Bodin
The cup was made of faceted crystal and decorated with three medallions with various scenes and inscriptions in Russian rendered in enamel and gilding. One of them shows an angel with a wreath in the hand and the inscription "Her Ladyship Princess Ljubica"; the other features Serbia's coat of arms with the inscription "Serbia"; the third shows a two-headed eagle with the text "The Empire established by Nemanja", alluding to the glorious past and the claims of the Serbs to their lands dating back to the Middle Ages and the Nemanjić dynasty.
The inscriptions indicate that the cup was manufactured in Russia as a gift to Princess Ljubica.
Toma Vučić Perišić (1788–1859) was a participant of the First and Second Serbian Uprisings and a prominent figure of the government established by the Defenders of the Constitution (Ustavobranitelji). He was initially a collaborator of Miloš Obrenović, to become one of his most severe opponents. Vučić Perišić played a role in Miloš's abdication and the expulsion from the country of Prince Mihailo and the Obrenović family in 1842.
The portrait dates from the period when Toma Vučić Perišić was one of the most powerful people in Serbia. He is shown in ceremonial and lavish Oriental outfit reflecting his high position of a statesman. Sticking to tradition, he kept on wearing Oriental dress, even though the majority of the bourgeois elite in Serbia adopted European dress styles.
Prince Milan Obrenović (1819–39) came to power after the abdication of his father Miloš on June 13, 1839. He died of tuberculosis twenty-five days later, on July 8, without having the opportunity to sign a single legal document. After the abdication, Miloš had to leave Serbia, whereas Princess Ljubica remained there to take care of their son. Milan died in the Residence of Princess Ljubica in the arms of his mother.
The drawing shows the Prince's deathbed surrounded by numerous relatives and state, military and ecclesiastical officials. A Crucifixion hangs above the deathbed, together with portraits of Prince Miloš and Prince Milan, which allude to the legitimacy of the authority of the Obrenović dynasty.
Soon after the conquest in 1521, Belgrade assumed Turkish features and became an important military and trading centre. A Turkish mint, set up in 1562, operated almost interruptedly until 1687. In addition to silver akçes, the Belgrade mint struck gold coins in the name of Süleyman I (1520–1566) for a brief four-year period, between 1562 and 1566. They are very rare. One of the six specimens known in the world is shown here.
The translation of its Arabic legend reads: Sultan Süleyman son of Selim Han, may his victory be bright, minted at Belgrade in 926 (year of the Hijra era).
The sultan's name and the name of his father, the desire that his victory be bright, as well as the place and date of issue are written in the Arabic script on all Turkish coins.
The earliest coin found in the territory of the town is a tetradrachmum of Athens, issued from 393 B.C. until the end of the 4th century. It belongs to the coins minted in the old style.
The obverse shows the head of Goddess Athena with a classical helmet, in right profile. Behind the head are the crescent and an olive branch, and before it are the letters AQE.
The find is closely associated with the early presence of the Celts, i.e., Scordisci, in the area between the Sava and the Danube and with their contacts with the Hellenic world in the south.