History of the Croats

Until November 5th in International Culture Center in Krakow you can visit an exhibition about Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect. Here is one of the sculptures you can see there :)

This moving work of art depicts a sitting woman holding a stone plate on her laps. The title of the sculpture, History of Croats, is written on the plate in Glagolitic script, the oldest known Slavic alphabet.

The portrait of a woman was modeled on the mother of the artist. The original sculpture is made of white marble and is located in Belgrade. Later, bronze castings were made. History of Croats is an iconic sculpture whose fame surpasses the boundaries of Meštrović’s oeuvre. The significance of this sculpture is so great that it is no surprise that it is reproduced in Croatian passports. One bronze cast stands in front of the Faculty of Law and the Rector’s Office of the University of Zagreb (in the same square where the second sculpture of Meštrović, Well of Life is located). Zagreb’s History of Croats fits perfectly into the city's fabric both symbolically and artistically, and is one of the icons of the Croatian capital.