Precious Metals and Masterful Hands: Arts and Crafts from the Middle Ages to Modern Times

Zadar, 15-17 May 2025

Conference organized by:

University of Zadar
Department of History of Art

University of Rijeka
Department of History of Art

University of Rijeka
Medieval Adriatic Heritage Centre Rijeka

University of Cambridge
Department of History of Art

University of Padua
Department of Cultural Heritage: Archaeology, Art history, Cinema and Music

The Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art, Zadar

We are honoured to announce that the 1st international conference Precious Metals and Masterful Hands: Arts and Crafts from the Middle Ages to Modern Times is dedicated to the memory of the late assistant professor Marijana Kovačević (1977-2015), whose profound contributions to the field of art history, primarily her research of goldsmithing, continue to inspire scholars and researchers.

The craftsmanship of precious metals, closely tied to the field of applied arts, has often fluctuated between routine craftwork and artistic quality. The excellence of the work depended on the skill of the master (craftsman/artist), who could elevate the nature of the precious metal to the level of an artwork or keep it at the level of technically sound craftsmanship. Although initially closely associated with sacred spaces, where the importance of consecrated objects was emphasized in line with their purpose, precious metals eventually became integral to everyday life, leading to a significant increase in the production of secular items. Accordingly, from liturgical objects such as reliquaries, crosses, chalices, candlesticks, busts, and other sacred artifacts, to secular expressions in the form of jewellery and utilitarian objects—whether preserved or recorded in archival documents or depicted in paintings—we trace the changes in the treatment of precious metals from the Middle Ages to modern times.