Wall painting (detail) Ravanica monastery, mid-1380s. Surviving portraits from Prince Lazar's lifetime are vary rare - while his coinage often shows his image, very seldom do these appear to be really modeled after him personally. Here, one cannot but wonder whether the musing gaze does not hint of the fateful choices the man was soon to face - choices that were to underlie his later legend. Wall painting (detail) Ljubostinja monastery, 1402. Although completed eleven years after Lazar's death at a time when he was already a canonized martyr, the rendition here (in his widow's main endowment) is one of a living sovereign at his prime, with almost all imperial insignia - characteristic of a state that was still largely independent. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell to what extent is his physical appearance here (e.g. dark, curly hair) accurate and reliable. "Lazar Kefaloforos" wood-carving, ca. 17th c. Later, during the centuries of Turkish rule, the legendary and spiritual aspects of Lazar's sacrifice were given more emphasis in his artistic representations. "Prince Lazar" by Novak Radonjic, oil, mid-19th c. More recently, in a newly liberated Serbia, the images of Lazar were more romanticized, with less fidelity either in his features or details of attire - as seen in this painting by one of the leading artists of 19th c. romanticism in Serbia. Author: Radmilo Bozinovic rasha@serbianunity.net