The Decorative Arts Trust

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The Decorative Arts Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes awareness, encourages appreciation, and champions the study of the decorative arts and material culture through educational programs, communications, and grantmaking.

10/14/2026

Lovely Zagreb, Croatia's capital, was the first stop on our Optional Extension! During a private visit to Atelier Lumezi, renowned artist Lazer Rok Lumezi shared his passion for creating sculpture and jewelry (image 1).

Among Zagreb City Museum's splendid collection are exquisite examples of ironwork (images 2–7) and rare Guild boxes (images 8–12). The first craft guild in the Gradec area of Zagreb was founded in 1447, and 18 guilds were formed here over the following centuries.

Zagreb's Museum of Naïve Art is considered the world’s earliest museum institution specifically devoted to naive art, outsider art, and art brut. The holdings include exquisite works from the Hlebine School of renowned self-taught artists known for their bright, expressive colors and unique perspectives as well as depictions of rural Croatian life, folklore, and landscapes (images 13–18.).

And a visit to Zagreb would not be complete without seeing the striking Church of St. Mark (image 19)! Although established prior to 1256, the present appearance dates to 1882. The glazed-tile roof was added at that point, displaying the coats of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, Slavonia, and the city of Zagreb.

Visit our website to learn how to travel with us: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/13/2026

In Trogir, a walking tour led us to the 15th-century Cathedral of St. Lawrence and its Orsini Chapel (images 1–10). The cathedral developed over several centuries as Trogir expanded within the political sphere of the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia and later the Venetian Republic. The Orsini Chapel was commissioned by Koriolan Cipiko within Trogir Cathedral as a monument to the city’s patron, Blessed Giovanni Orsini. It is one of the most important Renaissance ensembles on the eastern Adriatic, reflecting the close artistic connections between Dalmatia, Venice, Florence, and the wider Italian Renaissance. The sacristy contains a late Gothic carved and inlaid cabinet by Trogir craftsman Grgur Vidov, and the Orsini Chapel retains sculptures by Niccolò di Giovanni Fiorentino, a pupil of Donatello.

The city of Salona (images 11–16) was first mentioned in historical sources in 119 BCE. A political, commercial, cultural, and later ecclesiastical capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, it became an important Christian center and metropolitan episcopal seat. We explored ruins of the theatre, temple, city walls, gates, roads, and cemeteries.

A respite at the welcoming Kovač Winery (image 17) treated us to Crljenak Kaštelanski (the original Zinfandel) and its descendant Plavac Mali. Above Kaštel Sućurac, beneath the old church of St George, the Putalj hill has carried vines since the Middle Ages, and the family has made w**e here for more than a century.

A convivial closing dinner ended our main tour of the Dalmatian Coast, but stay tuned as we venture inland for an Optional Extension!

10/12/2026

A ferry took us to Hvar, a lovely island off Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. The 15th-century Franciscan Monastery (images 1–4) displays a painting of the Last Supper in the refectory, attributed to 17th-century Venetian painter Matteo Ponzoni. In addition to their collection of paintings, sculpture, and rare books, the garden houses a historic cypress.

Hvar's theater (image 5) was the first municipal theater in Europe. It is located in the eastern half of the Arsenal building and was opened in 1612. The auditorium with loges was built in 1803 when the Theater Society was founded, and its current Neo-Baroque appearance dates from the turn of the 20th century.

The Benedictine Monastery (images 6–7) includes a convent building established in 1664 with an adjoining church dating to the 17th century. Since the 19th century, the convent has been associated with the production of lace made from fibers of the agave plant.

The Cathedral of St. Stephen (image 8), which was constructed in phases over the 16th to 18th centuries. The late Renaissance façade features a tripartite gable, marble inlay, and central portal beneath a Romanesque-inspired baldachin, together with the Renaissance bell tower built by Korčulan craftsmen.

See our website to learn how to travel with us: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/10/2026

What an amazing day in Split! The Palace of Diocletian (images 1–5) was built by the namesake Roman emperor c. 295–305 CE. The Peristyle, the palace’s principal ceremonial court, includes Egyptian sphinxes and granite columns. Later Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings were incorporated into the Roman structure. The site is gorgeous day and night, and well-guarded! The nearby Cathedral of St. Dominus (images 6–7) was built around the same time and was transformed into a Christian cathedral in the 7th century.

Split's City Museum (images 8–12) was founded in 1945 and moved into the Papalić Palace in 1952. The Papalić Palace was built in the 15th-16th centuries in the Gothic-Renaissance style. Collections of stone monuments, ceramics, furniture, weapons, textiles, and more document Split’s history, featuring a 15th-/16th-century bronze mortar and pestle, segments of a door carved and painted by Andrija Buvina in 1214, a relief of a breastplate originally built into the c. 1503 walls of Split, and Diocletian's marble dining table.

The Archaeological Museum of Split (images 13–15), showcases Greek-Hellenistic displays of imported black- and red-figure pottery and sculpture, Roman and Late Antique material demonstrating the development of Christian art and architecture at Salona, and Early Medieval objects such as Ostrogothic polychrome jewelry. We were especially drawn to the ornate mosaics, the striking stone carvings, and an intricate bronze eye shield for a horse.

The Ivan Meštrović Gallery (images 16–20) is a Neoclassical villa designed and built by architect and sculptor Ivan Meštrović as his private summer residence and studio. The historic house museum's collection includes over 190 sculptures crafted from bronze, marble, stone, and wood, including one of Meštrović's self-portraits.

Visit our website at https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events to learn how to travel with us!

10/09/2026

The Narona Archaeological Museum grew from the 1995–96 discovery of the remains of the c. 10 BCE Roman temple Augusteum and 17 marble sculptures. The museum incorporates this unique archaeological site as well as decorative arts and architectural materials from other locations.

The main exhibition hall showcases the temple with statues of emperors and members of their families (images 1–4), and an additional 900 objects are on display, tracing the history of Narona from the end of the 3rd century BCE to the 15th century CE. Standouts include a glass cameo of Livia from the Tiberian area and other glassware (images 5 and 6), a jug from the Roman period (image 7), and a c. 1st- to 3rd-century altar of Fortuna (image 8 ).

Icing on the cake was the view from the roof (images 9–12)!

Visit our website for a calendar of upcoming programs: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/08/2026

Cavtat is a stunning coastal town and port in southern Croatia. Its Bukovac House Museum (images 1–6), situated in an 18th-century house with later 19th-century expansions, was the birthplace, residence, and atelier of Vlaho Bukovac (1855–1922), a key figure in the development of Croatian modern painting. Bukovac’s early murals are on display, as are other paintings, drawings, furniture, and possessions associated with Bukovac and his family. His 1890 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 and 1921 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵 are shown here.

Račić Mausoleum (images 7–10), built in 1920–22 on the site of the earlier Chapel of St. Rocco, was sculptor Ivan Meštrović’s first realized work of architecture. Meštrović received the Grand Prix for the work at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris.

Cavtat's 1484–90 Franciscan Monastery (image 11) features a vaulted cloister and unusual two-nave arrangement.

In Croatia's Konavle Region, we were honored to witness a silk demonstration at AR Atelier (images 12–16). The contemporary arts and crafts studio was established by artist Antonia Rusković Radonić with a focus on preserving traditional Konavle silk production and embroidery.

At the Novaković Rural Household (images 17–20), we ended a delightful day with a traditional folk dance performance and dinner.

See our website for a calendar of upcoming tours: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/07/2026

Greetings from Montenegro! The historic coastal towns of Perast and Kotor were next on our itinerary. A scenic boatride took us to Our Lady of the Rocks Church and Museum (images 1–5), a 1630 site charmingly situated on an island in the Bay of Kotor. The painted interior is by local artist Tripo Kokolja, and a 15th-century icon of the Madonna and Child is attributed to Lovro Dobričević.

In Perast, we visited the Church of St. Nicholas (images 6–10), completed in 1616 on the site of an earlier 1564 church, with later additions from 1691–1800. The single-nave church was built with Korčula stone, and the 1691 bell tower was designed by Giuseppe Beati and executed by Ivan Škarpa.

The nearby Maritime Museum (images 11–15), housed in the early-18th-century Grgurina Palace, features collections illustrating the region’s maritime culture, including ship models, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, and maps.

Kotor's St. Tryphon Cathedral (images 16–20) was constructed in 1124. Considered the town’s most impressive building, the initial site was Romanesque with a monumental twin-tower façade, but later reconstructions introduced Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements. Medieval fresco fragments and later paintings reflect the cathedral’s long artistic history, and the Treasury displays reliquaries and liturgical objects associated with St. Tryphon.

See our website for a calendar of upcoming programs: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/06/2026

Our second day in Croatia featured expert-led tours of Dubrovnik's Franciscan Monastery, Synagogue, and Archaeological Museum, as well as the Rector's Palace and Sponza Palace.

The Franciscan Monastery (images 1–6), now a museum, was constructed c. 1317 and rebuilt after the 1667 earthquake. The 14th-century cloister is attributed to Mihoje Brajkov of Bar and features 120 columns and 12 massive pilasters. The orginal pharmacy houses extant furniture and 15th- and 16th-century vases from Siena and Florence.

The Dubrovnik Synagogue (images 7–9) was established 1352 and gained legal status c. 1408. A Baroque-style interior was incorporated after the aforementioned earthquake. The site formed part of the Jewish quarter, whose houses were connected by internal passages allowing residents to move between buildings despite restrictions on nighttime movement.

Dubrovnik's c. 1452 Rector’s Palace (images 10–18 ) was designed by Neapolitan architect Onofrio di Giordano della Cava. The building features a combination of Gothic windows and Renaissance arcades with carved capitals and sculptural details of the portico. Collection highlights include Mihajlo Hamzić’s 1508 𝘉𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, a c. 1555 painted ceiling by Pietro di Giovanni, 17th-century Dubrovnik or Italian walnut arm chairs, and the 18th-century 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 by a Creto-Venetian master.

The Archaeological Museum tour was very insightful, and we were spellbound by a fragment of ambo stair rail and a perforated recarved pluteus from the 10th-century (images 19–20).

Sponza Palace, constructed c. 1516–22, was designed by Paskoje Miličević Mihovas. The palace, which served as a customs office, warehouse, mint, armory, and treasury, survived the 1667 earthquake and today houses the Dubrovnik State Archive.

Join us for our next program! Visit our website for a list of upcoming tours: https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/05/2026

Hello from Croatia! The Decorative Arts Trust's first exploration of the Dalmatian Coast is underway, and we are beginning in Dubrovnik. Following Professor Cathie Carmichael's informative introductory lecture, we ventured out on a guided walking tour that featured the Pile Gate, the Stradun, and the city walls.

The city of Dubrovnik was established in the 7th century by refugees from the Roman city of Epidaurum (present-day Cavtat). The Pile Gate was built in 1537 and served as the entrance into the city’s Medieval Old Town. The main street, called the Stradun, was paved in shiny limestone and is now a pedestrian walkway extending from the western Pile Gate to the eastern harbor. Built and expanded over many centuries, the famous stone walls protected the city and remain as one of Dubrovnik’s most recognizable landmarks.

Follow us this week for more scenes from our tours! Interested in joining us? See our Calendar of Events at https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

10/02/2026

October 31 is the application deadline for Dean F. Failey Grants, which are awarded by the Decorative Arts Trust to support exhibitions and object-based conservation projects. See https://decorativeartstrust.org/failey-grant for information on how to apply, and please share!

Among our 2025 recipients was Wyck Historic House & Garden, whose team conserved an 1810–30 writing desk from China (pictured). To learn more about this project, read the article by Grace Ford-Dirks and Cristina Freire, “Understanding Wyck’s Chinese Desk,” published in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 and available at https://decorativeartstrust.org/wyck-chinese-desk-article.

Address

206 West State Street, Suite 300
Media, PA
19063

Telephone

+16106274970

Website

http://www.decorativeartstrust.org/

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