Vidovdan is one of the most significant dates in Serbian history and culture, and for centuries, stories of courage, sacrifice, and selflessness have been associated with it. Among the most striking symbols of that heritage is the famous painting “Kosovo maiden” by Uroš Predić, a masterpiece that has occupied a special place in Serbian art for more than a century. Yet, few people know that the character of the epic heroine was created based on a real Belgrade woman, Leposava Stanković.
One of the most famous works of Serbian art, “Kosovo maiden”, was painted by the great Serbian painter Uroš Predić (1857–1953). On the occasion of Vidovdan, the painting, which symbolises the self-sacrifice, courage, and suffering of the Serbian people, has once again attracted great public attention, and few people know that Predić found inspiration in a real young Belgrade woman.
The painting was created by order of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, a humanitarian women’s society founded in 1903 in Belgrade. Their members were particularly active during the Balkan Wars and World War I, when they nursed the wounded as volunteer nurses.
Predić found inspiration for the work in the folk poem of the same name, which he considered one of the most beautiful in Serbian literature. The canvas depicts an epic heroine on Kosovo field dressing the wounds of the severely wounded Pavle Orlović, while searching for her fiancé Toplica Milan, as well as Miloš Obilić and Kosančić Ivan.
Because of the time in which it was created, at the height of World War I, the painting is also interpreted as a universal symbol of wartime suffering, while the Kosovo maiden is presented as the embodiment of humanity and the first nurse providing aid to the wounded.
Who was the real Kosovo maiden?
To create this masterpiece, Uroš Predić used a model. According to data available on Wikipedia, Leposava Stanković, an only child born on December 29, 1899, in Belgrade, posed for the figure of the Kosovo maiden.
Leposava attended the Commercial School, where Predić’s brother was the director. She is described as a girl with prominent facial features, dark hair, and large eyes, but also a strong character and firm will, traits that matched the heroine the painter wished to depict.
It is interesting that Leposava never met the man who served as the model for Pavle Orlović, because Predić painted them separately.
For years, almost nothing was known about her. She kept a reproduction of the famous painting in her apartment, and the public only learned about her fate again when Politika published a news item on March 3, 1995, under the headline “The ‘Kosovo maiden’ has died”, stating that Leposava Lulik, née Stanković, passed away in her 96th year of life.
The original painting was purchased in 1940 from the company “Polet” and has been kept in the Belgrade City Museum ever since. Upon completion of the reconstruction of the museum building in Resavska Street, “Kosovo maiden” will be part of its permanent exhibition. Shortly after its creation, this masterpiece gained immense popularity, and reproductions were sold as postcards for humanitarian purposes.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: Serbian Times Photo: Canva