Land of the Winged Horsemen:
Art in Poland, 1572 - 1764The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland
NOTE: Asterisks indicate pauses in narration - one beat per pause.
INTRODUCTION
GARY VIKAN:
I am Gary Vikan, Director of the Walters Art Gallery, and I welcome you to this unprecedented exhibition of national treasures from Poland. I am especially pleased to introduce Senator Barbara Mikulski.
BARBARA MIKULSKI
Thank you, Gary. I am Barbara Mikulski and I would also like to welcome you to this exhibition, Land of the Winged Horsemen. Poland is a very old friend of the United States and a land that is the ancestral home of many American citizens. The ties between the two nations go back to the time of America's Revolutionary War, and the nations have long shared the ideals of democracy and freedom. With Poland's entry into NATO in April of this year, it becomes once more a formal ally of our country.
We hope that this exhibition will help you to become reacquainted with this extraordinary nation and give you a better understanding of its people, its culture and its contributions to the democratic principles we all cherish.
GARY VIKAN:
Thank you Barbara. I am delighted that our guest narrator for this tour will be the acclaimed actress Christine Baranski, winner of two Tony awards.
CHRISTINE BARANSKI:
Hello, I am Christine Baranski, and I will be your guide for this exhibition. The music you will hear throughout this tour will be by either Polish composers or composed specifically for a Polish event commemorated in these works of art.
Go through the doorway into the first gallery. Turn right and go to the map on the wall. This will be our first stop. * * In this exhibition we are going back to the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries - a time when Poland was the largest nation in Europe. We are going to visit a nation that had the most diverse population of any European country, yet it not only practiced, but legislated religious tolerance. It was a nation that vigorously resisted the idea of an absolute monarch, and enjoyed a greater degree of democracy than any other country in Europe.
STOP #1
Map
015 - Tapestry
NARRATOR:
You should be standing where you can see the map on the wall. * * In 1569 Poland became united with Lithuania in a republic that bore the title: The Most Serene Republic of the Two Nations. The Republic encompassed modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia and most of Ukraine. It also extended into what is now Estonia, Russia, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. It was the eastern frontier of Europe. * To the southeast lay the Ottoman Empire of the Moslem Turks. Christian Europe feared a Turkish attack and regarded Poland as the Bulwark of Christendom, Defender of the Faith. * Poland would ultimately fulfill its role and defeat the Turks, thus assuring Europe's security. And, paradoxically, Poland would, at the same time, eagerly embrace many aspects of Turkish art and culture.
Turn to the left and walk over to the large tapestry hanging on the adjacent wall. * * This magnificent tapestry symbolizes the union of Poland and Lithuania. In the center, a winged female stands between two oval frames. * On the left is the eagle of Poland, bearing a crown and the initials, S A, for Sigismund Augustus, the Polish monarch, for whom this tapestry was woven in Brussels. * In the frame on the right we see an armed horseman in profile. This is the symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. * The winged figure in the center is the goddess Victory, and she holds a broken spear and a laurel wreath, the emblems of peace. * At her feet lay discarded weapons that signify peace and victory for the union of the two nations.
STOP #2
0?? - Portrait of Constance Hapsburg
001 - Stockholm Roll (5 paintings)
NARRATOR:
Now turn to the left. On the wall ahead is a large portrait of a woman in a green dress. Walk over to it. * * * She is Constance Hapsburg, of the powerful Hapsburg family that ruled Austria. In 1605, she married the Polish king, Sigismund the Third. Notice how the artist, Joseph Heintz, has skillfully rendered the luxurious fabric of her dress.
Constance's marriage to Sigismund III was a major international event that was commemorated in the paintings you see displayed on the wall to the right of this portrait. * * Let's go a little closer. * * * (insert SFX at this point) These paintings, once joined together in a long panorama known as the Stockholm Roll, transport us back to the early seventeenth century. It was 1605. In England, Shakespeare had just begun to write for the Globe Theater, and King James was on the throne. In the American Colonies, the settlement of Jamestown would be established only two years later.
Here in Krakow, Poland, we see a wedding procession being conducted with all the pageantry and spectacle that have traditionally been a prominent part of Polish culture. * Many of the horsemen appear to have wings on their backs. These are the Polish cavalrymen known as the Winged Hussars, and the artist has depicted them with great liveliness and detail. * They carry their legendary twenty-foot lances with silk pennants at the tips. Following Polish custom for ceremonial occasions, their horses are dyed different colors. * *
Sigismund Augustus, the bridegroom, rides behind an escort of pages. * He wears a red costume embroidered with gold, pearls, and jewels. * The ornate black coach bears his bride, Constance, wearing a pale gown, with a high ruff at her neck.
When Constance's wedding journey reached its destination at the royal court in Warsaw, she found herself entering a very different world from the one she had known. In Poland she would become acutely aware that the king's power was tightly controlled by the nobles, whose watchword was the expression "Golden Freedom". She would also discover another way in which Poland was significantly different. The rest of Europe was in the throes of widespread religious persecution and the Inquisition was spreading terror wherever it reached. But in Poland, it was decreed by law that no one could be persecuted for their religious beliefs, and for this reason Poland was a haven for religious refugees from all over Europe.
Professor Norman Davies, an authority on Polish history, explains:
NORMAN DAVIES:
Poland was much more tolerant in the sense of practical toleration than any of the other countries. Which is, of course, the reason why it became a haven for persecuted minorities. Large numbers of Scots, for example, escaped from Scotland, from persecution by the Puritans. Large numbers of English in the time of Queen Elizabeth went to Poland to escape the persecution there. And, of course, the reason why Poland became the largest refuge for European Jewry is exactly because they had extremely favorable conditions protected by charters and by laws. It was a very rich kaleidoscope of religions which, generally speaking, managed to live in relative harmony with each other.
NARRATOR:
Before you leave this gallery, you may want to turn off your player and examine some of the other works of art displayed here.
The giant silvered and gilded eagle hanging above these paintings was originally in the Church of St. Mary's in Krakow. Its wings and legs are hinged and can be moved to different positions. It is said to have had a hidden mechanism that enabled assistants to make it react at appropriate moments in the service.
In the middle of this gallery you'll find an exquisite agate cup that features the eagle of Poland and the horseman of Lithuania. It was worked in gold and enamel by the master goldsmith Johann Dinglinger, in Dresden.
When you are ready to resume your tour, meet me at the entrance to the next gallery and turn your player back on. * * * *
STOP #3
002 - Portrait of Prince Ladislas Vasa
003 - Painting of Prince Ladislas' Art Room
NARRATOR:
Go through the doorway into the next gallery. * * Turn to the right and go to the portrait of a man in a black hat.
This is King Ladislas the Fourth, son of Sigismund the Third, the bridegroom we met in the last gallery. Ladislas was his son by a previous marriage. This portrait was painted when Ladislas was 29 years old and still a prince. * * Because Poland's monarch was elected by the nobility, known as the szlachta, Sigismund could not be certain that his son would succeed him. To improve his son's chances, Sigismund decided it would be advantageous if his son were better known in the European courts and could count on their support. And so, in 1624, Ladislas set out for a visit to Austria, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. In Antwerp he sat for this portrait painted in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens. Notice the lush textures of the fabric and the contrast of the glinting metalwork.
Only eight years later Ladislas was indeed elected king of Poland. He would prove to be an enthusiastic lover of the arts, painting, theater, opera, and music. He was a patron of the composer Jarzebski, whose music you have just heard and will hear again in a moment. Ladislas was also a staunch upholder of Poland's act of religious freedom. The only significant persecutions in Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries were the result of the witchcraft hysteria that swept not only Europe, but the American colonies, as well.
The legacy of Ladislas' European tour lived on in his art collection, which is depicted in a painting you see to the right. Prince Ladislaw's Art Room displays some of the works of art he acquired during his two years abroad. The works are accurately portrayed and enable us to identify them. In some instances we know their whereabouts today. For example, the painting in the upper left corner is David Vinckboons' Scuffle in Front of a Tavern which now hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Now turn around and walk across the gallery. * The large group portrait on the opposite wall is our next stop. * * *
STOP #4
006 - Portrait of John Sobieski
014 - Statue of John Sobieski
019 - Table
024 - Book Binding
NARRATOR:
King John Sobieski, who is depicted in this painting within a painting, was one of the greatest military leaders in Poland's history. He commanded the army that defeated the Turks in the critically important Battle of Vienna. Sobieski was also the epitome of the Polish nobleman. He inherited vast estates in what is today Ukraine and he was fascinated by both western and eastern cultures. His wife, dressed here in the fashions of Western Europe, was French. He remained devoted to her throughout his life, writing passionate letters to her every day, and many of these have survived. Sobieski was also a patron of the arts, and was fluent in French and Italian. He took great pleasure in the Italian design of his exquisite palace, Wilanow, outside of Warsaw.
Sobieski was intrigued by the world to the east of Poland's borders, and he was even fluent in the Turkish language. Like most Polish noblemen, Sobieski embraced the philosophy of Sarmatism, the idea that the Polish nobility was descended from an ancient eastern people, the Sarmatians. One expression of the ideals of Sarmatism is Poland's national costume which Sobieski's two sons are wearing here. The long garments are ultimately inspired from eastern sources.
Sarmatism was a compelling ideal to a Polish nobleman. Adam Zamoyski, a well known historian of Polish culture, comments:
ADAM ZAMOYSKI:
Sarmatism was . . . a myth, a nice myth. Every people likes to have a myth that it is a chosen people. . . That it is descended from a very noble race. And the Sarmatians were thought to have been wonderful, noble warriors. And, of course, the other thing was that there were none of them around so you couldn't fault them. Sarmatism was. . .also a rather interesting way . . . of turning the chivalrous myth of feudalism . . . into a slightly more modern and slightly, if you like, sexier warrior myth. One that was a bit more glamorous in baroque terms with all the exotic eastern connotations.
NARRATOR:
On either side of this painting you will see objects associated with King John Sobieski - a table with silver decorations and a statue of carved wood. Behind you in the center case is a beautiful book binding that belonged to Sobieski. Feel free to turn off your player and study these objects as long as you like.
When you are ready to resume the tour, continue along this gallery to the case with the crown, scepter and orb. I will join you there. * * *
STOP #5
01a-c - Crown, Orb and Scepter
008 - Portrait of Augustus III
017 - Baldachin
018 - Throne
121 - Order of the White Eagle
NARRATOR:
You should be standing in front of a case containing a crown, orb, and sceptre. * They were made in Dresden in 1733 for the coronation of Augustus the Third. Today the insignia have glass stones to replace the precious ones that were used during the cornonation ceremony. * Augustus succeeded his father upon the throne of Poland while also serving as a Saxon prince. During his reign, the Dresden court in Saxony was unsurpassed in Europe in its splendor.
The coronation took place in Kracow cathedral, and the crowned king was enthroned beneath the cornonation canopy or baldachin that you see on the platform across from this case. * * Ever since the coronation this baldachin has continued to be in use in Kracow cathedral where it identifies the bishop's seat. The red velvet is trimmed with ornamental gold braid arranged in geometric patterns.
The beautiful gilded throne beneath the baldachin was made in 1764 for the coronation of Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski, Poland's last elected king.
Walk over to the large portrait to the right of the throne. * * * Here is Augustus the Third, standing proudly beside the crown, orb, and sceptre that you have just seen. He wears Poland's national costume. The long-sleeved garment is called a zhupan. * The red garment worn over it is known as the kontush. The long sleeves are cut with an open seam so the wearer can bring his arms out of the sleeve and let it frame the arm or fall back behind the shoulder. * This also allowed greater freedom of the arm when wielding a sword. * * Around his waist is an embroidered sash, and his ermine-lined coronation mantle lies on the chair beside him.
The medal he wears suspended on a blue moire silk sash is the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest decoration. You can see an example of this medal in the case beside the portrait. Let's walk over to it and take a closer look. * * The Order of the White Eagle was awarded to individuals who had performed outstanding service to the king. The Order was of particular significance because, until Augustus the Second officially instituted it, Poland did not have a tradition of granting awards of distinction. The Polish nobility, the szlachta, disdained titles and decorations because they believed in equality among themselves. Even the poorest member of the nobility could address the wealthiest nobleman as his brother.
If you'd like to spend more time looking at these objects, please turn off your player. When you are ready to resume the tour, meet me between the two portraits on the opposite wall and turn your player back on.
STOP #6
012 - Crown Prince Fredrick Christian
011 - The Crown Prince's Arrival at Venice
NARRATOR:
The young man on the left is crown prince Fredrick Christian. Soon after his coronation, Augustus the Third sent the young crown prince to accompany his sister to Italy, where she was to marry the king of Sicily. It was a long trip for the prince who had been crippled, probably by polio, when he was a child. In fact, one of the reasons for the trip was so that the prince could visit the island of Ischia and undergo treatment for his lameness in the famous mineral baths.
After this, he visited Rome, where this portrait was painted by the artist Pierre Subleyras. He memorialized the visit by placing the Roman monuments, Castel Sant Angelo and St. Peter's Basilica, in the background. We see Frederick Christian looking very proud, but also stiffly uncertain.
A striking contrast to the elegant formality of the portrait is offered by the painting to the right which commemorates the Prince's arrival on the Venetian frontier. * * The artist has realistically shown the crippled prince with his walking stick, aided by two assistants as he greets his Venetian host.
During his stay in Venice, the prince made the acquaintance of Antonio Vivaldi, who composed a concert in honor of the occasion. The music accompanying this stop comes from that same compositon, Vivaldi's Concert for the Prince of Poland. * * *
Feel free to turn off your player and explore the other works in this gallery. When you are ready to resume the tour, go through the passageway next to the platform with the throne and canopy. Meet me in front of the large tent to the right of the entry, and turn your player back on.
STOP #7
052 - Tent
056 & 057 - Karacena Armor
053 - Winged Plate Armor
NARRATOR:
You should be standing in front of a large tent. * * This tent is possibly a war trophy and was made in Turkey toward the end of the 17th century. It is constructed of linen, satin and leather, decorated in the ornate Turkish style with flattened arches dividing each wall into five sections. * * Two of these sections are provided with windows covered with rope netting and storm flaps.
Poland has had a glorious military history, as well as a military tradition of extraordinary pomp and splendor. The warrior ethic, prowess in battle and on horseback, was an important part of every nobleman's ideal. And because the greatest threat in the seventeenth century came from the Moslem Turks, a Polish nobleman saw himself not only as the protector of Europe, but also as the Defender of Christianity.
Norman Davies comments:
NORMAN DAVIES:
The Polish belief in themselves as the bulwark of Christendom goes way back until the Middle Ages. It derives from Poland's exposed position in the East. Poland was invaded by the Mongols in the 13th century. Later, the Tartars came in riding very much as the Cherokee and the Sioux in the United States. I often think that the American frontier, which was in the west, the wild west, was very much like the wild east of Poland the early modern period.
NARRATOR:
Like the American west, Poland's eastern frontier was a land of vast expanses, diverse peoples, and untamed lawlessness. Clashes with the Turks exposed the Poles to cultures that were both unfamiliar and exotically appealing. Indeed, they became fascinated by the lifestyle of their Turkish enemies.
Nothing epitomizes the glamour of Turkish culture to the Poles more than the Turkish tent. The Turks used these tents on the battlefield, and victorious Polish commanders eagerly claimed them as booty or welcomed them as diplomatic gifts. The Poles used these tents in their own battle camps, as well as for festive entertaining.
On either side of the tent are examples of armor worn by the Hussar cavalry. * * On the left, you see the winged plate armor that won the Polish cavalry the name "Winged Horsemen", and it has no parallel in the armor of any other European army. * Wings such as these, made of wood, fabric, and, ideally, eagle feathers, were mounted either to the backplate of the armor or to the hussar's saddle. * * Contemporary accounts mention the awe-inspiring sound of the wind roaring through thousands of pairs of these wings as the Polish cavalry galloped into battle. * Hussars would drape a tiger or leopard skin over their shoulders to enhance their ferocious appearance and to frighten the enemy's horses.
The armor on the right is the type called Karacena armor. It is patterned after ancient Sarmatian armor and is constructed of small iron plates or scales riveted to leather.
STOP #8
05 - Battle of Vienna
NARRATOR:
On the wall to the left of the tent, you will see a large painting of the Battle of Vienna. * Let's go a little closer. * * * The Battle of Vienna was one of the most important in the history of Europe. In July of 1683, an army of 200,000 Turks lay siege to Vienna. The fortress was strong and well defended, but two months later the supplies of food and munitions were nearly exhausted. Vienna could survive for only a few more days. And then, when all seemed hopeless, the cavalry came to the rescue - the Polish cavalry, led by John Sobieski, Poland's warrior king. In a scene worthy of an epic motion picture, Sobieski led 20,000 of his Hussars in a charge straight into the center of the Turkish camp. The Turks were stunned by the audacity of his attack, and, after a brief but futile resistance, they broke and ran, leaving behind a fortune in gold, jewels, and equipment. The charge was so sudden and effective that the Grand Vizier, the leader of the Turkish forces, barely had time to leap to his horse and escape with nothing more than the clothes he wore.
In the foreground of the painting, you see the Turkish encampment. * * To the right of the large red and gold tent, Jan Sobieski leads the charge astride a rearing white horse. * * In the distance on the left, Austrian forces stream down from the Vienna woods.
So complete was the rout and so bountiful the spoils acquired by the Poles that contemporary accounts speak with wonder of the riches they captured.
CHARACTER VOICE #1 (SPOKEN WITH AWE AND AMAZEMENT) :
The tents of the vizier were as spacious as the whole of walled Warsaw. These treasures were now the possession of our king. So secret were the little chambers in those tents that only on the third day did they find one of the vizier's concubines hidden there.
NARRATOR:
The day after the battle, John Sobieski wrote to his wife of the splendors of the Turkish encampment:
CHARACTER VOICE #2 (John Sobieski - DIGNIFIED, COMMANDING, IN HIS FIFTIES)
The sole joy of my heart and soul, my charming and most beloved Mariette - It is impossible to describe in detail all the refinements of luxury that the Vizier had gathered at his tents. There were baths, a small garden and fountains, rabbits, cats, even a parrot, but as it was flying about, our men could not catch it.
STOP #9
070, 071, 072 - Horse Trappings
NARRATOR:
The Polish troops also captured great quantities of saddles, bridles, and saddle cloths. To the left, you will see a horse mannequin with a saddle and trappings that show the degree to which the Poles eagerly embraced Turkish objects and Turkish designs. Walk over to it. * * The saddle cloth is Turkish and is made of silk and velvet embroidered with elegant plant motifs. * * The saddle is patterned after Turkish models and borrows Turkish and Persian stylized decorative ornament. * The bridle is also inspired by Turkish prototypes. * It is fitted with decorations of gilded silver, with coral set in rosette-shaped mounts.
The Poles had a long established tradition of skillful horsebreeding, and by crossing Arabian horses with native stock, they bred horses of extraordinary speed and endurance, capable of traveling sixty miles a day, day after day.
Now turn around and walk across the gallery to the display of swords and armor. Go to the case to the left of the platform.
STOP #10
065 - Sabre
066 - Karabela
067 - Estoc
NARRATOR:
A hussar was never without his saber. In war and in peace it hung from his waist. The sabers (064 & 066) in this case are called karabela sabers, and they evolved from the blades of the Ottoman Turks. * * The Poles further refined the saber's length, weight, and curvature so that there was a high ratio of cutting power to effort expended. The result is considered one of the greatest achievements ever in the development of edged weapons.
In the center case on the platform, you will see an unusual weapon with a straight blade. * * It is called an estoc, and its long, narrow blade was designed for piercing padded leather and light metal armor. * The large, round pommel provided weight to balance the blade and add momentum to the thrust. This is a very special estoc - it belonged to King John Sobieski himself, and is lavishly decorated with emeralds and jasper. The estoc is another example of the orientalizing of Polish military equipment. The pommel, the ornamentation, and the lavish use of precious and semi-precious stones are borrowed from eastern prototypes.
The hussar saber in the case to the right of the platform (064) is elegantly appointed with a gold monogram and shagreen covered grips trimmed with gold and set with diamonds. * * Shagreen is made from shark skin and was a favored material because its textured surface offered a secure grip in the heat of battle. The scabbard is also covered in matching black shagreen. The karabela (066) in the other case features a hilt made of chalcedony, a semi-precious stone, inlaid with gold geometrical designs.
If you would like to spend some time looking at the objects in this area, turn off your player. When you are ready to resume your tour, meet me in front of the large portrait of a man in red robes on the wall behind you.
STOP #11
050 - Portrait of Stefan Czarniecki
061 - Bulawa
062 - Buzdygan
049 - Portrait of Wincenty Aleksander Gosiewski
NARRATOR:
You should be standing in front of a large portrait of a man wearing red robes. * * Stefan Czarniecki was one of the most outstanding military commanders in Polish history. In his illustrious career he led his Hussars in campaigns against the Swedes, the Russians, and the Cossacks and the Tatars in Ukraine.
Czarniecki cuts a dramatic figure of power and affluence in his red fur-lined velvet robe, called a ferezja. The textures of the velvet and of the gold-trimmed decoration have been skillfully captured by the painter. * * Following Polish custom, his head is partially shaved and he wears a bushy mustache and beard. * His boots are costly red Moroccan leather. In the background you can see the silhouette of horsemen riding across the sweeping Polish landscape.
Czarniecki holds the symbol of his military authority, the bulawa, or mace. A similar mace is in the case to the right. * * Walk over to it. * * In the Middle Ages the bulawa was a fighting weapon. By the seventeenth century it had become an ornately decorated ceremonial object, a symbol of the highest military rank, that of hetman, or commander. This example is studded with semi-precious stones.
The other mace in the case is a buzdygan. It also originated as a weapon, and evolved into a symbolic ceremonial object. The buzdygan indicated the rank equivalent to that of colonel, and this particular example is studded with rubies.
Another important Polish weapon can ve seen in the fine painting to the left of the case. It is a short spear used for hand-to-hand combat on horseback. * * This portrait of the outstanding military leader, Wincenty Aleksander Gosiewski by Daniel Schultz the Younger, depicts him as he would have appeared on the battlefield. He wears a mail shirt, with a shield in the Turkish style, and carrys the short spear. Note his shaved forehead which was the fashion with noblemen of the time.
Gosiewski was educated in Vilnius, Lithuania, and began his career there where he eventually rose to the position of Field Hetman. He was also a poet and a translator of French literature.
Feel free to turn off your player and spend as much time as you wish examining the objects in this gallery. When you are ready to resume your tour, meet me by the doorway into the loggia gallery.
STOP #12
026 - The Procession of Jerszy Ossolinski into Rome
NARRATOR:
You should be standing by the doorway to the Loggia gallery. * * Go through the doorway and turn to the left. * * * Stop in front of the large panoramic painting. *
In this gallery we will explore the lavish and exotic lifestyle of the wealthiest of Poland's nobility. These families, numbering perhaps fifteen in all, were known as Magnates, and their wealth and affluence were such that they lived as well or better than their king. Their estates encompassed hundreds of villages and their private armies were often larger than that of the king.
This painting depicts the procession of a diplomatic mission to the Pope in Rome, led by Jerzy Ossolinski in 1633. Polish diplomatic missions were well known throughout Europe for their theatricality and extravagance, and on this one Ossolinski brought 300 richly dressed and bejewelled noblemen. The horses were shod with golden horseshoes attached by a single nail so that they would fall off as souvenirs for the spectators.
The painting is based on eyewitness accounts, and the artist has rendered the scene in precise detail. The colorful procession makes its way toward the dome of St. Peter's, seen in the upper left of the painting. * Each group of participants is identified with a letter of the alphabet. * In the right foreground at the letter "P", Jerzy Ossolinski can be seen wearing cloth-of-gold and riding a horse adorned with golden trappings.
STOP #13
025 - Portrait of Stanislas Tecsynski
NARRATOR:
To the right of this painting on the end wall you see the portrait of Stanislas Teczynski, painted by an important Venetian artist, Tommaso Dolabella. * * Lets go over and take a closer look. * * The young man wears a white fur-lined coat over a long sleeved white zhupan. and his karabela sabre hangs at his side. * * The table beside him is covered with a carpet from Iran, a reference to the Polish nobility's enthusiasm for oriental objects.
As a member of an extremely wealthy family, Stefan Teczynski lived a life of feasting, processions, travel, and dancing. An especially favorite pastime was hunting, whether it be stag, pheasant, bison and boar. Indeed, Stefan would die at the age of 23 from a wound received during a boar hunt, and with his death, the male line of his family came to an end.
Adam Zamoyski tells us more about the magnate lifestyle.
ADAM ZAMOYSKI:
The most important thing was to have a large palace and a huge space within which this hoard of people could operate. But also various things had to be devised for them to do. So there was obviously a court, an army - and this drilled and fought mock battles and paraded and did all the things that armies do. Partly to keep these people occupied, but also to show off the power.
NARRATOR:
Now turn right and continue along this gallery until you come to a large case with clothing displayed in it. That will be our next stop. * * * *
STOP #14
039-043 - Sashes
045, 046 - Chairs
047 - Inlaid Cabinet
119 - Spoon
111 - Clock
110 - Tankard
NARRATOR:
The Magnates expended much of their wealth on clothing, jewelry and moveable property, such as the garments, furnishings and objects in this display. The national costume consisting of the zhupan and kontush was always worn with an elaborately embroidered silk sash that was also a symbol of the wearer's social status. * * In keeping with the Sarmatian blend of east and west, the designs were inspired by Turkish and Persian fabrics as well as by French textiles, and they were made by French and Armenian craftsmen living in Poland.
The chairs at either end of this case were made in Gdansk, the most important port of Poland then and now. * * Gdnask was also noted for its workshops that turned out elaborate carved furniture made of Baltic oak. * The furniture was in demand not only in Poland but in western European capitals as well. Also in this case you will see an exquisite inlaid cabinet and an example of a silver spoon that every Polish nobleman carried in his boot as a portable symbol of wealth and privledge.
Take as much time as you would like to look at the other objects in this case, as well as the objects farther along the gallery before we continue our tour. Be sure to look at the intricately worked clock that records sunrise and sunset. This clock is a reminder that in the early sixteenth century the Polish astronomer Copernicus discovered that the earth revolves around the sun.
Around the next corner you will see a large painting of an outdoor gathering. This will be our next stop. Turn your player off now and turn it back on when you reach the painting. * * * *
STOP #15
007 - Painting of the Electoral Seym
120a - Millers' Cup
NARRATOR:
The painting before you depicts one of the most remarkable aspects of Polish culture. Seen here is a meeting of the Parliament, called the Seym. It convened in 1697 upon the death of King John Sobieski to elect the next monarch. The result of this election was the elevation of Fredrick Augustus, a prince of Saxony, to the Polish throne.
The building on the left is one of the many temporary structures that were set up, along with tents, to accommodate the feasts and entertainments that marked this enormous gathering and momentous occasion. In the background of the painting you can see a panoramic view of Warsaw.
All of the szlachta, the nobility, had the right to vote for their monarch. This right was highly unusual. In other European countries, the king's position was hereditary and absolute.
But in Poland, resistance to central authority and to bureaucratic control were so deeply entrenched that an expression existed among the nobility that has lived on in Poland into modern times: "Nic o nas bez nas" : Nothing concerning us without us. The szlachta believed that their role of warriors, as defenders of their country in battle, made them answerable to no authority beyond their own consciences.
The Seym was a key component of one of the earliest forms of democracy, and out of it came the first Constitution in Europe, approved in 1791, only four years after the United States ratified its Constitution. A young nobleman, Jan Pasek, described with breathless enthusiasm the powerful experience of participating in the Seym:
CHARACTER VOICE #3: (YOUNG MAN):
To everyone I'll say this: all the public meetings in the world are but a shadow in contrast to the Seym. You'll learn manners, you'll learn the law, you'll learn that which in school, as I live and breathe, you were never taught; I wish everyone might do what I did.
NARRATOR:
Beside the painting is a tall silver vessel that was made in Gdansk, the port that exported Poland's valuable harvests of grain. * * It was called a welcome cup and was used for drinking ceremonial toasts during the feast that celebrated the entry of a new master craftsman into the guild of the milllers. * Commemorative plaques engraved with the names of the donors hang from its edge.
Feel free to turn off your player and examine the objects from the cities of Krakow, Zamosc and Gdansk which are exhibited here. When you are ready to resume the tour, continue along this gallery past the doorway. Go past the case with the silver service, and stop in front of the painting of a man wearing a turban.
STOP #16
029 - Painting of a Coffee Drinking Scene
118 - Coffee Service
116 - Reptile Vessel
117 - Dipper
NARRATOR:
Before you is a painting of a coffee drinking scene and beside it is a lavish coffee set. * * After King John Sobieski's forces captured an immense supply of coffee from the Turks in the Battle of Vienna, the custom of coffee drinking quickly caught on throughout Poland. The painting illustrates the practice at the court of King Augustus the Second.
The coffee service displayed beside the painting reflects Poland's international tastes. The service was made by Armenian metal workers who were active in Lvov, which is today in Ukraine. The artist patterned the set after Turkish designs, but based the oval sugar box on a western European model.
The case to the right of the painting contains more objects that represent Poland's cross-cultural influences, as well as the lavish tastes of the Magnates. * * Notice the unusual vessel in the form of a reptile. * * Beside it is a vessel inset with coins. It is based on the traditional design of the Russian kvosh, or wine dipper, but executed in a western style. * * This vessel was made as a wedding gift for a member of the Radziwill family. The Radziwills were of Lithuanian ancestry, but their wealth and power extended well into Poland.
Now we will continue around the corner into the next hall. * * Go to the center of the gallery. Our next stop is the large portrait of a woman in a blue gown.
STOP #17
029 - Portrait of Anna Orzelska
130-137 - Glass
125, 127 - Porcelains
NARRATOR:
The striking woman in this painting is Anna Orzelska, who starred in her own real-life Cinderella story. She is portrayed with lively realism in a magnificent gown with a revealing neckline. Her head is turned slightly as she smiles enigmatically, her eyebrows slightly arched.
Anna was the illegitimate daughter of Augustus the Second and the daughter of a Warsaw wine merchant. It is uncertain whether Anna was aware of her lineage or had been forgotten, deliberately or by chance, but, whatever the reason, her early life remains a mystery. She was discovered around 1724 by her half-brother. Her father, Augustus, officially recognized her as his daughter, granted her the title of countess, settled money upon her, and gave her a palace in Warsaw that was known as the Blue Palace.
She married a prince and bore him a child, but she was too free-spirited for domestic life and divorced him three years later. She continued to maintain her Blue Palace, but spent most of her time in Italy and France, enjoying the diversions her new life afforded her.
Unlike most of Europe, Polish law gave women the same rights of property and inheritance as men. Their independent means enabled many noblewomen to be significant patrons of the arts. Anna Radzwill, for example, provided the funds to establish two glass factories, and the case on the left contains examples of glassware from those workshops.
You may wish to examine this glassware in detail, as well as the porcelains in the cases on either side of Anna Orzelska's portrait. The porcelain was made in the famous Meissen factory near Dresden. The figurines that depict Polish noblemen and noblewomen in Sarmatian costume were used as table decorations for court feasts. The white porcelain belongs to the Swan Service, the most famous High Baroque design from the Meissen workshops, made between 1737 and 1741. The service is widely admired for its subtle relief and the fine modeling of the high relief elements.
If you would like to enjoy these objects a little longer, turn off your player and turn it back on when you are ready to resume the tour. * * *
Now continue to the end of this gallery. Our next stop will be the case on the end wall containing three small paintings.
STOP #18
099, 100, 102 - Coffin Portraits
032 - Devotional Sculpture
NARRATOR:
You should be standing in front of a case containing three portraits. These are a specifically Polish art form. They are known as coffin portraits and were painted on copper, tin or lead plate. They were attached to the end of a coffin where they would be easily seen by those attending the funeral services. After the service they were usually hung in the church.
The portrait of the elegant woman with a pensive expression is identified by an inscription on the back as Barbara Domicella Grudzinska. In this delicate and sensitive rendering, Barbara wears a fur cap with a jewel above her forehead. Beneath the cap her hair is covered with black lace that is ornamented with two butterfly-shaped clasps. She also wears elaborate earrings and two jewelled necklaces.
In the larger coffin portrait beside her, the portrait of the deceased is surrounded by eight plates that bear the coats of arms of his ancestors. The third portrait is exceptional for its unusual and highly decorative silver frame.
You may want to turn off your player and read the text panel to the right of these portraits that discusses the religions of Poland, the subject of the next gallery.
STOP #19A
073 - Our Lady of Czestochowa
077 - Johan Pinsel Crucifixion
109-111 - Judaica
104-106 - Uniate Objects
NARRATOR:
Go through the doorway and turn left. * * * Stop anywhere in the middle of the gallery. * * * From this vantage point we can see nearly all the works in this small gallery.
Religious freedom was one of the basic foundations of Polish culture. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Moslems co-existed in relative harmony with each other.
On the wall above the altar you'll see a painting with a brilliant gilded silver cover. * * * It depicts Mary and the infant Jesus and is known as Our Lady of Czestochowa. This painting was copied in the seventeenth century from the original image which is still in the monastery of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa. In 1655 a Swedish invasion was turned aside miraculously from this monastery and since that time Our Lady of Czestochowa has continued to be closely identified with Poland's well-being and sovereignty.
Notice the diagonal lines on Mary's cheek. In the 15th Century, robbers attempted to steal the image but found it too heavy to lift. In anger they slashed her face, which, according to tradition, proceeded to shed blood. Since then, all of the copies have reproduced these slashes.
The painting is enshrined in a cover of silver, set with semi-precious stones. Portions of the surface have been gilded and the hands, also in relief, are painted in lifelike colors.
To the left of this painting is a superb crucifixion by Johann Pinsel, one of the foremost sculptors of the admired Baroque school in Lvov. Christ's twisted form and anguished expression are characteristic of this style.
While only half the population of Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries was Catholic, that half encompassed most of the nobility. Thirty percent of the population were Uniate Christians who recognized the Pope, but retained the Orthodox liturgy. The Russian Orthodox and the Jewish faiths each accounted for about seven percent. Four per cent were Protestants, mainly German Lutherans, and the remaining two percent was divided among Moslems and Armenians.
On the wall to the right of the Madonna, you will see a number of objects of Judaica. The Jewish community in Poland operated under its own self-administered laws and was largely concentrated in what is today eastern Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine, where they administered the large estates of the magnates and functioned as merchants and traders. When you view the works of Judaica, pay particular attention to the beautifully embroidered textiles which have survived in unusually fine condition.
If you would like to spend some time studying these objects of devotion, turn off your player. When you are ready to resume the tour, go to the large funerary monument behind you and turn your player back on. It will be our last stop.
STOP #19B
104, 105, 106 - Castrum Doloris
NARRATOR:
You should be standing by a reconstruction of a castrum doloris, a funerary monument for a Magnate * * *
Elaborate monuments like this these were a uniquely Polish phenomenon. They were erected in churches as the centerpiece of funerary ceremonies that were week-long spectacles with hundreds of people gathered for feasting, drinking, and the firing of cannons. The finale was high drama. The poet Karpinski described the funeral of Hetman Josef Potocki in 1751:
CHARACTER VOICE #4 (Should sound like someone known as "The Poet, Karpinski"):
One after another, chosen horsemen rode into the church at a gallop, and one would shatter the lance before the coat-of-arms at the foot of the Hetman's coffin, another broke the sabre, another the rapier, another the arrows, another the standards, and so on. Each one, having broken his instrument and thrown it down at the foot of the coffin, would then leap from his horse and fall at the foot of the coffin himself, as if it were showing his grief.
NARRATOR:
To the left of the castrum doloris, there is a display of objects relating to the Uniate Christian church. In addition to liturgical vestments, there is an important icon of the last supper that once crowned the "royal door" of a screen separating the sanctuary from the nave in a Uniate church.
This is the last gallery in the exhibition and there are many object of devotion and inspiration that you may want to examine more closely before you exit.
I will leave you with the words of Norman Davies, who observes that the values of modern day Poland have deep historical roots.
NORMAN DAVIES:
Noble concepts of honor, for example are much more prominent in Poland than they might be elsewhere. All sorts of attitudes that were connected with the old szlachta are still alive today. This fierce Polish attachment to their independence and their willingness to fight for it, has very clear roots in the liberties of the Szlachta.
NARRATOR:
You will now hear the earliest known example of Polish music and the earliest known Polish text, which is thought to date to the 13th century. The Bogurodzica, which means Mother of the Gods, originated among the Polish knights and was sung by the Polish army as it advanced into all battles, including the Battle of Vienna. Over the centuries the Bogurodzica has served as a Polish anthem. The bells that follow are those of Jasna Gora, Czestochowa.
We hope you have enjoyed this tour. Please feel free to spend as much time as you like in these gallery before returning your player. You may leave your player running. It will turn itself off at the end of the tape.