Bulgarian aristocrat Areta – an uncrowned princess. Analysis and reconstruction of the garment

Authors:

Pages: 394-403

Abstract:

The portrait of a young Bulgarian Boyar, called Areta, who was presumably a relative of a caesar or sebastokrator, was painted in St. Nicholas Church of Stanichene village in 1331–1332. This article aims at analyzing and reconstructing her beautifully intricate clothing. The history of some of its elements, such as the head-adornment, is difficult to trace. The origin of others may be determined with more certainty; for example, the pattern of one of her shirts is of Byzantine origin and the hanging sleeves of her upper dress come from a tradition dating back to the First Bulgarian Empire. The combination of its three different sleeves can be found only in two more pictorial sources, both from the former territories of Bulgaria and Serbia. Therefore, it is presumed that her costume reflects a local Balkan fashion which emerged during the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Keywords:

Areta, reconstructing, history of elements, Second Bulgarian Empire, costume.

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