifs painted in blue, and by triangular ends of the vase handles, which show that it was imported mainly from Romagna and Marche. This use of archaic maiolica is the result of an advanced cultural level at Bribir in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Here resided its centuries-long masters - the Croatian dynasts Subic of Bribir. Franciscans founded monastery there around 1327. The richest finds of the standard north Italian archaic maiolica coincides with the time when the Subic family was at the top of their political and economic power. It was the time when Paul I (Pavle) and his brother George (Juraj) where governors.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

117839

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/117839

Publication date:

10.2.1992.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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