Decorating of the Bride
| Decorating of the Bride | |
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| Serbian: Kićenje neveste, Кићење невесте | |
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| Artist | Paja Jovanović |
| Year | 1885–88 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 96.5 cm × 136 cm (38.0 in × 54 in) |
| Location | National Museum of Serbia, Belgrade |
Decorating of the Bride (Serbian: Кићење невесте, Kićenje neveste) is an oil painting by the Serbian artist Paja Jovanović. It shows a young Albanian bride in traditional attire being prepared for her upcoming marriage by the female members of her household. It is one of two compositions Jovanović painted on the subject; the other is considered lost.
The painting was done between 1885 and 1888, during one of Jovanović's trips through the Balkans. It was painted for the French Gallery, with which Jovanović was under contract, and was well received by art critics and the public. It remained in the French Gallery's possession until 1893, when it was purchased by a London buyer. In 1935, the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs purchased the work and bestowed it to the National Museum of Serbia, in whose possession it remains. In 2009, the painting began undergoing restoration.
Decorating of the Bride (Serbian Latin: Kićenje neveste; Serbian Cyrillic: Кићење невесте) measures 96.5 by 136 centimetres (38.0 in × 53.5 in). The painting is set in an impoverished 19th-century ethnic Albanian household. It shows the women of the family adorning a young bride. The jewelry that the bride is supposed to wear at her wedding is taken from an old wooden chest that can be seen in the left-hand corner and is temporarily set against a copper tray beside her. Immediately next to the chest, a little girl holds another copper tray, which also contains several items of jewelry. Two elderly women attend to the bride. To the far right, young maidens fashion a garland of fresh flowers and joyfully whisper to one another. The room in which the women have gathered is sparsely furnished, with a low ceiling, well worn carpet and plain plastered walls. The bride wears traditional garb, with a gold necklace around her neck and delicately embroidered slippers on her feet. The artist's signature, Germanicized as P. Joanowitch, can be seen at the bottom right.
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