ALBANIA Arts and Crafts

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Arts

Art-making in Albania starts in Antiquity. The most famous schools of the time were in Apollonia and Dyrrahium (Durrës). From the Byzantine and post-Byzantine period, iconography made great strides under such great iconographers as Onufri particularly known for his “special red.”

The eighteenth century witnessed further development of iconography under masters such as David Selenicasi, Kostandin Shpataraku, vëllezërit  Zoografë, Johan Cetiri, Onufër Qiprioti etj.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a number of painters and sculptors such as Zef Kolombi, Andrea Kushi, Odise  Paskali, Murat Toptani, Vangjush Mio practiced these figurative arts.
In the modern era, Ibrahim Kodra’s paintings are by far the most well-known. 

Craftsmanship

Albania has an old tradition of craftsmanship. In the Ottoman stands of the 1867 and 1894 international fairs in Paris and Chicago respectively, rifles and handguns produced in Shkod Shkodër, Elbasan and Prizren were shown. Korça, Kukës, Has and Kruja have an extensive tradition in carpet weaving, while pottery is practiced in Kavaja, hand weaving in Zadrima, filigree works, alabaster, silver, bronze etc