Од ратног ветерана до дворског кујунџије: Ђорђе М. Јанковић у друштвеним и уметничким збивањима Ниша друге половине 19. века

Abstract

Значајан учесник збивања у Нишу током друге половине 19. века био је кујунџија Ђорђе М. Јанковић. Кујунџијски занат почео је да учи у младости као син угледног нишког трговца. Истовремено је ангажован у политичким догађањима која претходе присаједињењу јужних крајева, учествујући у ратовима који су се водили за њихово ослобођење. Одликован је са шест медаља за ратне заслуге, што га чини активним и непосредним учесником. Уметничко деловање Ђорђа Јанковића било је усмерено на обликовање сребрних предмета профане и сакралне намене, драгоцених за познавање националне златарске уметности. На портретним фотографијама, као и на надгробнику, Ђорђе Јанковић је потписан као „дворски кујунџија”. Улазак нових територија у састав Кнежевине подразумевао је стварање културног континуитета и саображавања новоосвојених крајева са Кнежевином Србијом. Прешавши пут од ратног ветерана до дворског златара, Ђорђе Јанковић је пример појединца окренутог патриотском раду колико и личном развоју. Кроз његов пример могу се сагледати фасете културе и историје повесне епохе у којој је деловао.

The material culture in the area of Niš during the 19th century was first under the influence of the Ottoman visual norms, and after the annexation, it began to adapt to the cultural trends of the Principality. Prominent members of the Serbian community acted as socio-political elites, equally in the economic and cultural domains, and they contributed to the unification of the southern regions, fully realized after the Second Serbian-Turkish War (1877-1878). Individual masters working in this period were not only engaged in fashioning visual culture. They were also engaged in the turbulent reality of their time. Therefore, a broader contextualization of their manifold activities reveals a more nuanced historical picture. A significant participant in the social and political events of the second half of the 19th century was the goldsmith Đorđe M. Janković. Being the son of a prominent merchant from Niš, he started learning the craft of goldsmithing at a young age. However, he directly participated in all the wars that were fought for the liberation of the southern regions as well, which earned him six medals for war merits. After the unification of the southern regions, Đorđe Janković was able to devote himself to his craft, creating a variety of silver objects, whether profane or sacred in their application. A massive silver chalice made by this master is kept in the church treasuries of the Diocese of Niš, attributed by the goldsmith’s mark. The descendants of the Janković family cherish today, as the part of the family heirloom, the examples of silverware also hallmarked by the mark of Đorđe Janković: [ђмј] - [13]. Reliably attributed objects to particular Serbian goldsmiths are not numerous and, therefore, they are essential in acquiring deeper knowledge of the national goldsmithing. Đorđe Janković can be characterized as the great representative of the goldsmithing of southern Serbia. In the photographs, just as on his tombstone, Đorđe Janković is the “court goldsmith”. After the reunification, it was important to establish cultural continuity and adapt the newly conquered regions to the artistic trends of the Principality of Serbia. The goldsmithing of the southern regions was often anachronistic in comparison to the cultural habits of the Principality and the artistic currents of historicism. Having progressed from a war veteran to a court goldsmith, Đorđe Janković is the example of an individual focused on patriotic activity as well as on personal development, and contextualization of his work provides better understanding of various facets of culture and history of the epoch he lived in.