Crafts

Period

19th and 20th centuries

Number of Cases

2300

The collection consists of items that bear witness to the knowledge and skills related to crafts, of the rural and urban population in the period of the 19th and 20th centuries from the area of the former Yugoslavia.

The Crafts Collection includes tools used by artisans as well as self-taught craftspersons for their household needs, along with craft products, partially finished items, and written documents such as master (apprenticeship and guild) certificates confirming the successful completion of professional exams and mastery of a craft.
The majority of the collection consists of widely used tools for working with various materials, including wood, clay, leather, fur, wool, metal, and stone. These tools include axes, adzes, knives, hatchets, drills, files, compasses, hammers, scissors, and more. Additionally, the collection features potter’s wheels, rope-making wheels, sewing machines, various types of molds and templates, decorative carving tools, mortars, and other equipment.
The acquisition of these items through field research, purchases, or donations began with the formation of the Ethnographic Museum’s collections in the early 20th century. The collection of entire workshops is limited to a few examples, including a nanuldžija workshop (for making nanule—wooden footwear), an opančar workshop (for making opanci—traditional leather footwear), a wheelwright’s workshop, a cooper’s workshop (for making and repairing barrels), and others.
The collection contains 2,300 items.
The curator in charge of the collection is Danijela Filipović, senior curator: danijela.filipovic@etnografskimuzej.rs

Farrier trade sign

Inv. No. 10020

Opanak last

Inv. No. 21978

Thimble

Inv. No. 23807

Tailor's scissors

Inv. No. 24156

Apprentice certificate

Inv. No. 42698

Goldsmith's mold

Inv. No. 44664

Bradva – Axe

Inv. No. 45608

Iron – utija

Inv. No. 45913

Compass

Inv. No. 47036

Horseshoe

Inv. No. 51032

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Farrier trade sign

Inv. No. 10020

On a rectangular black-painted pinewood board, the name of the business is written in green oil paint: "Blacksmith Workshop of Miloš M. Radosavljević." Below the name are painted an ox and a horse, and between them tools – pliers, horse and ox horseshoes, and a hammer. The signboard was made by the blacksmith himself, Miloš Radosavljević.

Donja Bela Reka, Bor, Eastern Serbia
1965

Opanak last

Inv. No. 21978

The opanak last, made of linden wood, was used for crafting traditional Serbian peasant shoes with pointed toes and rounded heels. The back of the mold is cut in the shape of a handle, while the top side is decorated with shallow zigzag-carved patterns. A cross is carved into the central part. These molds were handcrafted by villagers themselves.

Kosovo and Metohija
Early 20th century

Thimble

Inv. No. 23807

A handmade iron thimble used as finger protection during sewing. It is mushroom-shaped with an opening at the top. The sides are decorated with fine indentations.

Sredačka Župa, Drajčići near Prizren,
Kosovo and Metohija
20th century

Tailor's scissors

Inv. No. 24156

Tailors, known as terzije, were craftsmen who made traditional folk costumes. The displayed scissors are made of forged iron, heavy and without any decorative elements or inscriptions.

Arilje, Raška
20th century

Apprentice certificate

Inv. No. 42698

The apprentice certificate (kalfensko pismo) is a document that testifies to the completion of a master craftsman’s apprenticeship. The apprentice certificate is printed on a pre-designed form, with the name of the acquired craft inscribed in the central part, framed by illustrations of various trades such as shoemaking, carpentry, coppersmithing, saddlery, barbering, aba tailoring, watchmaking, baking, opanak-making, blacksmithing, and others. This certificate belonged to Trifun Mirković, an abadžija (a craftsman specializing in coarse traditional clothing), who obtained his craft in Ralja (near Belgrade) in 1932.

Sopot, Kosmaj, Šumadija
First half of the 20th century

Goldsmith's mold

Inv. No. 44664

Mold made of brass and wood, used for casting cigarluk (a type of cigarette holder). The mold was used by Belgrade kujundžija (metal craftsman) Vasa Aleksić, who ceased working in the early 20th century.

Belgrade
19th century

Bradva – Axe

Inv. No. 45608

Woodworking tool used for hewing. The blade is made of iron, elongated, and ends in a pointed tip at the front. The handle is made of wood. The socket for the handle is bent so that the handle stands at a sharp angle to the axis of the blade, making the adze easier to use with the right hand.

Belgrade
First half of the 20th century

Iron – utija

Inv. No. 45913

Used in the craft of abažija (traditional tailoring), for ironing woolen fabrics, specifically fulled klašnja (a type of thick woven cloth). Made from a single piece of iron, it consists of a sole and a handle.

Rožina near Merošina, Central Serbia
Late 19th and early 20th century

Compass

Inv. No. 47036

Compass made of iron with two legs. They are joined at the end with a rivet and have sharp tips. A semicircular rail connects both legs.

Bajina Bašta, Western Serbia
1958

Horseshoe

Inv. No. 51032

Horseshoe made of iron, oval in shape, for the right half of the hoof. It was used for shoeing oxen, which were worked during the winter period.

Konjska Reka near Bajina Bašta, Western Serbia
20th century, second half