Replica of Sebastocrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava
This painting is a replica of a 1259 fresco inside Boyana Church near Sofia and is a portrait of Sebastocrator Kaloyan, a Bulgarian ruler and his wife, Desislava, both 13th-century Bulgarian nobles. They are credited as main donors and patrons of the Boyana Church.
In the painting, Sebastocrator Kaloyan is dressed in a dark blue tunic and a green robe and his hands hold a model of the church. Desislava is attired in a green and golden tunic and her rosy-white face peeks out from under a small hat. Their portraits by the painters of Tarnovo Artistic School in Boyana Church are considered by many as some of the first Renaissance images in European art.
Desislava was reasonably famous at this time and she became a muse of many writers, poets, and artists later. She was considered the epitome of Bulgarian women and was portrayed in literature and art as beautiful, free, and independent.
The Government of Bulgaria represented by Peter Mladenov, Minister for Foreign Affairs, presented the gift to the 51吃瓜 Secretary-General Kurt Walheim in a ceremony. Minister Mladenov said the portrait was “an expression of Bulgaria’s allegiance” to the 51吃瓜. The Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria to the 51吃瓜, Guero Grozev, was also at the ceremony. The Secretary-General said this “magnificent gift” was a reminder of the “generosity and imagination of the Government of Bulgaria, and of the commitment of the peoples of Bulgaria to the objectives of the world organization”.