Ethnographic department

The collection fund of the department shows the variety of significant elements of traditional culture of Poreč between the 18th and the 20th century. It was formed after WWII while the collections have been actively made starting from the Sixties and in the beginning of the Seventies. The major merit in forming the collection goes to Dr. Ante Šonje, director of the Museum at the time. The Ethnographic items are divided into seven collections depending on their material.

Curator of the department: Vltava Muk

Bone and leather collection

The collection contains a small number of utensils made by leather treatment (tobacco bags, bagpipes, the distaff leather pieces, shoes or wallets) or bone treatment (snuffboxes, combs, gunpowder horns..). The objects are approximately from the beginning of the 20th century. Some rare ethnographic objects that document how was the daily rural life in Istria and specifically the territory of Poreč might be a precious source for studying craftsmanship and manufactory today.

Wood

This collection contains objects in use in the rural parts of Istria, mainly for everyday needs, in households, agriculture and wine making, farming etc. Those are mainly functional objects with a simple design (tools and utensils) while some of them present very beautiful carvings (walking sticks, some furniture and other smaller personal objects). Those objects were in use from the end of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th. The collection is an important source for researching the ethnographic heritage of Poreč and for learning about the everyday life in the past in Istria and the Poreč territory as well as the old crafts, agriculture and farming.

Stone

The collection of stone made object manufactured and used by local inhabitants in everyday traditional activities (agriculture and farming) as well as in households. The objects in the collection were made and used until the mid-twentieth century. The collection is a source for researching the ethnographic heritage of Poreč, the daily life as well as traditional stone working techniques in the area.

Ceramics

The collection contains diverse ceramic objects. A part is manufactured in Istria and it is characterized by a rough technique that didn't significantly change since the prehistoric era; made by using a pottery wheel and adding quartz sand to the clay without the final glaze. Glazed objects were made outside of Istria, we have found commonly known „kranjice“, pots made in Slovenia or typical „bukalete“, imported from the north of Italy. There are some examples of hand-painted fine ceramics too as well as few porcelain pieces manufactured in European capitals. The items were mainly used in households, for making and preserving food, transport and storage of liquids as well as for personal hygiene. The majority of the objects were made and used from mid-ninetenth century until mid-twentieth century while a smaller part is from previous periods (17th – 18th century). The items in the collection are an important source of information for studying the ethnographic heritage of Poreč and its daily life from the past as well as the equipment of traditional households in the rural areas and pottery making.

Metal

In this collection we can find pieces made and used by the local population for everyday economic activities. There are tools used to produce metallic objects in blacksmith workshops. Many tools and utensils are connected to farming, viticulture and olive cultivation, hunting and other activities. Part of the pieces are linked to the hearth and food making as well as indoor and outdoor lightning. This collection is a valuable source for studying the ethnographic heritage of Poreč and researching the everyday life in this area in the past, the traditional crafts, agriculture and farming. It also contains valuable examples of metal processing in this territory.

Glass

The ethnographic collection of glass objects contains pieces of different shapes and purposes (bottles, carafes, lights). Those are items for everyday use from the Poreč area from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. They were used for storage and transport of liquids as well as for lightning purposes. A smaller number of objects are documenting the life in rural Istria and the Poreč area in the past and could be a source for studying traditional crafts and some forms of manufacture.

Textiles and jewelry

A rich collection that preserves valuable objects of traditional handcrafts from the Poreč territory, specifically related to clothing. We have some preserved male, female and children clothes, various other fabric items (linen, saddlebags) and some examples of yarn and weaft. Stored in the collection there also are fragments of female burgeois clothing items. We preserve some extraordinary examples of female and male traditional jewelry. Those items were mainly used and produced from the 19th until the middle of the 20th century. The collection is a valuable source for studying the ethnographic heritage of Poreč and for researching the clothing culture of the past in rural areas of the Poreč territory and Istria in general. The objects are important for studies about weaving, embroidery, textile decoration as well as goldsmithing techniques.