Departments and collections
Ethnography department
The year 1955 saw the first entry into the Ethnography Department Registry, for an artifact procured for the needs of the Department – Outfit for a country girl or woman from Rečica, purchased from Rade Lukinić for the sum of 12,000 dinars. Since then, more than 3500 items of various purposes have been collected, and divided into nine collections – The Seljan Brothers Collection, Woodwork Collection, Collection of Leather and Footwear Manufacture, Pottery Collection, Collection of Metal Items, Jewelry Collection, Wickerwork Collection, and Collection of Textile Handicrafts. Unfortunately, a large number of the artifacts was irretrievably destroyed during the Homeland War, hence nowadays the collection comprises just over 2600 items.
The items comprised by ethnology collections are of very broad use, origin, material, and age. Most of them were manufactured by country folk in their own homes, and only a smaller number of items were produced in artisanal workshops or industrial facilities. The oldest items date back to the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, however the collections also comprise items created in late 20th or early 21st century, manufactured by masters of their craft. The preserved items were mostly collected in the villages of what is today the Karlovac County, but also beyond, from the territory of Žumberak, Donja Kupčina, Jastrebarsko and Lika (Kaluđerovac). In terms of cultural history, they are typical of the region between large geographic areas where the characteristics of the Dinaric, Pannonian, Adriatic and Eastern Alpine cultural areas come into contact and intertwine.
Most of the items were hand-made, one by one, which adds value to them because they are all unique specimens, and no two are identical. They testify to the imagination and creativity of our country folk. Old, even prehistoric manufacturing techniques were used (such as the coiling technique dating back to the Bronze Age, used to manufacture some of the items from the Wickerwork Collection), which had been handed down in families from generation to generation, and nowadays are extinct or on the verge of extinction. That is why all these items belong to valuable cultural heritage that testifies to our history, our origin, the way of life as it used to be, esthetic and moral values, the changes that took place in the society, and the impact of the city and city customs on the countryside and rural customs.
There have only been a few curators attending to the items in the collections, namely, Aleksandra Muraj, Stjepan Janjić, Libuše Kašpar, Dražen Nožinić and Jana Mihalić, and since 2015, the collections have been under the care of Nikolina Belančić Arki.
Nikolina Belančić Arki, curator
Phone number: +385 47 412 381 (26)
e-mail: nikolina.belancic-arki@mgk.hr
The Seljan Brothers Collection documents the importance of explorations undertaken by the people of Karlovac in distant countries outside of Europe, and their interest in the culture of the peoples whose countries they visited, thus including Karlovac in the global cultural developments of the time. The collection comprises about twenty items from the legacy of Mirko and Stevo Seljan, famous and distinguished explorers from Karlovac. It includes items like the weaponry of South American indigenous peoples, geographical maps, posters, books, musical instruments, and wooden sculptures and masks.
Geographical map Itinerario de viaye al Guayra, 1905
Large drum from Kenya, 1st half of the 20th century
Sculpture of a woman with four faces, 1st half of the 20th century
Woodwork is one of the basic branches of traditional handicraft, and the items preserved by the Woodwork Collection represent historical documents on the rural life in this region from the earliest times to, approximately, mid-20th century. The collection encompasses over 600 items of various use, originating from the territory of present-day Karlovac County, Žumberak and Donja Kupčina, mostly manufactured by country folk. The collection thus includes aids and tools used in agriculture, fisheries, beekeeping, animal husbandry, textile production, and everyday life, as well as various furniture specimens and a few specimens of the furniture manufactured in artisanal workshops.
Potato grater for potato flour, 1950
Krosna – horizontal loom, 1st half of the 20th century
Spinning-wheel, 1st half of the 20th century
The Collection of Leather and Footwear Manufacture documents the link between the leather manufacture centers, artisanal workshops, city markets and rural areas, as well as the relationship between them. Craftsmen were familiar with the farmers’ taste and adjusted their products accordingly. The items were mostly made in artisanal workshops of Karlovac, Jastrebarsko and Zagreb. The collection comprises some twenty items, such as Balkan moccasins, shoes, boots, bags, belts and hats, and also features several pieces of horse equipment.
Balkan moccasins, late 20th century
Balkan moccasins made of bovine leather, 1st half of the 20th century
Kožurac – fleece-lined female vest, 1st half of the 20th century
The Pottery Collection includes more than 250 items manufactured as part of traditional pottery and used in the everyday life of country folk. Most of them were made in the Karlovac surroundings, in the nearby pottery centers like Petrovina, Veselić, Kaluđerovac and Gvozd (former Vrginmost) where potters from Pirot were active. The collection features items that were used to prepare, store and serve food (baking bells, pots, jugs, bowls, cups, plates…), and pottery tools and accessories by the potters themselves applying the knowledge and techniques of their ancestors.
Earthenware pot with a handle, 1st half of the 20th century
Christmas wheat bowl, around 1960
Testija – earthenware jug, 1983
The Collection of Mead and Candle Making documents the development of licitar (biscuit made of sweet honey dough) craft in the Karlovac region, but also the intrinsic link between licitar making and rural areas because licitars constituted an integral part of all parish fêtes held in honor of patron saints. The collection includes more than 200 items such as licitar making tools and accessories, candles, votive offerings, molds used to make licitar products out of pastry, documents, photographs, diplomas and acknowledgements for licitars. All of the items from the collection originate from the region of Karlovac, Duga Resa and Jastrebarsko.
Šteher – baby-shaped tin mold, 1st half of the 20th century
Ring – wooden candle-making device, around 1900
Decal with the motif of St. Joseph, around 1980
The Collection of Metal Objects comprises items collected in the broader Karlovac area and made by travelling blacksmiths of Roma origin, master blacksmiths in their workshops, as well various items of industrial production. The collection includes over 170 items such as cutlery, metal pots, saws, axes, accessories in textile manufacture and food preparation, agricultural tools and aids etc. The significance of the collection stems from the wide provenance of the items testifying to the cultural and historical events and general changes in the society, as well as their impact on the traditional culture of this region.
Hanging scale showing pounds, 1st half of the 20th century
Plough – wooden plowing device, around 1880
Iron – coal iron made of cast iron, 1st half of the 20th century
Jewelry has always been an indispensable part of the traditional outfit, used to demonstrate the material status and express the beliefs of the person wearing it. It signified the link between the rural and urban area, where jewelry was mostly procured. The Jewelry Collection comprises over 80 items, including silver, golden and coral necklaces (cvancige, cekini, đunđ), jewelry made of semi-precious stones and glass beads, wedding jewelry and filigree products manufactured by goldsmiths.
Ornamental pin, 1st half of the 20th century
Wedding crown with paper and silk flowers, around 1910
Silver brooch decorated with turquoise, around 1900
The Wickerwork Collection includes more than a hundred items made of straw, bass, twigs, grass and domestic yarn, which were mostly made on the territory of present-day Karlovac County and Žumberak. Thus the collection features items such as baskets, containers, hives, fishing nets, heddles, brooms, but also accessories and materials to make them. The manufacturing technique for some of the items has a tradition dating back to the Bronze Age, like the coiling technique, which gives this collections great memorial value.
Harvest wreath, 1st half of the 20th century
Fishing trap for shallow waters, before 1950
Vase, 1994
The Collection of Textile Handicrafts contains over a thousand useful items and folk costumes collected in the area of present-day Karlovac County, Donja Kupčina, Krašić and Žumberak. The collection features individual pieces of clothing and full costumes for women, men, and children, sheets, pillow cases, towels, tablecloths, curtains, but also sewing and embroidery kits, samples of embroidery and weaving. The old sewing, weaving, embroidery, crocheting and appliqué techniques that can be seen on the collection items are a witness to the rich folklore and homeland identity although nowadays, unfortunately, almost forgotten.
Women’s folk costume from Rečica, early 20th century
Woolen apron with black tassels, around 1900
Tara – vertical loom, 19th century
