Bodin
Queen Natalija Obrenović was born as Natalie Keşco in 1859, in Florence. Her father was a Russian Colonel Peter Keşco, while her mother was Princess Pulcheria of Moldova. She married Prince (later King) Milan in 1875 and they had a son Alexander (1976-1903). She was the Princess of Serbia from 1875 to 1882 and the Queen Serbia from 1882 to 1888. Natalija Obrenović died on the May 5, 1941, in the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris and was buried in the cemetery Lardy near Paris.
The Queen's conduct during the Serbo-Turkish war (1876–78), her selfless help to her subjects and the wounded and the birth of Prince Aleksandar in 1876, won her the affection of the people and she became one of the favourite ruler's consorts in Serbia. She will be remembered as one of the greatest benefactors of Belgrade University.
Портрети краља и краљице насликани су за потребе Српског посланства у Цариграду. Тај податак у својој аутобиграфији наводи аутор, Стеван Тодоровић. Он је тих година насликао неколико портрета краља и краљице решених на сличан начин, што је највероватније повезано с проглашењем Краљевине Србије (1882) и потребом учвршћивања легитимитета династије Обреновић.
За време краља Милана (1854–1901) Србија је стекла независност (1878) и проширење територије за четири округа (Топлички, Нишки, Пиротски, Врањски). Четири године касније проглашена је краљевином. Основана је Народна банка, изграђена железница и донет Устав. Србија се постепено претварала у модерну европску државу.
Mihailo III (1823-69) was the ruler of Serbian twice: 1839–42 and 1860–68. During his exile (1842–59), he travelled throughout Europe, enriched his education and maintained close relations with the Serbian intellectual elite, whom he often supported financially. After his return to Serbia, under the influence of his wife, Princess Julija (Júlia), he strove to foster the development of culture and education. He wished to transform Belgrade into a capital similar to capitals of other European countries.
In this ceremonial portrait, the Prince is shown as an enlightened European monarch, fully dedicated to the Serbian people and the idea of Europeanization. The details of his dress, decorations and arms were carefully chosen with the idea of depicting him as a people's ruler who respected tradition while striving to transform Serbia into a modern European state.
Princess Julija (Júlia) Obrenović (1831–1919) was Prince Mihailo's great love. As a descendant of the Hungarian aristocratic family Hunyady, she belonged to the highest aristocracy in Austria-Hungary. Having moved to Belgrade, the Princess found herself in a different and undeveloped environment. She spent long periods abroad, but when she stayed in Belgrade, she was putting great efforts to make it look like a European capital: she organized balls, concerts and theatrical shows. The Princess was famous for her charity work. However, being a foreigner, she was never fully accepted by the people in Serbia.
The art of glass painting was revived in Vienna with the Biedermeier style and it soon became widespread. The themes were the same as those painted on porcelain: landscapes, flowers, hunting scenes, allegories and portraits (most commonly of the members of the Habsburg dynasty). This practice was also adopted in Serbia. The exhibited pair of cups shows the portraits of Prince Mihailo and Princess Julija (Júlia) Obrenović with their names inscribed in the Old Slavonic language.
Jelisaveta Savka Obrenović (1814–48) was the third child of Prince Miloš and Princess Ljubica. She married Baron Jovan Nikolić of Rudna (Romania) when she was seventeen. They had five sons.
This Biedermeier portrait was painted in Vienna. Savka was depicted in a silk dress and a waistcoat with bell-shaped sleeves (libade) trimmed with fur, also known as škurteljka; this is the only traditional element in her dress. The medallion with a portrait of prince Miloš she is holding in her hand alludes to her ancestors.