La Peinture Serbe du Moyen Âge

Petković, Vlad. R. La Peinture Serbe du Moyen Âge. Belgrade, Musée d’Histoire de l’Art, 1934. Folio. Original green cloth, gilt-lettered to upper cover, preserved in the publisher’s green cloth portfolio with ribbon ties. Volume II of the important Monuments Serbes series, presenting Serbian medieval painting to an international audience. The text, in French, is by Vladislav R. Petković (1874–1957), professor at the University of Belgrade and member of the Royal Serbian Academy, among the most influential pioneers of Serbian art-historical studies. Illustrated with a substantial suite of photographic reproductions (black-and-white plates, some showing wear of the originals), documenting the fresco programs of major monasteries, including Studenica and Manasija. While the reproductions are modest in quality, the publication remains one of the earliest systematic visual records of this material, invaluable as a documentary source. Binding sound, cloth clean with only light wear. Plates crisp. The portfolio case strong, ties intact. A scarce survival of an ambitious interwar project to publish the medieval artistic heritage of Serbia for an international readership. Copies complete with the portfolio are increasingly uncommon on the market. Inv. H11ho