The Jagiellonian dynasty and state

In the book On the Ancient Origins of the Poles its author, Justus Decius, who served as an adviser and secretary to the Polish king Sigismund I the Old, describes the earliest history of Poland and the kings from the Jagiellonian dynasty. The text is composed of three parts: On the Origins of the Poles, On the Jagiellonian Dynasty and On the Times of King Sigismund, with the latter being especially important as the author lived through the period he was describing and saw many events of that time with his own eyes. The Chronicle, published in 1521 in Cracow by Hieronymus Vietor, include some detailed woodcut illustrations depicting people, events and symbols of that period. The title page is decorated with woodcuts showing a battle scene with the Tatar soldiers at the top and the Sigismund Eagle in the bottom half. On the Ancient Origins of the Poles also comprises a genealogical tree designed by Decjusz with 87 members of five generations of the Jagiellonian family, starting with their progenitor Algirdas (seen in the left corner of the woodcut). They are presented singly or in groups, in various poses, with swords (princes and military leaders), praying (e.g. Saint Casimir Jagiellon), speaking and gesticulating (Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon). The women are wearing elegant Renaissance dresses, and their hair is adorned with a crown, cap or hat, confined in a net, as then dictated by fashion, or flowing down their back. The representation of Sigismund I the Old (third row, third from the left) is a copy of a larger portrait of the king, also included in the Chronicle. Apart from his image, we can find here a woodcut of Sigismund II Augustus as a baby with a parrot and young queen Bona holding a book.

Author: Decius, Justus Ludovicus (1485-1545)
Title: Contenta De Vetvstatibvs Polonorvm Liber I. De Iagiellonvm Familia Liber II. De Sigismundi Regis Temporibvs Liber III
Published: Cracow: Hieronymus Vietor, XII 1521
Physical description: [3], LII [i.e. LI, 1], [3], LVI-CXIX, [2], A-E6, [*]2, F-K6, L4 ; 2°
Illustrations: woodcuts
Bibliographic references: Barycz H., Szlakami dziejopisarstwa polskiego, Wrocław 1981; Betterówna A., Polskie ilustracje książkowe XV i XVI wieku (1490-1525), Lwów 1929, p. 71-76; Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1897, vol. 15, p. 102-103; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no 599
Provenance: 1. Z Księgozbioru Zygmunta Czarneckiego [bookplate]; N°10181; 2. Biblioteka Fundacyi W. Hr. Baworowskiego [stamp]
Binding: half parchment – 19th century
Held by: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich
Shelfmark: XVI.F.4036

By Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła

Regum Poloniae Icones is a series of copperplate engravings of Polish kings created in Rome in 1591 by Thomas Treter (1547-1610), a canon, royal secretary, poet, philologist specializing in the poetry of Horace, painter and engraver. He studied in Rome and spent there 25 years. After his return to Poland, he was appointed a canon of Frombork in 1585, then a prelate and custodian. The edition of Regum Poloniae Icones held in the Ossolineum collection is believed to be printed in the second half of the 17^th century in Stockholm or Uppsala. The copper engravings were coloured with watercolours probably at the turn of the 19^th to the 20^thcentury. The edition includes an engraved title page with a title, author, place and date of publication and 44 portraits of Polish rulers from Lech, the legendary founder of the Polish nation, to Sigismund III Vasa (23 bust-length portraits, 19 half-length portraits, two full-length portraits). Each portrait has a single or double frame around the figure and an inscription with the ruler’s name below. In his work,Treter was inspired by the iconographic representations of Polish kings taken from stamps, funeral sculptures, engravings and paintings. Icones regumPoloniae served as a model for Principum et regum Poloniae Imagines by A. Mylius, published in 1594. The copper plates from Regum Poloniae Icones were used in Polska kongars saga, published in 1736 by Johan Göstaf Hallman.

Author: Treter, Thomas (1547-1610)
Title: Regum Poloniae Icones
Pulished: Rome: Thomas Treter, 1591 [i.e. Stockholm or Uppsala?, 2nd half of the 17th century]
Physical description: 45 pages; 4°
Illustrations: copperplate engravings, coloured with water colours, gildings
Bibliographic references: Chrzanowski T., Działalność artystyczna Tomasza Tretera, Warszawa 1984; Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska w. XV—XVIII, Kraków 1936, vol. 31; Kajzer L., Średniowieczne źródła pomysłów ikonograficznych Tomasza Tretera, „Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie” 1972, no. 4, p. 507–514; Komornicki S., Essai d’une iconographie du roi Etienne Batory, Cracovie 1935; Mrozewicz K., Regum Poloniae icones Tomasza Tretera ze zbiorów Biblioteki Królewskiej w Sztokholmie i szwedzkie wątki w losach serii, „Folia Historiae Artium. Seria Nowa” 2017, vol. 15, p. 25-34; Ochońska M., Zabytek szesnastowiecznego rytownictwa Regum Poloniae Icones Tomasza Tretera w zbiorach Ossolineum, „Ze skarbca kultury” 1955, no. 1 (7), p. 273–289
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Binding: brown leather, tooled in blind and gilt – 1st half of the 20th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: A.gr. 296

By Joanna Błoch

Regum Poloniae Icones is a series of copperplate engravings of Polish kings created in Rome in 1591 by Thomas Treter (1547-1610), a canon, royal secretary, poet, philologist specializing in the poetry of Horace, painter and engraver. He studied in Rome and spent there 25 years. After his return to Poland, he was appointed a canon of Frombork in 1585, then a prelate and custodian. The edition of Regum Poloniae Icones held in the Ossolineum collection is believed to be printed in the second half of the 17^th century in Stockholm or Uppsala. The copper engravings were coloured with watercolours probably at the turn of the 19^th to the 20^thcentury. The edition includes an engraved title page with a title, author, place and date of publication and 44 portraits of Polish rulers from Lech, the legendary founder of the Polish nation, to Sigismund III Vasa (23 bust-length portraits, 19 half-length portraits, two full-length portraits). Each portrait has a single or double frame around the figure and an inscription with the ruler’s name below. In his work,Treter was inspired by the iconographic representations of Polish kings taken from stamps, funeral sculptures, engravings and paintings. Icones regumPoloniae served as a model for Principum et Regum Polonorum Imagines by A. Mylius, published in 1594. The copper plates from Regum Poloniae Icones were used in Polska kongars saga, published in 1736 by Johan Göstaf Hallman.

Author: Treter, Thomas (1547-1610)
Title: Regum Poloniae Icones
Pulished: Rome: Thomas Treter, 1591 [i.e. Stockholm or Uppsala?, 2nd half of the 17th century]
Physical description: 45 pages; 4°
Illustrations: copperplate engravings, coloured with water colours, gildings
Bibliographic references: Chrzanowski T., Działalność artystyczna Tomasza Tretera, Warszawa 1984; Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska w. XV—XVIII, Kraków 1936, vol. 31; Kajzer L., Średniowieczne źródła pomysłów ikonograficznych Tomasza Tretera, „Komunikaty Mazursko-Warmińskie” 1972, no. 4, p. 507–514; Komornicki S., Essai d’une iconographie du roi Etienne Batory, Cracovie 1935; Mrozewicz K., Regum Poloniae icones Tomasza Tretera ze zbiorów Biblioteki Królewskiej w Sztokholmie i szwedzkie wątki w losach serii, „Folia Historiae Artium. Seria Nowa” 2017, vol. 15, p. 25-34; Ochońska M., Zabytek szesnastowiecznego rytownictwa Regum Poloniae Icones Tomasza Tretera w zbiorach Ossolineum, „Ze skarbca kultury” 1955, no. 1 (7), p. 273–289
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Binding: brown leather, tooled in blind and gilt – 1st half of the 20th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: A.gr. 296

By Joanna Błoch

The figures are presented against a blue and olive background, en trois quarts, with their hands placed on the windowsill, holding gloves (all except for Sophia, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg). All family members, except for Sigismund I the Old and Catharine of Austria, who both appear as the first figure in each row, face left. The portraits of Sigismund I the Old and his third daughter-in-law have the Cranach Workshop signatures placed differently, namely in the bottom left corner, while, in the other portrait miniatures the winged serpent is placed in the bottom right corner. In general, kings could have been portrayed ad vivum even several times during their reigns. Still, it is believed that the portrait miniatures held by Czartoryski Museum were painted from images copied from earlier iconographic sources (paintings or drawings), which had been sent to Wittenberg specifically for that purpose. The symbolic representation of power and the royal iconography played an important role in the political program of the last Jagiellonians. Their images were widely known at the European courts, thanks to paintings, portrait miniatures, medals, prints, and even bookbindings with their supralibros. Art contributed significantly to showing the importance of the dynasty and influencing those to whom the portraits were sent. The practice of sending each other the family members’ images was quite common, also for matrimonial purposes – the engagement tradition, which was established at the Cracow court in the 16th century, obligated the fiancée’s parents or guardians to present her portrait to the marriage candidate. An important feature of the royal iconography was to bring together the images of a family into a series of portraits and to make them available in public places to a broad audience. Galleries of this type, presented in royal residences, town halls, and public buildings, have been known in European art since the Middle Ages, and it is in this context that the meaning of the Jagiellonian cycle should be interpreted. However, the depiction of the royal family is not of conventional nature – the members of the Jagiellonian dynasty are presented without insignia, in a bust-length pose which is considered to be more “intimate”, against a smooth background, devoid of attributes. Special attention should be paid to clothing and jewellery, depicted with utmost precision, reflecting personal preferences, tastes, the origin of the members of the family, and sometimes even manifesting their political attitude. Moreover, contrary to the apparent similarity of silhouettes and faces, the artist tended to individualize each person’s facial features and render their mental state or disposition

Author: Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515-1586) and Workshop
Object type: portrait miniatures of the Jagiellonian Family
Created: Saxony?, inter 1553-1556
Physical description: ten portrait miniatures (19,5 x 17,5 cm) set in two rows, in one profiled frame (66,6 x 127 cm). Top row, left to right: Sigismund I the Old (1467-1548); Bona Sforza d’Aragona (1494-1557); Sigismund II Augustus (1520-1572); Elizabeth of Austria (1525-1545), daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, first wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1543); Barbara Radziwiłł (1520-1551), daughter of George Radziwiłł, Great Lithuanian Hetman, second wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1547). Bottom row, from left to right: Catherine of Austria (1533-1572), daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, third wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1553); Isabella, Queen of Hungary (1519-1559), first daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of John Zápolya, King of Hungary (m. 159); Sophia, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1522-1575), daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (m. 1556); Catherine Jagiellon (1526-1583), fourth daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of John III of Sweden (m. 1562); Anna Jagiellon (1523-1596), third daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland, wife of Stephen Báthory (m. 1576). Each portrait miniature with copper nameplate placed in the centre of the bottom frame.
Medium: mixed technique (oil, tempera), on copper panel
Bibliographic references: Molenda M., Splendide vestitus. O znaczeniu ubiorów na królewskim dworze Jagiellonów w latach 1447-1572, Kraków 2012, p. 209, 211, 217, 250-251, 253, 257-259, 298-299, ill. 134, 135, 139, 176, 196, 208, 209, 210, 243, 244; Petrus J. T., catalogue entry [in:] Polen im Zeitalter der Jagiellonen 1386-1572 [exhibition catalogue 08.05-2.11.1986], ed. Franciszek Stolot, Rainer Weiss, Schallaburg 1986, no. 35, p. 216-217. Ruszczycówna J., Nieznane portrety ostatnich Jagiellonów, „Rocznik Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie” 1976, vol. 20, p. 5-117, ill. 27, 29, 38, 41, 45, 46, 48, 53, 56, 67
Provenance: 1. [Commissioned by:] Sigismund II Augustus (or one of the sisters); 2. Adolf Cichocki (1794-1854) – bought in London in the 1st half of the 19th century; 3. Władysław Czartoryski (1828-1894) – bought in 1859 at the auction of Cichocki collection
Binding: profiled black frame – 19th century
Notes: signature of the Cranach Workshop in Wittenberg on each portrait miniature (right or left bottom corner): winged serpent bearing a ring in its mouth
Held by: Czartoryski Museum, division of the National Museum in Cracow
Shelfmark: MNK XII-536-545

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Son of Casimir IV and Elisabeth of Austria, younger brother of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, John I Albert and Alexander I Jagiellon, next-to-last king of Poland (1507) and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1506). Married twice, with Barbara Zápolya from Hungary (m. 1512; died 1515) and Bona Sforza from Italy (m. 1518), with whom he had a son, Sigismund II Augustus, his heir, and four daughters, Isabella, Sophia, Anna, Catherine. In the portrait miniature that opens the series of Cranach portraits, Sigismund the Old has a wide face with a gray semi-circular beard. He is wearing close-fitting caftan called sajan in Polish, partially visible from under his fur gown adorned with a large ermine collar, called szuba in Polish, which is optically widening his figure in the shoulders. The dark garment contrasts with the white, strongly pleated shirt with the sleeves adorned with lace and the stand-up collar embroidered with a small pattern. A low, pleated collar made of lace (called kruszka in Polish) surrounds his neck.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Duchess of Bari and Rossano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, legal heir to the Duchy of Milan, and Isabella of Naples, daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples. Thanks to the efforts of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Bona married the widowed King Sigismund II Augustus and became Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. Mother of Sigismund II Augustus and four daughters: Isabella, Sophia, Anna, and Catherine. The portraits of Bona are scarce, especially those presenting her as a middle-aged woman. The ones we have present her as a young beautiful girl or mature woman during her last years of marriage or widowhood. Cranach’s miniature portrait belongs to the second category. Both Bona and Isabella depicted below are wearing traditional widow’s clothing, modelled after Western customs: a dark fur gown worn over a black dress and a white cap covering the hair, with a long wimple with loose, ribbon-like ends, usually decorated with lace.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Last male monarch from the Jagiellonian dynasty, crowned as co-ruler alongside his father on February 20, 1530, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1548), married three times, with Elisabeth of Austria (m. 1543, died 1545), Barbara Radziwiłł (m. 1547, died 1551), Catherine of Austria (m. 1553, died 1572). Among the portrait miniatures of the Jagiellonian family, the figure of Sigismund II Augustus is located in the centre of the upper row, so that, even though his portrait does not differ visually from the rest, it catches the viewer’s eye first. The position of Sigismund’s portrait in the Cranach series reflects the symbolic position of the head of the dynasty and the kingdom. The portrayed king is wearing the so-called cuera – garment resembling cuirasses, with short sleeves and high collar, popularised in Europe thanks to the Spanish fashion. Attention should be paid to a different way of depicting the face of Sigismund Augustus in comparison with the other members of the dynasty depicted by Cranach. Two more portraits of Sigismund Augustus,  modelled after the same representation, have survived. One is another portrait miniature, held by the National Museum in Krakow, showing Sigismund II wearing almost the same garment as in the Cranach work. Similar facial features and painting elaboration can also be seen in a portrait from the collection of Archduke Ferdinand of Tirol in Ambras, presenting the King in armour as a rex armatus. Thus, the artist from Wittenberg probably presented the actual appearance of Sigismund II Augustus, elegantly dressed not only following the then fashion at European courts but also according to his personal preferences.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

The oldest daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Anna Jagellonica of Bohemia and Hungary, first wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1543), Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. In the Cranach portrait miniature, she is depicted in almost the same way as in the painting by Master PF. The portrait might have been sent to Poland on the occasion of her engagement to Sigismund II Augustus. In this case, we can therefore speak of an almost exact copy. Elizabeth is wearing a red velvet dress trimmed at neck and with sleeves with gold embroidery. Puffy sleeves are decorated with three bands made of fabric with flower and ewer-shaped ornaments. The sleeves are slashed, and the undershirt is pulled through. Part of her white chemise is also visible at the neckline, which is attached to a stand-up collar with golden bands. She is wearing an openwork coif and a flat cap atop her hair.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Daughter of George Radziwiłł, Voivode of Vilnius and Great Lithuanian Hetman, Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, second wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1547). In the Cranach series, the portrait of Barbara Radziwiłł is placed at the end of the upper row, next to the portrait of Elizabeth of Austria. Some elements of their gowns are similar. They are wearing dresses of a similar cut, which is visible mainly in the cut of the bra and the fabrics’ colors. The neckline, trimmed with a braid embroidered with pearls and gemstones, is attached to a stand-up collar with golden bands, and a white chemise made of delicate, pleated material is visible underneath. Puffy sleeves are decorated with ribbons attached to the fabric of the dress, resembling Elizabeth’s dress. The gloves that Barbara is holding have slashes on the fingers following the then German fashion. However, the queen’s headdress differs from the rest of the women’s costumes in the series. She is wearing a white veil or headscarf (partially visible on the left side of her face) over which a kind of built-up, richly decorated structure has been placed, almost entirely covered with gold, pearls, gemstones, and jewels. There is a beret on it, with gold edging and rhombus embroidery.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna Jagellonica of Bohemia and Hungary, sister of Elizabeth of Austria (first wife of Sigismund II Augustus), third wife of Sigismund II Augustus (m. 1553), Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. In the Cranach portrait miniature, she is wearing a Southern-style dress, not seen before in the series. During her stay in Poland, Elizabeth favoured Italian fashion at first, and later, the Spanish style. In the portrait held by Czartoryski Museum, she is depicted in a garment with Italian and German elements. According to Maria Molenda, her outer gown is an example of zimmara, decorated with goldwork embroidery running along the robe and sleeves’ edges in the form of ornamental stripes. The bodice of the black dress is decorated with oval patches. She is wearing a necklace with a giant pearl, which she is holding in her hand. The second gem is attached to a stand-up collar, under which a fragment of a pleated collar made of lace is showing. Katarzyna’s pale, elongated face with pink cheeks and recognizable “Habsburg” features is framed by tiny curls, curled at the temples. On her head, the Queen is wearing a golden bonnet and a beret with gold chains, jewels, and an enseigne sewn on. The physiognomic type and the “compact”, corpulent figure of the Habsburgian woman differs from other figures of the Cranach series, emphasizing the Queen’s origin.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Polish and Lithuanian princess, Queen of Hungary, the oldest child of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza. In the miniature portrait (second figure from the left in the lower row of the Cranach series), Isabella, who was widowed at a young age, is wearing the same clothes as Bona portrayed above (for clothes’ description see entry Bona Sforza d’Aragona). Despite the similarity of both women, it is important to notice that Lucas Cranach managed to depict her individual traits accurately. Isabella’s figure ismoreslender than her mother’s sturdy and square-shouldered silhouette. According to Urszula Borkowska, the Queen of Hungary, who used to be thought to be the most beautiful daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona, is presented here as “advanced in years, with a face on which tragic life had left its mark”. In the end, it is worth mentioning a history from Isabella’s life, quoted by Maria Molenda, which shows how strict the mourning practices at the Jagiellonian court were. Apart from the necessity to wear a modest and black dress, it was forbidden to wear any jewellery for two years. In addition, being “in deep mourning”, Isabella received visitors in a room covered with black fabrics.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (m. 1556).

In the three Cranach portrait miniatures, three Jagiellonian princesses, Sophia, Catherine and Anna, are depicted in the same artistic convention. The sisters have their hair done and are dressed in gowns that follow fashion trends popular at the Polish and Habsbourg courts in the 1550s. Black, tight-fitting dresses emphasize women’s slender figures, their posture and poise, while small delicate puffy shoulders accentuate the roundness of their arms. White cuffs of the golden chemises and thin pleated collars are showing from under their black gowns. Their pulled back hair is covered in a sort of net made of bands sewn together, and atop their hair, they are wearing small hats embroidered with gemstones. The top attention-grabbing elements of their clothes include calligraphic trimmings, dress spatches and jewellery. The princesses are wearing heavy, exquisite necklaces and pendants. Each princess has two of them – one with her initials, second with a cross with a pearl. Thanks to the pendants with their initials (S for Sophia, C for Catherine, A for Anna), the sisters can be distinguished one from the other. Initial jewellery was highl yvalued at the Polish court, and it became “a sort of familial code of the Jagiellonian house”. Interestingly, the jewellery depicted in the Cranach portrait miniatures were the actual pieces, made of gold, diamond, rubies, and white enamel which were designed for Sophia, Catherine and Anna by Nicholas Nonarth (ca 1500-1564) from Wittenberg on special request of their father, Sigismund I the Old. Some of the pieces had been identified among the treasures collected by Isabella Czartoryska and kept in her well-known “royal coffer”, later lost during the Second World War. The coffer was the most valuable item held in the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, a temple-like structure built as a national museum. The only pendant that has survived to this day is the one own by Catherine – it was discovered in 1833 in her tomb in Uppsala.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Fourth daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of John III of Sweden (m. 1562).

In the three Cranach portrait miniatures, three Jagiellonian princesses, Sophia, Catherine and Anna, are depicted in the same artistic convention. The sisters have their hair done and are dressed in gowns that follow fashion trends popular at the Polish and Habsbourg courts in the 1550s. Black, tight-fitting dresses emphasize women’s slenderfigures, their posture and poise, while small delicate puffy shoulders accentuate the roundness of their arms. White cuffs of the golden chemises and thin pleated collars are showing from under their black gowns. Their pulled back hairis covered in a sort of net made of bands sewntogether, and atop their hair, they are wearing small hats embroidered with gemstones. The top attention-grabbing elements of their clothesinclude calligraphictrimmings, dres spatches and jewellery. The princesses are wearing heavy, exquisite necklaces and pendants. Each princess has two of them – one with her initials, second with a cross with a pearl. Thanks to the pendants with their initials (S for Sophia, C for Catherine, A for Anna), the sisters can be distinguished one from the other. Initial jewellery was highl yvalued at the Polish court, and it became “a sort of familial code of the Jagiellonian house”. Interestingly, the jewellery depicted in the Cranach portrait miniatures were the actual pieces, made of gold, diamond, rubies, and white enamel which were designed for Sophia, Catherine and Anna by Nicholas Nonarth (ca 1500-1564) from Wittenberg on special request of their father, Sigismund I the Old. Some of the pieces had been identifiedamong the treasures collected by Isabella Czartoryska and kept in her well-known “royal coffer”, later lost during the Second World War. The coffer was the most valuable item held in the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, a temple-likestructurebuilt as a national museum. The only pendant that has survived to this day is the one own by Catherine – it was discovered in 1833 in her tomb in Uppsala.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

Fourth daughter of Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza, wife of John III of Sweden (m. 1562).

In the three Cranach portrait miniatures, three Jagiellonian princesses, Sophia, Catherine and Anna, are depicted in the same artistic convention. The sisters have their hair done and are dressed in gowns that follow fashion trends popular at the Polish and Habsbourg courts in the 1550s. Black, tight-fitting dresses emphasize women’s slenderfigures, their posture and poise, while small delicate puffy shoulders accentuate the roundness of their arms. White cuffs of the golden chemises and thin pleated collars are showing from under their black gowns. Their pulled back hairis covered in a sort of net made of bands sewntogether, and atop their hair, they are wearing small hats embroidered with gemstones. The top attention-grabbing elements of their clothesinclude calligraphictrimmings, dres spatches and jewellery. The princesses are wearing heavy, exquisite necklaces and pendants. Each princess has two of them – one with her initials, second with a cross with a pearl. Thanks to the pendants with their initials (S for Sophia, C for Catherine, A for Anna), the sisters can be distinguished one from the other. Initial jewellery was highl yvalued at the Polish court, and it became “a sort of familial code of the Jagiellonian house”. Interestingly, the jewellery depicted in the Cranach portrait miniatures were the actual pieces, made of gold, diamond, rubies, and white enamel which were designed for Sophia, Catherine and Anna by Nicholas Nonarth (ca 1500-1564) from Wittenberg on special request of their father, Sigismund I the Old. Some of the pieces had been identifiedamong the treasures collected by Isabella Czartoryska and kept in her well-known “royal coffer”, later lost during the Second World War. The coffer was the most valuable item held in the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, a temple-likestructurebuilt as a national museum. The only pendant that has survived to this day is the one own by Catherine – it was discovered in 1833 in her tomb in Uppsala.

By Justyna Łuczyńska-Bystrowska

In the document issued on November 20, 1421, in Niepołomice, Polish King Ladislaus II Jagiełło confirms receiving 300 grzywnas (Polish unit of exchange at that time) from Nicholas and Steczko of Tarnawa, concedes the sum to the Starasól voytship and appoints them as voyts there. The armorial seal of Ladislaus II Jagiełłais attached to the document.

Circular wax seal, lozengy background, diameter: 45 mm, edge almost wholly damaged. Armorial coat of arms, with late Gothic shield, parted quarterly, four coat of arms occupying the field of the escutcheon: of Poland (crowned eagle), Lithuania (armour-clad knight on horseback holding a spear, not a sword, and shield), Kalisz Land (head of the aurochs with a ring in the nostrils against a checkerboard background), Kuyavia lands (half-eagle and half-lion under one crown). Bust of a winged angel atop the shield, with his hands put on the upper edge of the shield. Shield’s field with solid line borders.

Author: Ladislaus II Jagiełło (1352/62-1434)
Title: Ladislaus II Jagiełło confirms receiving 300 grzywnas from Nicholas and Steczko of Tarnawa, cedes the sum to the Starasól voytship and appoints them as voyts
Created: Niepołomice, November 20, 1421
Physical description: parchment, 32,5 x 19 + 2,5 cm
Bibliogrphic references: Fastnach A., Catalogus diplomatum Bibliothecae Instituti Ossoliniani, suplementum I, Wrocław 1951; Gumowski M., Pieczęcie królów polskich, Kraków 1910–1920; Informator o polonikach w zbiorach rękopiśmiennych Lwowskiej Narodowej Naukowej Biblioteki Ukrainy im. Wasyla Stefanyka, część II: Zbiór Aleksandra Czołowskiego, ed. K. Rzemieniecki, Wrocław 2015
Provenance: bought from Alexander Czołowski on June, 1942, in Lviv
Notes: written on parchment, with attached wax seal
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: BO 2587

By Konrad Rzemieniecki

Royal account book of the administration of Niepołomice with records dating from September 10, 1388, to June 20, 190. It is a fair copy of financial records of the maintenance of the royal court and was created after the end of a specific reference period. Bound in manuscript waste, with a fragment of a notarial act.

Title: Distributa Viceprocurationis Nepolomiensi scensuum pro thesauro Regio
Created: :1388-1390
Physical description: : paper, 101 leaves, in Latin, in one hand, 30 x 11,5 cm
Bibliographic references: Rachunki dworu Władysława Jagiełły i królowej Jadwigi z lat 1388–1420, ed. F. Piekosiński, Kraków 1896; Karwasińska J., O najdawniejszych księgach t.zw. „Rachunków dworu królewskiego”, „Archeion” 1927, vol. 1, p. 155-175
Provenance: Gwalbert Pawlikowski Library
Binding: parchment
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: Pawlik. 189

By Agnieszka Knychalska-Jaskulska

Letter written by Casimir IV Jagiellon to Michael, Chancellor of Moldavia, in response to his previous letter, confirming its content which is unknown to us. The letter is dated September 1, without a year specified, but the description of the Casimir’s journeys shows that it must have been written in 1478. The letter is in Chancery Slavonic, i.e. Old Church Slavonic used in the chancery of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Interestingly, its palaeography resembles Old Ukrainian rather than Old Belarusian language. It is a part of a larger collection comprising manuscripts written by Polish kings and other rulers from 1460 to 1838 (e.g. Casimir IV Jagellon, Alexander I Jagiellon, Sigismund I the Old, Sigismund II Augustus, Stephen Báthory, John II Casimir, John III Sobieski, Charles X Gustav, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, Alexander I, Tsar of Russia).

Author: Casimir IV Jagiellon (1427-1492)
Title: letter of Casimir IV Jagiellon to Michael, Chancellor of Moldavia
Created: Sandomierz, September 1, 1478
Physical description: 2 pages, 21,5cm x 21,5cm
Bibliographic references: Inwentarz rękopisów Zakładu Narodowego imienia Ossolińskich, Stefanyk National Science Library in Lviv, Manuscript Department, fond 5, unit 1, ms. I; Horodyski B., Podręcznik paleografii ruskiej, Kraków 1951; Rutkowska G., Itinerarium króla Kazimierza Jagiellończyka 1440–1492, Warszawa 2014
Provenance: bought from Mr. Wozub from Warsaw, probably in the first half of the 1920s
Notes: written in Chancery Slavonic
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 5256/III, p. 3–4

By Konrad Rzemieniecki

Gothic minuscule inscription: “: Sigismundus : dei gra : rex : polonie : magnusdux : lithuanie : russie : prussieq’: dns : et : heres”. Coat of arms of Poland in the central field, closed crown above dividing two solid and pearled lines that run around the shield. Central field with floral ornamental background, surrounded by nine coats of arms in the form of a wreath, leaning to each other. Clockwise: coat of arm of Royal Prussia (eagle with a sword and crown on its neck), Pomerania (gryphon), Sandomierz Land (shield divided in two, with four bands and nine stars), Double Cross, Dobrzyń Land (bearded head of a king with a crown, horns, and an additional crown on his neck), Lublin Land (deer with a crown around his neck), Kuyavia, Moldavia (buffalo’s head with sun and moon on each side, and star between its horns), Russia (lion). At the very top of the seal, two coats of arm of Lithuania (Pahonia, Vytis) and of Austria (white band originated from the arms of the Babenberg dynasty), leaning to each other, dividing the inscription around the border in two. Floral ornamental background.

Great Royal Seal was used on behalf of the king by the Grand Royal Chancellery. It used to be impressed in wax or wax mounted on paper on official state documents and privileges.

Object type: Great Royal Seal
Owner: Sigismund I the Old (1506-1548)
Created: 1507-1548
Physical description: coloured wax seal impression, leather cord, diameter of seal: 74 mm, of wax impression: 100,5 mm
Bibliographic references: Gumowski M., Pieczęcie królów polskich, Kraków 1920, p. 25, no. 45
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: S 6

By Robert Forysiak-Wójciński

Inscription in pre-Renaissance and Renaissance Roman square capitals: „Æ S Æ P Æ DNI Æ SIGISMVNDI Æ D Æ G Æ REGIS POLOIE Æ MAGNI DVC’ LITVANIE Ç ZC”. The shield, supported by two kneeling angels, is parted quarterly, with coats of arms of Poland and Lithuania set in squares, with a closed crown above, and a small cross in the crest that divide the inscription running around the edge of the seal in two parts. Ornamental background on the shield.

Lesser Royal Seal was used on behalf of the king in the Lesser Royal Chancellery. It used to be impressed in wax or wax mounted on paper on official state documents, and privileges. Its size was similar to the Great Royal Seal.

Object type: Lesser Royal Seal
Owner: Sigismund I the Old(1506-1548)
Created: 1510-1547
Physical description: coloured wax seal impression, silk cords, diameter of seal: 46 mm, of wax impression: 88 mm
Bibliographic references: Gumowski M., Pieczęcie królów polskich, Kraków 1920, p. 25, no. 46
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: S 8

By Robert Forysiak-Wójciński

Obverse with a bust of Sigismund I the Old facing right. Sigismund is wearing a closed crown with a cross, and Renaissance armour, called Maximilian armour, with large pauldrons and epaulettes protecting both sides of the neck. Partially erased inscription around the border: „□ HEC EST SARMATIE SIGISMVNDI REGIS IMAGO □ ANNO REGNI SVI XXVI □ ÆT[ATI]S □ LXIIII” (Here is the image of King Sigismund of Sarmatia in the twenty-sixth year of reign, at the age of sixty-four).

Reverse with the Jagiellonian Eagle with the letter „ S” on its breast, with an open crown dividing the inscription into two parts: „□ IOHA – NNES MARIA □ PATAVINVS □ F[ECIT] □ANNO  DOMINI NOSTRI □ M □ D □ XXXII” (Giovanni Maria Padovanoproduced it in Anno Domini 1532).

The medal is a part of a portrait medal series presenting the royal family, commissioned by the Court, perhaps Bona herself, and produced by Padovano for Ferdinand d’Este, Archbishop of Milan.

Producer: Giovanni Maria Mosca, called Padovano (1493-1574)
Object type: medal of Sigismund I the Old
Created: Cracow (?), 1532
Physical description: casted circular bronze medal, diameter: 63,8 mm, weight: 94,27 g
Bibliographic references: Raczyński E., Gabinet medalów polskich oraz tych, które się dziejów Polski tycza począwszy od najdawniejszych aż do końca panowania Jana III (1513 – 1696). Tom I, Wrocław 1838, 24-25, no. 7; Więcek A., Dzieje sztuki medalierskiej w Polsce, Kraków 1989, p. 17-20, ill. 9; Morka M., Sztuka dworu Zygmunta I Starego. Treści polityczne i propagandowe, Warszawa 2006, p. 321- 322; Fajt J. (scientific ed.), Europa Jagiellonica 1386 – 1572. Sztuka i kultura w Europie Środkowej za panowania Jagiellonów. Przewodnik po wystawie, Warszawa 2013, p. 103-104, no. I.73a
Provenance: bought in 1962
Notes: signed reverse, protruding elements very much worn
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: G 1785

By Łukasz Koniarek

Unique copy of a work describing last days and death of Sigismund I the Old, who died on April 1, 1548, with a fine medallion portrait of the King. The portrait also appeared in a funeral speech by Mathias Franconius, published probably at the same time. The speech, as well as many other publications on the Sigismund’s death, was written in Latin, while the work presented in the exhibition is a rare example of a prose piece written in Polish, and intended for a Polish audience. Its author, Jacob Filipowski from Opole (identified with Opole Lubelskie in Lublin Voivodeship), attended the funeral ceremony in Cracow. He based his relation on his own memories and on information from other authors, “who knew more of it”. The book is dedicated to Bernard Maciejowski, Castellan of Radom. In the dedication, Filipowski emphasizes that Sigismund I the Old was not only an ideal ruler, but also a pious Christian, and his subjects should follow his example. Along with funeral speeches by Samuel Maciejewski, Stanislaus Orzechowski, Martin Kromer, and Matthias Franconius, the work by Filipowski is one of the earliest and most important sources on the Sigismund’s death.

Author: Filipowski, Jakub
Title: O Krzestianskim zesciu y Pogrzebie Krola Jego Miłosci Sigmunta Poskiego…
Published: Cracow: Hieronymus Szarfenberg, post 1 IV 1548
Physical description: [8] leaves ; 8°
Illustration: woodcut medallion portrait of Sigismund I the Old
Bibliographic reference: Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 786
Provenance: bought from Stephan Szefer from Opole in 1953
Binding: cloth – 20th century, with original binding kept: parchment with manuscript text (15th century)
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.O.97 adl.

By Konrad Szymański

Obverse with the Annunciation scene – on the left Blessed Virgin Mary kneeling at a prie-dieu, with her head turned right towards an angel holding a ribbon with „AVE”, wide outer ring with the inscription: „□ë□ . : SIGISMVNDVS : PRIMVS : REX : POLONIÆ :” [Sigismund I, king of Poland], wide and protruding edging.

Reverse with a cross decorated with rosettes, arms of the cross ending with volutes, date near the edging in the bottom half of the medal: „1 □ AVG  –  15Z0” [1^st of August, 1520], inscription in the wide outer ring: „B □ V □ D □ P ç P □ F □ N □ S □ INFANTIS . SVI □” [Beatae Virgini Dei Parenti Propter Felicem Nativitatem Sigismundi Infantis Sui; i.e. to Blessed Virgin Mary [out of gratitude] for the birth of her child Sigismund], wide and protruding edging.

The authorship of the work is sometimes attributed to Giovanni Cini (? – ca 1565), an architect, sculptor and medallist from Siena, known to be active in Cracow since 1519.

Producer: anonymous
Object type: medal of gratitude produced on the occasion of the birth of the prince and heir Sigismund II Augustus
Production: Cracow, 1520, restrike of a later date
Physical description: cast circular blackened tin medal with pendant, diameter: 27,7-27,8 mm, height with pendant: 32,8 mm, weight: 9,03 g
Bibliographic references: Gumowski M., Medale Jagiellonów, Kraków 1906, p. 54-55, tabl. XIII: 56; Więcek A., Dzieje sztuki medalierskiej w Polsce, Kraków 1989, p. 13-14; Stahr M., Katalog zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Poznaniu. Tom II: Medale polskie i z Polską związane od XVI do XVIII wieku, Poznań 2008, p. 25-26, no. 7
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Notes: without signature, both sides very much worn
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Lubomirski Princes
Shelfmark: G 36

By Łukasz Koniarek

Unique copy of a song written for the third wedding of Sigismund II Augustus in 1553, one of the earliest examples of a polyphonic song published as a separate booklet. Only three leaves of the original work have survived, probably the first part of the song, as the text focuses only on the circumstances of the wedding and on the reasons why Sigismund chose Catherine of Austria for his future wife. The description of the wedding itself does not appear in the text. Although Sigismund II Augustus decided to wed Catherine (sister of his first wife) because of political reasons, the song presents his motifs in a different light, through royal ideology and Christian piety. The author often mentions Nicholas Radziwiłł, nicknamed The Black, who was sent with some diplomatic mission to the court of Ferdinand I, and in the meantime managed to arrange a marriage between Sigismund and Ferdinand’s daughter, Catherine. The text is accompanied by music notes, written for four voices. The song bears a strong resemblance to an older piece of music, Pienie o electij Krala Polskiego Sygmunta wtorego, created to celebrate Sigismund’s election. The same cantus firmus in the tenor voice was to emphasize the joyful nature of these two events. Pieśń was published anonymously, but according to some hypotheses, the music was composed by the renowned Polish Renaissance musician Wenceslaus of Szamotuły.

Title: Pyesń o weselu nayaśnyeyssego krola Sygmunta wtorego, Augusta pirwego
Published: : Cracow: Lazarius Andrysowic, 1553
Physical description: : [3+1?] leaves ; 8°
Illustrations: : woodcuts (coat of arms, music notation)
Biliographic references: : Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 2013, vol. 36/1, p. 268; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1877
Provenance: : former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 42.458
Binding:: half cloth – 20th century
Held: : National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: : XVI.O.953

By Konrad Szymański

Letter signed by Sigismund II Augustus, written in Vilnius in 1560 to Ludovicus Montius, Polish representative in Italy active in 1545-1570. The letter, written in Italian, focuses on the question of money that was given to Montius for his service. Montius “used to send frequent letters to Vilnius requesting multiple payments”, according to Philip Padniewski, Chancellor of Poland. In consequence, the King started to lose confidence in Montius and ordered him to obey Adam Konarski, bishop of Poznań and Polish ambassador in Italy at that time. The letter is a part of a larger collection comprising letters to Montius by, e.g. Bona Sforza, Stanislaus Hosius, Philip Padniewski.

Author: Sigismund II Augustus (1520-1572)
Title: letter to Ludovicus Montius signed by Sigismund II Augustus
Created: Vilnius, August 9, 1560
Physical description: 1 page, 22 x 31,5 cm
Bibliographic references Inwentarz rękopisów Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego imienia Ossolińskich we Wrocławiu, ed. J. Turska, vol. 1, Wrocław 1948, p. 345; Wojtyska H. D., Papiestwo-Polska 1548-1563, Lublin 1577, p. 432-436
Provenance: bought from Mrs. Stecka in January 1931
Notes: letter bound in one volume with 29 letters to Lodovicus Montius
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 5831/II, p. 35

By Agnieszka Franczyk-Cegła

Obverse with a bust of Sigismund II Augustus en face. The King is presented with long forked beard and moustache, wearing a Renaissance hat, shirt with ornate collar and coat or special winter dress with a fur collar called szuba in Polish, flanked by the divided date: „15 – 57”. Narrow edging, protruding parts of the obverse very much worn.

Reverse with a royal monogram: entwined letters „S” and „A” [Sigismundus Augustus] with a closed crown above, narrow engraved edging.

The medal held in the Ossolineum collection is the only known copy that was struck in gold.

Producer: anonymous
Object type: medal of Sigismund II Augustus
Production: place unknown (Gdańsk?), 1557
Physical description: cast circular gold medal, diameter: 25,3-26,4 mm, weight: 17,58 g
Bibliographic references: Gumowski M., Medale Jagiellonów, Kraków 1906, p. 84-85, tabl. XX: 82; Skarby Historii Polski. Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich gościem Wiednia. Katalog Wystawy, Wrocław 2009, p. 97
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Notes: without signature, it is not sure if the revers was struck at the same time as the obverse
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: G 1563

By Łukasz Koniarek

Obverse with a bust of Sigismund II Augustus facing right. The King is presented with a small moustache and long forked beard, without any headwear, wearing Renaissance armour, with some of its elements (breastplate, bevor with faulds, fragment of the pauldron) clearly visible, shirt with a small ruff. The inscription around the border: „∞ SIGISMVND : AVCVSTVS □ D □ G □ REX □ POLONIÆ” [Sigismund II Augustus, by the grace of God, King of Poland], signature below the bust: „STE □ H □ F ∞”, pearled edging.

Reverse with a figure reminiscent of the coat of arms of Lithuania: charging armour-clad knight on horseback holding a sword, knight with a crested helm, in right profile. The inscription around the border: „DA□MIHI□VIRTVTEM□CONTRA□HOSTES□TVOS” [Give me the virtue against your enemies], pearled edging.

The medal was probably designed during Steven van Hervijk’s stay at the court in Vilnius where he arrived in 1561 from Antwerp.

Producer: Herwijck, Steven Cornelis van (Hartwijck; ca 1530-1565)
Object type: medal of Sigismund II Augustus
Production: Vilnius (?), 1562, restrike of a later date
Physical description: casted circular tin medal, diameter: 41,2-41,5 mm, weight: 32,14 mm
Bibliographic references: Raczyński E., Gabinet medalów polskich oraz tych, które się dziejów Polski tycza począwszy od najdawniejszych aż do końca panowania Jana III (1513 – 1696). Tom I, Wrocław 1838, 82-83, no. 19; Gumowski M., Medale Jagiellonów, Kraków 1906, p. 86, tabl. XXI: 85; Więcek A., Dzieje sztuki medalierskiej w Polsce, Kraków 1989, p. 32, ill. 33; Stahr M., Katalog zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Poznaniu. Tom II: Medale polskie i z Polską związane od XVI do XVIII wieku, Poznań 2008, p. 29, no. 10
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Notes: obverse signed
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: G 49

By Łukasz Koniarek

Obverse with a bust of the Queen Bona Sforza facing right, wearing a widow dress with two collars, with the outer one stiff, and a Renaissance coif made of translucent material through which her hair can be seen. Inscription around the edge: “BONA SFOR □ DE ARAG □ REG □ POL” [Bona Sforza d’Aragona, Queen of Poland], wide border, narrow and protruding edging.

Reverse with coats of arms of Poland (Eagle) and Sforza House (serpent devouring a child) under a closed crown, wide border with the inscription: “◦ FORTIS BONA PRUDENS || A□D□MDXL” [strong, good, wise – Anno Domini 1540], wide border, narrow and protruding edging.

The medal is probably a 19th-century copy made of bolted obverse and reverse. The obverse is a restrike of the Pastorini’s medal; the design and technique of the reverse are of a much lower quality than the obverse.

Producer of the obverse: Giovanni Michele Pastorino (de Pastorini; 1508-1592)
Object type: medal of the Queen Bona Sforza
Production: Ferrara, 1556 (obverse), 1540 (reverse), restrikes of a later date (19th century?)
Physical description: obverse and reverse of the copy bolted, casted circular silver-plated brass medal, diameter: 56,9 mm, weight: 80,14 g
Biliographic references: Raczyński E., Gabinet medalów polskich oraz tych, które się dziejów Polski tycza począwszy od najdawniejszych aż do końca panowania Jana III (1513 – 1696). Tom I, Wrocław 1838, 42-43, no. 12; Gumowski M., Medale Jagiellonów, Kraków 1906, p. 83-84, tabl. XXI: 77; Więcek A., Dzieje sztuki medalierskiej w Polsce, Kraków 1989, p. 23, ill. 16; Stahr M., Katalog zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Poznaniu. Tom II: Medale polskie i z Polską związane od XVI do XVIII wieku, Poznań 2008, p. 23-24, no. 5
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Notes: unsigned medal
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: G 46

By Łukasz Koniarek

Obverse with a bust of the Queen en face, wearing a Renaissance coif with a wimple, dress and fur coat. The inscription around the border: „BONA □ SFORCIA □ D […] G □ REGINA □ POLONIÆ” [Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland], with a faint signature below: „STE □ H □ F”, pearled edging.

Reverse – negative obverse, faint outline.

Producer: Herwijck, Steven Cornelis van (Hartwijck; ca 1530-1565)
Object type: medal of the Queen Bona Sforza
Production: Antwerp or Utrecht, 1559-1561, restrike of a later date
Physical description: circular one-sided medal, diameter: 85,6 mm, weight: 85,32 g
Bibliographic references: Raczyński E., Gabinet medalów polskich oraz tych, które się dziejów Polski tycza począwszy od najdawniejszych aż do końca panowania Jana III (1513 – 1696). Tom I, Wrocław 1838, 43-44, no. 13; Gumowski M., Medale Jagiellonów, Kraków 1906, p. 95-96, tabl. XXIV: 98; Więcek A., Dzieje sztuki medalierskiej w Polsce, Kraków 1989, p. 32, ill. 30; Stahr M., Katalog zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Poznaniu. Tom II: Medale polskie i z Polską związane od XVI do XVIII wieku, Poznań 2008, p. 24, no. 6
Provenance: former collection of the National Ossoliński Institute in Lviv
Notes: with signature
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute, Museum of Princes Lubomirski
Shelfmark: G 3030

By Łukasz Koniarek

Short, seven-line letter written in Italian by Bona Sforza, with her signature. The letter was written in Warsaw in 1551 while the queen was staying in Masovia – she spent eight years there from 1548, when Sigismund I the Old died, to 1556, when she left for Bari. Little is known about the addressee of the letter. Ludovicus Montius was a Polish representative in Italy from 1545 to 1570 and the king’s envoy to the Council of Trident from where he informed Sigismund II Augustus of the proceedings of the Council. Apart from letters by Bona Sforza, the collection comprises the correspondence of Catharine of Austria (third wife of Sigismund II Augustus), Sigismund II Augustus, cardinal Stanislaus Hosius.

Author: Bona Sforza
Title: letter of Bona Sforza to Ludovicus Montius
Created: Warsaw, January 8, 1551
Physical description: 1 page, 22 x 31,5 cm
Bibiographic references: Inwentarz rękopisów Zakładu Narodowego imienia Ossolińskich, Stefanyk National Science Library in Lviv, Manuscript Department, fond 5, unit 1, ms. I; Bogucka M., Bona Sforza. Wrocław 2009; Bogucka M., Polonica z XVI i XVII wieku w archiwach czeskich, „Przegląd Historyczny”, vol. 48, no. 1, 1957, p. 80
Provenance:: bought from Mrs. Stecka in January 1931
Notes: letter bound in one volume with 29 letters to Lodovicus Montius
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 5831/II, p. 1–2

By Konrad Rzemieniecki

First official Polish code of law published in print, drawn up by Jan Łaski, Chancellor of Poland, by order of the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland in 1505. Called Łaski’s Statutes, the code comprised all legal acts, resolutions of the Polish parliament (called constitutions in old Polish), privileges of Poland’s nobility and other laws established in the Kingdom of Poland. One of the most important legal acts was the Nihil novi constitution adopted by the Polish parliament in 1505. It restricted the king’s and the Senate’s authority in favour of the noble class, i.e. it forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility except for regulations concerning, e.g. royal cities or Jews. Nihil novi is considered to be the beginning of the Nobles’ Democracy in Poland and one of the foundations of the Golden Liberty in Poland, namely a political system under which all nobles had equal legal status and privileges as well as responsibilities towards the kingdom. Łaski’s Statutes were printed in Cracow at the time when printing was only starting to spread in Poland. It’s the first illustrated Polish book with woodcuts showing the king seated on his throne, patrons of the Kingdom of Poland (St. Wenceslaus, St. Adalbert of Prague, St. Stanislaus, St. Florian), session of the Polish bicameral parliament with king Alexander Jagiellon (see presented woodcut). Łaski’s Statutes also comprises the first printed text of Bogurodzica (Virgin, Mother of God), a religious song, knight’s battle hymn and the oldest Polish anthem. The copy held by the Ossolineum Library is one of the 12 volumes printed on parchment for high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Poland.

Author: Łaski, Jan (1456-1531)
Tytuł: Co[m]mune incliti Polonie Regni priuilegium co[n]stitutionu[m] & indultuu[m] publicitus decretorum… [Variant A]
Published: Cracow: Johann Haller, 1506
Physical description: [14] leaves, [1] leaf in pl°, CLXXV [i.e. 174], [6, last blank] leaves, CLXXVI-CCLXIII leaves ; [4, last blank], LXVIII leaves ; 2°
Illustrations: woodcuts
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1906, vol. 21, p. 79-80; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1407; Uruszczak W., Commune incliti Poloniae Regni privilegium constitutionum et indultum. O tytule i mocy prawnej Statutu Łaskiego z 1506 roku, Kraków 2006, p. 115-135
Provenance: 1. Sebastiani Gilbaszewski Instigatoris Regni [second half of the 17th century]; 2. Ex Bibliotheca Ill. Et Mci Thomae Antonij in Zamoscio Ordinati Zamoyski Palatini Lublinensis [18th century]; 3. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 9257
Binding: boards, brown leather, tooled in blind, clasps – 1531, renovated
Notes: printed on parchment
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.F.4088

By Konrad Szymański

The second edition of the so-called Third Statute of Lithuania approved in 1588. The Statutes, drawn up in three versions in 1529, 1566 and 1588, collected and standardised various laws of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in one document. The need to adjust the customary and tribal laws to the changing social and political conditions appeared at the times of the Union of Krewo (1385) – different provinces adopted different legal rules and regulations which were later modified with the privileges granted by the Jagiellonians. This legal confusion, along with some changes in the ownership structure in Lithuania, brought into sharp focus the need for codifying the laws in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1501, Alexander Jagiellon announced a plan to create a code of law of Lithuania but it was at the times of Sigismund I the Old that the actual work was initiated. By order of the King, a group of jurists supervised by Albertas Goštautas, Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, drafted and completed the First Statute of Lithuania. The Third Statute was elaborated to bring together the laws of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania after the Union of Lublin. The copy presented in the exhibition is a fine and rare example of the 16th-century book printed in Cyrillic alphabet.

Title: Статут Великого княжества Литовского = Statut Velikogo knjažstva Litovskogo
Published: Vilnius: Mamonicz Printing House, ca 1592-1593
Physical description: [40] leaves, 554 [i.e. 536] pages ; 2°
Illustrations: woodcut (coat of arms)
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1933, vol. 29, p. 231-233; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 2426; Зернова А.С. Типография Мамоничей в Вильне (XVII век) [in:] Книга. Исследования и материалы. Сб. 1, Москва 1959, p. 188-197
Provenance 1. Wilkaniec R[egent] Ziemski] G[rodzki] P[owiatu] L[idzkiego]; [Seba]stian [Lam?]danski ręką swoją podpisał; 2. Jan Nargielewicz [stamp]
Binding: brown leather – 19th century
Notes: lacking many pages, handwritten completions
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.F.4529

By Konrad Szymański

One of the few existing copies of the first edition of De Republica emendanda (On the Improvement of the Commonwealth) by Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, a Polish political writer. Originally, the treatise was supposed to have five books (as announced on the title page), but because of the religious censorship only three first chapters were published in Cracow in 1551. Bishop Stanislaus Hosius ordered to destroy already printed sheets of the two last books De ecclesia (On Church) and De schola (On School). In De Republica emendanda, Modrzewski presented his program of reforms that should be implemented in Poland, e.g. the idea that society should be ruled justly and strictly by a wise ruler in accordance with the strict Protestant moral principles. Combining the thoughts of the Ancients with his own reflections, Modrzewski proposed specific solutions, but their implementation was impossible in the 16^th century – he postulated, inter alia, that all citizens should be equal before the law. In 1557, a German translation of all five books was published in Basel. In 1577, a Polish translation by Cyprian Bazylik was printed in Łosko. This Arian edition does not include the book On the Church because of the censorship. Although it was reissued many times, until 1953 it was the only existing Polish translation of De Republica emendanda.

Author: Modrzewski, Andrew Frycz (około 1503-1572)
Title: Commentariorvm De Rep[ublica] Emendanda, Libri Quinq[ue]…
Published: Cracow: Lazarius Andrysowic, 1551
Physical description: [12], 179, [1] leaves ; 8°
Illustrations: woodcut (coat of arms)
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV–XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1908, vol. 22, p. 487; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1597; Ziomek J., Renesans, Warszawa 2012, p. 174-188
Provenance: 1. Liber Domus SS. Corp. Christi Can. Regul. Casimiriae ad Cracoviam [16th century]; 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 10.344
Binding: cloth – 19th century, fragments of original binding: parchment, with partially preserved leather ties – 16th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.O.860

By: Konrad Szymański

The first edition of the polemic dialogues by Stanislaus Orzechowski, which were published in 1563 when the Polish Executionist movement reached its peak. This political movement, popular especially among lesser and middle nobility, demanded, e.g. equality of all nobles before the law, reforms of the Republic, removal of the privileges of the clergy and revendication of crownlands held illegally by some magnates. The movement started to be formed at the beginning of the 16th century, but it was in 1562, when the king himself, Sigismund II Augustus, expressed his support for the Executionists, that the implementation of its demands became a real possibility. Stanislaus Orzechowski, who was a Roman Catholic priest and an active political writer, published then his Conversation, or Dialogue on the Executionist movement featuring the Host, the Catholic and the Protestant. Orzechowski expressed his objections against the propositions concerning the Church, i.e. removal of the privileges of the clergy, taxation of the Church and secularization of Church lands. He concentrated on the political system of the Republic of Poland, stating that the Church is its most important element. He also criticized the recent decisions of the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland (held in Piotrków Trybunalski in 1562) which adopted a law imposing indirect taxation of the Church. Orzechowski presented his view regarding the political system of Poland with words: “at the times of our Ancestors the Priest knelt before the Altar, and the King knelt before the Priest: these three used to be one thing: Altar, Priest, King”. In that “wedge”, which represents the relations between the main powers in Poland, the Altar is by far the most important element. The royal power itself seems to be strictly subordinated to the authority of the Priest. Orzechowski states that a “real execution” can be achieved by strengthening the authority of the Priest: “The Polish King is a servant of the Priest; therefore, he should be elected by the Priest, so that the Polish Kingdom obeys the Priest and nobody dares to raise his arrogant hand against the Priest’s authority”.

Author: Orzechowski, Stanislaus (1513-1566)
Title: Rozmowa albo Dyalog około Exequucyey Polskiey Korony
Published: Cracow: Lazarius Andrysowic, 1563
Physical description: [80] leaves, collation: A-V4 ; 4º
Illustrations: woodcut (coat of arms)
Bibliografia: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1910, vol. 23, p. 448; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1767; Starnawski J., Zarys dziejów dialogu w piśmiennictwie polskim średniowiecznym, renesansowym i reformacyjnym, „Roczniki humanistyczne” 1986, vol. 34, no. 1, p. 159-160
Provenance: 1. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 14.447
Binding: half-leather – 19th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.Qu.1552

By Konrad Szymański

The first edition of a political dialogue against the deputies of the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland written by Stanislaus Orzechowski. Orzechowski, a canon of Przemyśl and supporter of the privileges granted to Polish nobles, presents here his vision of a political system of Poland in the form of a quincunx, which is a geometric pattern “consisting of five points arranged in a cross, with four of them forming a square or rectangle and a fifth at its centre”. Orzechowski changes the traditional pattern of a quincunx – the Christian Church, which is the fifth element, is placed at the top and towers over Faith, Priest, Altar and King which all form a square. According to this concept, Poland should be mainly dependent on the Catholic Church which is supported by secular and religious authorities working together in harmony. Most of the dialogue (held between the Catholic, the Protestant and the Author himself) is dedicated to the relationship which should be established between the Catholic Church and a king. Orzechowski suggests that the reforms of the Executionists movement should be implemented by increasing the authority of the clergy in order to control a king so that he could not abuse his power. Relationship between these two powers is presented in the picture where a female personification of Poland called Polonia (appearing here in print for the first time) is standing on the shoulders of a pope and a king.

Author: Orzechowski, Stanislaus (1513-1566)
Title: Qvincvnx, Tho iest Wzor Korony Polskiey na Cynku wystawiony…
Published: Cracow: Lazarius Andrysowic, 1564
Physical description: [98] leaves, [3] folding sheets ; 4º
Illustrations: woodcuts
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1910, vol. 23, p. 455-456; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1782; Ziomek J., Renesans, Warszawa 1995, p. 201-204
Provenance: 1. Jeremi Lasockij [17th century]; 2. Stephanus Kapełewicz [17 th century]; 3. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 4. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 11.775
Binding: half-leather – 19th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.Qu.3226

By Konrad Szymański

A unique copy of the first printed edition of the laws promulgated by the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland held in Poland in 1569, one of the most known Sejms in Polish history. Constitucie Seymu walnego Koronnego Lubelskiego Roku Páńskiego. 1569 (Constitutions of the General Sejm of 1569 held in Lublin) include a text of the confirmation of the act of the Union of Lublin, i.e. a pact between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that united the two countries into a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The resolutions enacted by the Sejm in Lublin brought an end to a long and slow unification process of Poland and Lithuania, initiated in 1385 with the Union of Krewo that put the two countries under the same sovereign. As Sigismund II Augustus had no male heirs, the Polish nobles feared that after his death the personal union would be broken. In 1564 the king ceded to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland the hereditary right of the Jagiellonians to govern the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. One of the obstacles on the path to the unification of the two countries was the separate administrative and legal code of law adopted by Lithuania. Therefore, increased efforts were made to amend the Statue in Lithuania of 1529 – its new form was approved in 1566. In the document, the king transferred some of his powers to the Lithuanian Sejm, making its competences similar to those held by the Crown Sejm. Despite many obstacles, the Union of Lublin was concluded on July 1, 1569.

Title: Constitucie Seymu walnego Koronnego Lubelskiego, Roku Páńskiego. 1569
Published: Cracow: Nicholas Scharffenberger, 1569
Physical description: [14+1?] leaves, collation: A-C4, D3 [?] ; 2°
Illustrations: woodcut (coat of arms)
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1905, vol. 20, p. 38; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 492; Unia Lubelska 1569 roku w dziejach Polski i Europy, ed. A. Witusik, Lublin 2004
Provenance: 1. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 7641
Binding: marbled paper – 19th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.F.4417

By Konrad Szymański

The first edition of one of the most important historiographical works of the Jagiellonian period, De origine et rebus gestis Polonorum by Martin Kromer, published in Basel in 1555. It is believed that it was Sigismund II Augustus himself who ordered it to be written to give the Poles a portrayal of Polish history that would be in line with the objectives of the Republic of Poland at that time and to provide European people with more insight into the history of Poland. While writing the Chronicle, Martin Kromer was using two primary sources: Annales by Jan Długosz and archival materials. As a royal secretary and close associate of the Chancellor of Poland, Samuel Maciejowski, he had wide access to the Crown Archives. Organizing them and collecting material for his work, Kromer created the first known inventory of the Archives with records of over 850 most important documents. During his research work, he was the first to suggest that Gesta principum Polonorum, the oldest Polish chronicle, was written by a monk of French origin whom he named Gallus (hence its later popular title: The Chronicle of Gallus Anonymous). His writing was attracting a lot of attention and Kromer received assistance from his friends, who provided him with documents and sent their opinions. The Chronicle consists of 30 books in which Kromer discusses the entire history of the Commonwealth, from issues related to the genesis of the Slavic nations and the reign of the legendary Lech up to the times of Sigismund I the Old. He devoted a separate funeral speech to King Sigismund, paying tribute to this great ruler of the Golden Age. Written in Latin and published for the first time in Basel, De origine et rebus gestis Polonorum was mostly very well received in Poland and with time, it was gaining more and more popularity, both among intellectual elites and ordinary readers. The Italian humanist Francesco Robortello wrote to Kromer: “You described everything so smoothly that I do not know anyone who match you”, and a nobleman from Greater Poland said: “I am a simple student, but whoever reads Kromer will be wise”.

Author: Kromer, Martin (1512-1589)
Title: Martini Cromeri De Origine Et Rebvs Gestis Polonorvm Libri XXX… [Variant B]
Published: Basel: Johann Oporinus, 1555
Physical description: [4] leaves, [1], 2-702 [i.e. 698] pages, [20] leaves ; 2º
Illustrations: woodcuts
Bibliographic references: Barycz H., Szlakami dziejopisarstwa staropolskiego, Wrocław 1981, p. 83-123; Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1905, vol. 20, p. 280; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1351
Provenance: 1. Domus Professae Soc. Jesu ad s. Nicol. Pragae [17th century]; 2. Mich. Richey 1717
Binding: brown leather, spine tooled in gold – 17th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.F.4058

By Konrad Szymański

The small Duchy of Oświęcim and the Duchy of Zator are an interesting example of lands that became part of the Jagiellonian empire not thanks to military success but through peaceful means. At the beginning of the Jagiellonian times, they did not belong to Poland but were ruled by the Silesian dukes. The Duchy of Oświęcim was purchased in 1457 by Casimir IV Jagiellon, the Duchy of Zator – in 1494 by John I Albert. The status of both territories was changing, and they were not formally recognized as part of the Polish Crown until the times of Sigismund II Augustus, who issued privileges incorporating them into the Kingdom of Poland in 1564. The map by Abraham Ortelius presented in the exhibition is a modified version of the cartographic designs made by Stanislaus Porębski in 1563. It was one of the earliest printed maps of the Polish lands, so-called particular maps, i.e. maps of smaller areas, as opposed to general maps presenting the entire territory of a country. Since 1573 it had been reprinted several times in the editions of the Ortelius Atlas – for the first time in the Additamentum I.

Author: Porębski, Stanislaus (ca 1539-1581), Ortelius, Abraham (1527-1598)
Title: Ducatus Oswieczensis, et Zatoriensis, descriptio [in:]  A. Ortelius, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Opus nunc denuo ab ipso Auctore recognitum, multisque locis castigatum, et quamplurimis nauis Tabulis atque Commentarijs auctum
Published: Antwerp: Christophe Plantin, 1579
Physical description: map from an album; 24,5 x 22 cm; scale ca 370 000. Inscription in the top left corner: Sta. Por. Pinxit, title in the cartouche edged with ornamental and corner scrollwork in the bottom right corner, linear scale in the bottom left corner, cardinal directions on the map near the frame, map of Pomerania on the same card above, map of Polish Livonia
Medium: coloured copper engravings; [engraver:] Frans Hogenberg
Bibliographic references: M.P.R. van den Broecke, Ortelius atlas maps. An illustrated guide, ‘t Goy cop. 1996, p. 208, no. 158c; W. Kret, Katalog dawnych map Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w kolekcji Emeryka Hutten Czapskiego i w innych zbiorach, vol. 1, Wrocław 1978, p. 38, no. 36; P. van der Krogt, Koeman’s Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 3, ‘t Goy-Houten cop. 2003, p. 78, no. 31:021, p. 741, no. 1940:31
Provenance: former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 397/B/IV

By Mariusz Dworsatschek

Eighteen-century copy of the manuscript Banderia Prutenorum (Blazons of the Prussians) composed in Latin by John Długosz in 1448. The original work lists 56 banners of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, collected in 1410 and 1431 after the battles of Grunwald, Koronowo and Nakło. The illustrations were created by the Cracow painter Stanisław Durik. The copy presented in the exhibition is part of a larger volume comprising writings, excerpts and notes referring mostly to the political and state affairs of Poland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The volume consists of 117 pages, 67 of which contain Banderia Prutenorum. The copy was made from the original manuscript of Długosz in 1731 during the visitation of the cathedral church in Cracow by bishop Konstanty Felicjan Szaniawski, as indicated on its title page by the copist himself, Casimir Weysse, a canon of Kielce and vicar at the cathedral church in Cracow. Weysse added his copy of Banderia Prutenorum (as well as another text copied by him, describing a homage done by a legate from Courland in 1726) to a book already bound, belonging previously to John Andrew Próchnicki. His supralibros, stamped on the binding, is composed of Korczak coat of arms with mitre, cross and crosier above, and letters „J. A. P. A. L.”, i.e. Ioannes Andreas Próchnicki, archiepiscopus Leopoliensis. Six additional coats of arms, belonging to mother, grandmothers and great-grandmothers of the bishop, are placed on each side of the escutcheon: Janina, Sas and Hołobok coat of arms on the right side, Nieczuja, Pilawa and Leliwa coat of arms on the left side.

Author: Casimir Weysse
Title: Descriptio Prutenicae cladis seu Crucigerorum sub Iagelone, rege Poloniae, per Ioannem Dlugossum, canonicum Cracoviensem, Banderia Prutenorum…
Created: 1731
Physical description: 67 leaves; 21 x 32 cm
Illustrations: 55 watercolour illustrations, outlined with a dark border in ink, by anonymous author
Bibliographic references: Katalog rękopisów Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich, ed. W. Kętrzyński, vol. 1, Lwów 1881; Jana Długosza Banderia Prutenorum, ed. K. Górski, Warszawa 1958; Kosiński J. A., Biblioteka fundacyjna Józefa Maksymiliana Ossolińskiego, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków-Gdańsk 1971; Gębarowicz M., Jan Andrzej Próchnicki (1553–1633), Kraków 1980
Provenance: 1. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv
Binding: parchement, tooled in gold (supralibros) – 17th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 167/II, f. 59-115v

By Konrad Rzemieniecki

Paul Włodkowic of Brudzeń (ca 1370-1436), a professor and rector of the Cracow Academy, custodian and canon of Cracow, took part in the 1414 Council of Constance as a representative of Ladislaus II Jagiełło during his dispute with the Teutonic Order. His Treatise on the Teutonic Order and on the war against mentioned Knights is a response to the defense of the Teutonic Order by Jan Falkenberg and Jan Vrebach of Bamberg that had accused Poland and the Polish King of supporting the pagans. The first redaction of the treatise was written before the end of September 1416, and it was submitted to the Council between November 11, 1417 and April 22, 1418. Włodkowic accuses the Teutonic Order of exterminating non-Christian tribes under the guise of promoting the Christian faith and of seizing their lands illegally on behalf of the Pope and the Emperor. Włodkowic defend the right of pagans to have their own state and protect its borders against the Teutonic Order. The presented manuscript was written by Paul Włodkowic as a draft at the Council, as evidenced by the numerous marginal remarks and crossed out elements.

Author: Paul Włodkowic of Brudzeń
Title:  Tractatus de ordine Cruciferorum et de bello Polonorum contra dictos fratres [in:] Draft of political and legal treatises and writings by Paul Włodkowic as well as copies of documents concerning disputes between Poland and the Teutonic Order
Created: Constance, 1417
Physical description: paper, in Latin, 29,5 x 21 cm, written in several hands
Bibliographic references: Katalog Rękopisów Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich, ed. W. Kętrzyński, vol. 1, Lwów 1881; Starodawne prawa polskiego pomniki, vol. 5, pt. 1, Kraków 1878; Ehrich L., Pisma wybrane Pawła Włodkowica, vol. 2, Warszawa 1966; Ehrlich L., Paweł Włodkowic i Stanisław ze Skarbimierza; Brzostowski F., Paweł Włodkowic, Warszawa 1954
Provenance:  1. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv
Binding: boards, white leather, tooled in blind, traces of ten bosses and clasps fastened with leather strap – 15th century
Held by:  National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 166/II, p. 58-69v.

By Agnieszka Knychalska-Jaskulska

Map of Prussia, one of the territories playing a vital part in the Jagiellonian dynasty’s politics. It presents the 16th-century cartographic image of the land within the former Teutonic Prussia. At the time when the map was created, the land was divided into Royal Prussia, part of the Kingdom of Poland, and Ducal Prussia. In Poland’s history up to the Jagiellonian times, there had been few issues as important as Polish-Teutonic relations. The momentous events of that period included Poland’s victory over the Teutonic Order and the regaining of Gdańsk Pomerania as a result of the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466. In consequence, Prussia of that time, i.e. the territory of the Teutonic Order, was divided into Royal Prussia and Teutonic Prussia, called Ducal Prussia after the secularization of the State of the Teutonic Order in 1525. Interestingly, Prussia’s historical and geographical unity was reflected both in the terminology and in cartographical depictions of this area long after the division. It is well seen in the 16^th-century maps of Prussia by H. Zell and C. Henneberger. The map presented in the exhibition was created by A. Ortelius as a modified version of cartographic data by H. Zell, published for the first time in 1542 at the scale of approx. 1:670 000. Since 1570 it had been reprinted several times in the editions of the Ortelius Atlas, and in 1584 it was replaced with a new version created by Caspar Henneberger in 1576.

Author: Zell, Heinrich (1518-1564), Ortelius, Abraham (1527-1598)
Title: Prussiae Descriptio ante aliquot annos ab Henrico Zellio edita, ab eoq. D. Ioanni Clur, civi Gedanensi Ded. [in:] A. Ortelius, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Opus nunc denuo ab ipso Auctore recognitum, multisque locis castigatum, et quamplurimis nauis Tabulis atque Commentarijs auctum
Published: Antwerp: Christophe Plantin, 1579
Physical description: map from an album; 19 x 29,8 cm; scale ca 1:1 630 000
Medium: coloured copper engravings; [engraver:] Frans Hogenberg.
Bibliogrphic references: M.P.R. van den Broecke, Ortelius atlas maps. An illustrated guide, ‘t Goy cop. 1996, p. 132, no. 88b; J. Bzinkowska, Mapy ziem dawnej Polski – od XV do XVIII wieku – w wybranych atlasach Biblioteki Jagiellońskiej, Warszawa 1992, p. 98, no. 28; E. Jäger, Prussia-Karten 1542-1810. Geschichte der kartographischen Darstellung Ostpreußens vom 16. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert. Entstehung der Karten – Kosten – Vertrieb. Bibliographischer Katalog, Wießenhorn cop. 1982, p. 44-46, p. 252, no. 7; P. van der Krogt, Koeman’s Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 3, ‘t Goy-Houten cop. 2003, p. 78, no. 31:021, p. 737, no. 1720:31A; J. Szeliga, Rozwój kartografii Wybrzeża Gdańskiego do 1772 roku, Wrocław 1982, p. 36-44
Provenance: former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: 397/B/IV

By Mariusz Dworsatschek

Oration on Turkish matters written by Filippo Buonaccorsi, called Callimachus, an Italian humanist and royal secretary of Casimir IV Jagiellon, John I Albert and Alexander Jagiellon. He arrived in Poland around 1470 after a dispute with Pope. Callimachus, one of the first Italian humanists who were popularising Renaissance ideas in Poland, was also an active diplomat. He took part in many diplomatic missions, e.g. to make peace with the Ottoman Empire, and later to prolong the peace treaty. Having an influence on foreign politics of Casimir IV and Alexander, he pointed to the necessity of maintaining independence from the papacy. He is considered to be the first neo-Latin writer in Polish literature, and renowned for his works on the Ottoman Empire. In the presented speech, addressed to Pope Innocent VIII, he pointed out the errors of the Holy See in the current policy towards Turkey and stated that the Jagiellonian Poland was the only force that could stand against Turkey’s expansion into Europe. The speech was published in 1524, but it was initially delivered by Callimachus in Rome in 1490, during the anti-Turkish congress. His works marked the starting point for anti-Turkish literature in Poland.

Author: Buonaccorsi, Filippo called Callimachus (1437-1496)
Title: Philippi Callimachi Experie[n]t[is] ad Innocencium octauum Pontificem Maximum Ianua ortum de bello inferendo Turcis Oratio
Published: Cracow: Johann Haller, 1524
Physical description: [34] leaves, collation: A-G4, H6 ; 4°
Illustrations: woodcut (coat of arms)
Bibliographical references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1896, vol. 14, p. 20; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 279; Ziomek J., Renesans, Warszawa 1995, p. 77-79, 469-470
Provenance:  1. Janocius putabat unicum extare in Musaeo Załusciano. En Linde alterum Phoenicem offert Bibliothecae Ossolinianae [18th/19th century]; 2. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library in Lviv, shelfmark 1899
Binding:  cardboard – 19th century
Notes:  several marginal notes in Latin (16th/17th century)
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.Qu.2924

By Konrad Szymański

First edition of Proporzec Albo Hołd Pruski (Pennant, or the Prussian Homage), a poem by Jan Kochanowski that alluded to the Prussian Homage paid by Duke Albert Frederick to King Sigismund II Augustus on July 19, 1569, at a Sejm in Lublin. The Duke repeated the homage of his father, Duke Albert of Prussia, which took place on April 10, 1525, in Cracow, confirming the vassal status of Prussia. The book was probably written soon after 1569, its first edition may have been lost, and only the 1587 publication is known. The poem, composed mostly in Polish alexandrine measure, praises the greatness and strength of Poland and emphasizes the importance of the Polish-Lithuanian union. There are only two copies of this edition of the poem that have survived to this day, both held in the Ossolineum Library.

Author: Kochanowski, Jan (1530-1584)
Title: Proporzec Albo Hołd Pruski
Published: Cracow: Łazarz Printing House, 1587
Physical description: 16 pages ; 4°
Bibliographic references: Estreicher K., Bibliografia polska. Cz. 3: Stólecie XV-XVIII w układzie abecadłowym, Kraków 1903, vol. 14, p. 366; Katalog starych druków Biblioteki Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich: Polonica wieku XVI, ed. M. Bohonos, Wrocław 1965, no. 1307; Ziomek J., Renesans, Warszawa 1995, p. 329
Provenance: 1. Joannis Bogusławski 1589; 2. Joseph Maximilian Ossoliński (1748-1826); 3. Former collection of the Ossolineum Library, shelfmark 7416
Binding: leather – 20th century
Held by: National Ossoliński Institute
Shelfmark: XVI.Qu.2195

By Konrad Szymański