Jakov Orfelin received his first artistic education from his uncle Zaharije Orfelin, with whom he collaborated on church commissions later. In 1766, he pursued his art studies in Vienna at the Art Academy and took courses at the newly-founded engraving academy directed by Jakob Matthias Schmutzer. One of his earliest work was the iconostasis in Grgeteg Monastery which was in 1902 replaced with the iconostasis done by Uroš Predić. In 1780-1781, he collaborated with Teodor Kračun in the iconostasis painting of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of Sremski Karlovci, considered by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts to be "a summit of Baroque painting in Vojvodina".Also, Orfelin painted the iconostasis in Deliblato, Stapar, Parabuć, Veliki Radinci, Kraljevci, and with Stefan Gavrilović the iconostasis in the village of Jarak. His last work, the iconostasis for the church of Bezdin Monastery, was completed in 1802. Among the portraits, the most important is the portrait of Metropolitan Stefan Stratimirović. Jakov Orfelin also did copper engravings. He did the figures of Nemanjić family and other Serbian rulers for Rajić's history illustrations. The figures of saints painted by Orfelin usually have large heads and stocky bodies. Sometimes he painted in the rococo style, using pinkish colors for the garments of saints, for example in the style of the Passion of Christ in Sremski Karlovci. However, his throne icons are based on Byzantine traditions in painting. For Orfelin it could be said, "that he is the typical representative of the transition period between the baroque and rococo styles."
Works
Iconostases
The iconostasis of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of Sremski Karlovci is his most famous work.
1780: the iconostasis of the church of St. Luke Kupinovo, attributed to Jakov Orfelin ;
1780-1781: the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of Sremski Karlovci, in collaboration with Teodor Kračun ;
1788: the iconostasis of the church of St. Theodore-Tiron of Irig ;
1790: the iconostasis of the Church of the Presentation-of-the-Mother-of-God-in-Temple of Stapar ;
1792: the iconostasis of the Church of St. George Ratkovo ;
1793: the iconostasis of the church Saint-Gabriel of Veliki Radinci ;
1794: the iconostasis of the Church of St. Nicholas of Kraljevci ;
1797: the iconostasis of the Church of St. George of Jarak, in collaboration with Stefan Gavrilović
1802: The iconostasis of the church of Bezdin Monastery near Arad.
Portraits
Portrait of Jovan Haranitović, priest in Kraljevci
Portrait of Marta Tekelija, before 1791, Gallery of the Matica srpska
Other
Jakov Orfelin's representation of Tsar Dušan the Mighty to illustrate Jovan Rajić's "Istorija raznih slovenskih narodov, najpače Bolgar, Horvatov i Serbov", published for the first time in 1768 and in an edition in four volumes in 1794-1795, also served as a direct source of inspiration for those who came after him, for example, Đura Jakšić's painting of the same ruler in 1857.
