Esphigmenou charter (detail) Esphigmenou (Svimen) monastery, Mt. Athos, 1429. While most lifetime portraits of Byzantine and Serbian medieval rulers are from fresco wall paintings, charter illuminations (illustrations) are an important exception. This one, written and painted on paper and issued in 1429 at Zica monastery, made Despot Djuradj the new patron of Esphigmenou, and gave the impoverished fraternity a yearly endowment of 50 litres of silver from the Novo Brdo mining taxes. The entire ruling family is represented, with the appropriate attire and accessories. Author: Radmilo Bozinovic rasha@serbianunity.net