Zlato i srebro Zadra i Nina

The work The Gold and Silver of Zadar and Nin (1972) stands as one of Miroslav Krleža’s most significant written accounts regarding Croatian cultural and artistic heritage. Created as a companion essay for a renowned exhibition of sacred art, the work transcends the boundaries of a conventional art-historical overview to become a profound philosophical and historical meditation. Krleža analyzes rich collections of valuables, reliquaries, chalices, and ecclesiastical vessels dating from the early Middle Ages onwards. Rather than viewing them merely as aesthetic or religious objects, the author recognizes them as enduring symbols of the nation's survival. For Krleža, gold and silver serve as material evidence of a high level of civilization and an authentic artistic expression that evolved at the crossroads of East and West. Special emphasis is placed on Zadar and Nin as pivotal centers of the Croatian medieval state and its spiritual life. Through his distinctive, expressive, and polemical style, Krleža contrasts the artistic prowess of local masters with the centuries-long political pressures and territorial ambitions of foreign powers. The work is a passionate defense of cultural identity and a reminder of the richness that testifies to the continuity of life and creativity along the eastern Adriatic coast.