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DOI Artikel:Ström, Emilia: Pierścień i nić. Próba atrybucji portretu z Gripsholmu
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.34475#0048
42
EMILIA STROM
our painting. The woman wears her pearl snood in a
similar fashion to Margareta Leijonhuvud. Both
women's hairstyles differ to some degree from those
applied throughout the rest of Europe. Her costume
of a Spanish cut is not black, as was customary at
most European courts, but red like Erik XIV's
Spanish costumes in his portraits attributed to Steven
van der Meuien and Dominicus Verwilt. Does our
model have a Swedish background or connection to
the Swedish court? Her long and heavy chain with a
large cross, which she holds in her hand, is
reminiscent of Gustav Vasa's long chain on the
king's portrait belonging to Bystad Manor in Narke.
In particular the shapes of the chain's links are
identical. On the Bystad portrait, the king is
fingering his gold chain and simultaneously pointing
to the link of the chain with the foref nger of his right
hand.
7Vm zoya/ /zogoTAiRo/z.s o/ /3A3
It was normal practice at European courts during the
16th century for portraits to be painted at marriage
negotiations. Several of these arose in 1563 at Erik
XIV's court. The king negotiated simultaneously
with several parties both for himself and for the Vasa
princesses. One of Erik's possible contracting
parties, Christina of Hesse, was, for example,
painted in 1563 by Domenicus Verwilt, but the
whereabouts of this portrait is unknown. Erik's half-
sister, Princess Elisabet, was promised to her
prospective husband Christopher of Mecklenburg in
1562 who was subsequently imprisoned in 1563.
Since remarkably few original portraits from this
time have been preserved or left reasonably intact
over the centuries, the monographic material is
extremely limited. We know what Elisabet looked
like from her gravestone in Schwerin and from a
medal in the Royal Coin Cabinet. Apart from this,
there is a portrait at Gripsholm that is believed to
possibly depict Elisabet Vasa. However, this for us
still-unknown woman is not Elisabet.
The woman in the Gripsholm portrait wears no
rings on her fingers, but does have one that hangs,
attached to the band of the ruff. Thus, there is some
reason to presume this portrait was commissioned at
the time of her ongoing marriage negotiations or,
even more likely, her betrothal which is a more
binding contract than an engagement and also meant
that the partners exchanged gifts.
The year 1563 was a dramatic one for Gustaf
Vasa's bnoA AeanA/A/ aAo 77?oV biiV/imA
r/angAAiA Princess Cecilia (1540-1627). Owing to
the prevailing political circumstances, she had been
promised by Erik to contracting parties from both
east and west. She was still betrothed to the Polish
ambassador, Count Jan Tęczyński (1540-1563) at
the same time as Erik promised her to the Landgrave
of Hesse's eldest son and to the powerful Earl of
Arundel, Henry Fitzalan (1511-1580), only to marry
her, in 1564, to Christopher of Baden-Rodemachem.
(TczV/'a mzv/ .Am k /rv/gr'r /orr* stoiy
On 20th May, 1561, the Polish diplomat, Jan
Baptista Tęczyński, Count of Tęczyn and Palatine
of Belz, came to Stockholm with a retinue of 100
people. He was to negotiate for the planned marriage
between Duke Johan and Katarina Jagellonica.
During his sojourn, he and Princess Cecilia took a
liking to each other. The Polish count proposed, Erik
XIV expressed his approval and the marriage was
planned for June 1562.
Then the political scene altered entirely and the
marriage was postponed. Poland, together with
Denmark, now became Sweden's enemy. The
Nordic seven-year war threatened to break out. Erik
XIV totally changed his opinion about the wedding
just as the Polish King Sigismund August forbad
Tęczyński to travel to Stockholm. When Tęczyński
sent two noblemen to Sweden to teach Cecilia the
Polish language, they were arrested on orders of
Erik. The princess protested, claiming that both the
king and Council had agreed to her betrothal. On
18th January 1563, she wrote to Queen Elizabeth
that the marriage with Jan Baptista had now been
broken off. Cecilia adds that now she would like to
remain unmarried until 'Gm? JeczAe-y otAeinvzke',
and also asks the queen for permission to visit her in
England. In spite of all this, in July 1563 Jan Baptista
decided to sail to Sweden in order to go through with
the marriage. Amongst the crew of more than one
hundred men was the Englishman, George North. On
17th September, the Polish vessel was Bred at and
boarded by the Danes. The crew was imprisoned in
Copenhagen. On 27th December 1563, Fredrik II
Sigismund August was informed that Tęczyński had
died of an illness which had also inflicted other crew
members.
The unhappy romance between Cecilia and Jan
Baptista left a deep impression on their
contemporaries in several countries. On 25 February
1564, Queen Elizabeth wrote to Cecilia, mentioning:
'... we/ee/ axP^rze yarn became of z7ze /o-s^yoM ar*e
evperienczTzg*yb/Zoiv/ng fAe r/TynV r/eatA tAat be/e//
tAe 7??oV Ao7roM7v?b/e a7?r/ ybr yoar znoV y^ec/ony
per-swn..' . The letter was delivered to Cecilia by
George North who had previously served both
Cecilia and Tęczyński.
In Poland, the young count's sad fate became a
subject over the centuries for many prominent poets,
novelists and historians. In Sweden, the romance
EMILIA STROM
our painting. The woman wears her pearl snood in a
similar fashion to Margareta Leijonhuvud. Both
women's hairstyles differ to some degree from those
applied throughout the rest of Europe. Her costume
of a Spanish cut is not black, as was customary at
most European courts, but red like Erik XIV's
Spanish costumes in his portraits attributed to Steven
van der Meuien and Dominicus Verwilt. Does our
model have a Swedish background or connection to
the Swedish court? Her long and heavy chain with a
large cross, which she holds in her hand, is
reminiscent of Gustav Vasa's long chain on the
king's portrait belonging to Bystad Manor in Narke.
In particular the shapes of the chain's links are
identical. On the Bystad portrait, the king is
fingering his gold chain and simultaneously pointing
to the link of the chain with the foref nger of his right
hand.
7Vm zoya/ /zogoTAiRo/z.s o/ /3A3
It was normal practice at European courts during the
16th century for portraits to be painted at marriage
negotiations. Several of these arose in 1563 at Erik
XIV's court. The king negotiated simultaneously
with several parties both for himself and for the Vasa
princesses. One of Erik's possible contracting
parties, Christina of Hesse, was, for example,
painted in 1563 by Domenicus Verwilt, but the
whereabouts of this portrait is unknown. Erik's half-
sister, Princess Elisabet, was promised to her
prospective husband Christopher of Mecklenburg in
1562 who was subsequently imprisoned in 1563.
Since remarkably few original portraits from this
time have been preserved or left reasonably intact
over the centuries, the monographic material is
extremely limited. We know what Elisabet looked
like from her gravestone in Schwerin and from a
medal in the Royal Coin Cabinet. Apart from this,
there is a portrait at Gripsholm that is believed to
possibly depict Elisabet Vasa. However, this for us
still-unknown woman is not Elisabet.
The woman in the Gripsholm portrait wears no
rings on her fingers, but does have one that hangs,
attached to the band of the ruff. Thus, there is some
reason to presume this portrait was commissioned at
the time of her ongoing marriage negotiations or,
even more likely, her betrothal which is a more
binding contract than an engagement and also meant
that the partners exchanged gifts.
The year 1563 was a dramatic one for Gustaf
Vasa's bnoA AeanA/A/ aAo 77?oV biiV/imA
r/angAAiA Princess Cecilia (1540-1627). Owing to
the prevailing political circumstances, she had been
promised by Erik to contracting parties from both
east and west. She was still betrothed to the Polish
ambassador, Count Jan Tęczyński (1540-1563) at
the same time as Erik promised her to the Landgrave
of Hesse's eldest son and to the powerful Earl of
Arundel, Henry Fitzalan (1511-1580), only to marry
her, in 1564, to Christopher of Baden-Rodemachem.
(TczV/'a mzv/ .Am k /rv/gr'r /orr* stoiy
On 20th May, 1561, the Polish diplomat, Jan
Baptista Tęczyński, Count of Tęczyn and Palatine
of Belz, came to Stockholm with a retinue of 100
people. He was to negotiate for the planned marriage
between Duke Johan and Katarina Jagellonica.
During his sojourn, he and Princess Cecilia took a
liking to each other. The Polish count proposed, Erik
XIV expressed his approval and the marriage was
planned for June 1562.
Then the political scene altered entirely and the
marriage was postponed. Poland, together with
Denmark, now became Sweden's enemy. The
Nordic seven-year war threatened to break out. Erik
XIV totally changed his opinion about the wedding
just as the Polish King Sigismund August forbad
Tęczyński to travel to Stockholm. When Tęczyński
sent two noblemen to Sweden to teach Cecilia the
Polish language, they were arrested on orders of
Erik. The princess protested, claiming that both the
king and Council had agreed to her betrothal. On
18th January 1563, she wrote to Queen Elizabeth
that the marriage with Jan Baptista had now been
broken off. Cecilia adds that now she would like to
remain unmarried until 'Gm? JeczAe-y otAeinvzke',
and also asks the queen for permission to visit her in
England. In spite of all this, in July 1563 Jan Baptista
decided to sail to Sweden in order to go through with
the marriage. Amongst the crew of more than one
hundred men was the Englishman, George North. On
17th September, the Polish vessel was Bred at and
boarded by the Danes. The crew was imprisoned in
Copenhagen. On 27th December 1563, Fredrik II
Sigismund August was informed that Tęczyński had
died of an illness which had also inflicted other crew
members.
The unhappy romance between Cecilia and Jan
Baptista left a deep impression on their
contemporaries in several countries. On 25 February
1564, Queen Elizabeth wrote to Cecilia, mentioning:
'... we/ee/ axP^rze yarn became of z7ze /o-s^yoM ar*e
evperienczTzg*yb/Zoiv/ng fAe r/TynV r/eatA tAat be/e//
tAe 7??oV Ao7roM7v?b/e a7?r/ ybr yoar znoV y^ec/ony
per-swn..' . The letter was delivered to Cecilia by
George North who had previously served both
Cecilia and Tęczyński.
In Poland, the young count's sad fate became a
subject over the centuries for many prominent poets,
novelists and historians. In Sweden, the romance