Name of Object:

Book Cover

Location:

Zagreb, North-West Croatia, Croatia

Holding Museum:

Museum of Arts and Crafts

 About Museum of Arts and Crafts , Zagreb

Original Owner:

Gaus (Gaos?) family of Rijeka, or the Brajković family of Senj

Date of Object:

First quarter of 18th century

Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s):

Unknown artist

Museum Inventory Number:

MUO 10422

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Embossed silver

Dimensions:

H: 17 cm; w: 11.5 cm; d: 5 cm

Type of object:

Metalwork

Place of production:

Venice

Description:

A Baroque book cover of embossed silver and richly decorated with volutes, shells and acanthus foliage. Both the front and back covers have a central crest of two important families: the Crest of the Gaos (Gaus?) family of Rijeka on the front, and the crest of the Brajković family of Senj on the back. Mentioned initially in Rijeka in 1614, The Gaos (Gaus?) family appear in a document of 1616, as “de Hahnberg”. The Brajkovićs of Senj are a prominent Croatian family, descendants of the Miroslavić family, first mentioned in Poljica in 1420. One of the best-known members of the family was Martin Brajković (Senj 1668–Vienna 1708), Bishop of Senj and Modruš from 1700 to 1703, and Bishop of Zagreb from 1703 until his death in 1708. Who ordered this book cover and why is unknown; similarly how these two families are connected in the first half of 18th century is also an unknown.
There are two silver hallmarks on the object: one is a Venetian hallmark with St. Marcus, and the other is the control mark of Venetian mint “Zecca” that belongs to Zuanne Premuda who worked at assay control from 1712 to 1749.

A Baroque book cover of embossed silver richly decorated with volutes, shells and acanthus foliage. The Crest of the Gaos (Gaus?) family of Rijeka is on the front, and the crest of the Brajković family of Senj on the back. One of the best-known members of the Brajković family was Martin Brajković (1668–1708), Bishop of Senj and Modruš, and later Bishop of Zagreb.

How date and origin were established:

The date and origin of the object are according to the hallmarks.

How Object was obtained:

Donated by Draga Butković, Gundulićeva 22a, Zagreb, in 1957.

Selected bibliography:

Muzej za umjetnost i obrt 1880–1970. Katalog izabranih djela (Museum of Arts and Crafts 1880–1970: catalogue of selected works), Zagreb, 1970, p. 303.
Od svagdana do blagdana. Barok u Hrvatskoj. Katalog izložbe (From Everyday to Holidays: Baroque in Croatia), exhibition catalogue, Zagreb, 1993.
Muzej za umjetnost I obrt – izbor iz fundusa, Zagreb, 1991, p. 84.

Citation of this web page:

Arijana Koprčina "Book Cover" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;BAR;hr;Mus11;40;en

Prepared by: Arijana KoprčinaArijana Koprčina

SURNAME: Koprčina
NAME: Arijana

AFFILIATION: Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb, Croatia

TITLE: Senior Curator, head of the Metalwork Collection

CV:
Arijana Koprčina is a Senior Curator and head of the Metalwork Collection at the Museum of Arts and Crafts. She has contributed to the preparation of the following exhibitions: Biedermeier in Croatia (Zagreb, 1997), Historicism in Croatia (Zagreb, 2000) and Art Nouveau in Croatia (Zagreb, 2004). She has curated jewellery exhibitions such as Lazer Lumezi Jewellery (Zagreb, 2006) and Italian Artistic Jewellery from Sartirana Arte (Zagreb, 2001). She was responsible for selecting Croatian jewellers for the exhibition Artists’ Jewellery in Contemporary Europe (Athens, 2000).
Translation by: Arijana KoprčinaArijana Koprčina

SURNAME: Koprčina
NAME: Arijana

AFFILIATION: Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb, Croatia

TITLE: Senior Curator, head of the Metalwork Collection

CV:
Arijana Koprčina is a Senior Curator and head of the Metalwork Collection at the Museum of Arts and Crafts. She has contributed to the preparation of the following exhibitions: Biedermeier in Croatia (Zagreb, 1997), Historicism in Croatia (Zagreb, 2000) and Art Nouveau in Croatia (Zagreb, 2004). She has curated jewellery exhibitions such as Lazer Lumezi Jewellery (Zagreb, 2006) and Italian Artistic Jewellery from Sartirana Arte (Zagreb, 2001). She was responsible for selecting Croatian jewellers for the exhibition Artists’ Jewellery in Contemporary Europe (Athens, 2000).
Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: HR 40