FRESCO: ST SAVA AND NEMANJIC DYNASTY
Saint Savas Mileseva portrait is the most famous rendition of the father of the Serbian Church, painted during his lifetime as part of the customary builder-dynastic painting composition. Stretched across the north and east walls of the old narthex, the composition features five Nemanjic dynasty.
In the areas of the painting that contain portions of fresco layer partially separated from the base layer and with a tendency to fall off, it is crucial to perform timely conservation work that would fix these parts, simultaneously limiting the spread of this damage and appearance of new similar one. In the areas where surface chipping and lamination has already occurred, the holes need to be restored and retouched with a paste of corresponding color and texture. Surface sediments, particularly those that appear within paint brush grooves, should be removed by a combined physical-chemical process. Salt deposits noted in parts of the lower zone of the fresco should be removed by mild conservation methods. |
DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGES
Conservation work undertaken since the 1970s has noted some lamination of the base mortar layer that connects the fresco to the wall, as well as surface separation of the fresco layer. As with the White Angel, various aspects of the paintings exposure to the elements may have contributed to this. Again, however, neither a full structural analysis of paint layers nor their consolidation has been performed, and there are verified multiple areas of modern-era natural damage, with a potential of exacerbation.
The fresco of St. Sava is part of a larger composition showing a procession of early 13th century Nemanjic dynasty. Founder, Stefan Nemanja, is presented on the right.
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