Croatia, 1995, 0.65 K. x 3. 14. multicoloured

Catalogues:
Michel: 71/73 Zwangszuschagsmarken
Scott: RA64
Stanley Gibbons: 379/381
Yvert et Tellier: 45/47 Bienfaisance

The ceremonial curtain «The Croatian Reformation/ The Reformation of Croatian literature and art/ Celebration of Croatian dramatic art and lyricism» is the work of Vlaho Bukovac, painted for the opening of the new theatre building in 1895. Stjepan Miletić, the first Manager of the Croatian National Theatre initiated the creation of such a curtain, which would in its theme unite the two most important Croatian cultural centres, Dubrovnik and Zagreb and demonstrate their cultural unity and heritage. The painting shows important persons from the socio-political and cultural life of Croatia in the 19^th c. who pay homage to Ivan Gundulić, the greatest Croatian renaissance poet. The curtain painted by Bukovac very soon became a certain cultural symbol of the idea of Croatian unity. After being used for 100 years, it was replaced by a copy in 1999 that was painted by academic painters Ivica Šiško and Eugen Kokot and their assistants.

Plots: Demeter Dimitrija,  Gaj Ljudevit,  Gundulić Ivan,  Kukuljević-Sakcinski Ivan,  Mažuranić Ivan