Painted front boards

Typical bee-house with painted beehives

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Brows down for the gallery of painted front boards !

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	Adam and Eve in Eden Beekeepers who ordered illustrated front boards for their beehives were quite familiar with Biblical story of the creation of the world and the garden of Eden.
	Job on a pale of manure Biblical Job was one of the most frequently depicted patrons. In Slovenia, Job was the protector of beekeepers.
	Pilgrims' Madonna Mary as the universal protector is one of the most frequently depicted saintly personages. The oldest known beehive front board is dated 1758 and depicts the Madonna with Child.
	St. Florian St. Florian is one of the most frequently depicted saints on the front boards. His protection is sought against temporal and eternal fire.
	Homage of the three wise men The homage the three wise men paid to Jesus belongs to the beginning of the Christ cycle. In Slovenia, the feast of the Three Wise Men is celebrated as the "third Christmas".
	Four evangelists The four Evangelists, the writers of Gospels, were depicted by pairs or jointly.
	Good and bad confession Confession, one of the most private human acts, represented on the beehive front board alludes to female propensity for falsehood.
	Pegam and Lambergar The duel between Pegam and Lambergar, one of the oldest secular themes, is also a well known subject matter of folk songs.
	Snail chasing tailors Among the non-rural classes which were ridiculed in the scenes depicted on beehive front boards were often cowardly tailors performing menial work.
	Hunters funeral The theme of hunter's funeral was often depicted in graphic prints.
	Fox shaving hunter The theme of fox shaving the hunter in a very graphic way illustrates the Slovenian proverb "to shave (pull) someone's leg."
	Sawing the hag The custom on the Wednesday before the fast symbolized the end of the unpopular fasting period.
	Bird of death The theme of the bird of death may have been inspired by a copper engraving (dated ca. 1800).
	Congress emperors The scene on the front board was inspired by the Ljubljana congress of 1821.
	Wedding Wedding undoubtedly belongs among the happiest events. The most solemn occasion is the church wedding ceremony.

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