Modus: Prace z historii sztuki (18.2018)

morę such significant - though sometimes falsely juxtaposed - elements, as the
engraving presented a kind of allegory of the Wawel hill as a monument to all that
was best in the national past (which could also add authority to the author himself
as the “erstwhile Crown custodian”, that is the guardian of the royal insignia, and at
the same time, the current parish priest of the Wawel cathedral church). Therefore
Sierakowski placed in the castle courtyard not only a piąte with the emblems of the
Crown of Poland and Lithuania and of the Sforzas, referring to the principals of
its classical decoration. There were also some of the “graves” of Casimir the Great
and John iii Sobieski - as if transferred from the cathedral - with formidable
forms that did justice to the might of these rulers. The second was the tribute to
the hero of Vienna on the part of Stanislaus Augustus, under whose rule Poland
began to rise from the crisis of the Saxon era, in Sierakowskis opinion. The first,
however, although it was madę “in an altogether Gothic taste”, was not prevented
from being “a perfect, durable and delicate work”.27 After all, Sierakowski saw in
king Casimir the Great the paradigm of a monarch-builder, who built “perfect
structures [...] according to the age”, such as Krakóws Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), at
the same time presenting an idea of the benefits that society can derive from the
rational construction policy of its rulers (“in time of hunger in Kraków, guided by
his healthy policy for the city s benefit, and his tender heart for the people, together
for trade and humanity, he undertook the work of bricklaying the Sukiennice mar-
ket in Kraków”).28 The juxtaposition of the arches in his memoriał tomb with the
arcades of the castle courtyard in the background was eloquently indicative of the
formal affinities here (about the architecture of king Casimir s time progressing in
the direction of that of king Sigismunds), confirming Sierakowskis initial thesis
about the relationship between good governance and good architecture. The il-
lustration also includes bas-relief of the “medallions [...] expressing kings who
loved science and learning”, which resulted from the vision of good architecture as
a science, promoted by Sierakowski (morę about this concept in the further part of
this article). These monarchs were Casimir the Great (the founder of the Kraków
Academy), Stephen Batory (founder of the Vilnius Academy), and Sigismund the
Old.29 It also features an image of the Szczerbiec sword (albeit not precise, because
this medieval sword looks morę like a contemporary sabre, with a hilt reminiscent
of the ceremoniał weapon of Stanislaus Augustus) as memorabilia from the First
crowned Polish ruler, Boleslaus the Brave. Breaking from this narrative - but only
seemingly so - is the detail which can be seen “above the title on the tableau, [...]
the fabulous dragon”, or the legendary Wawel monster. This was not only a symbol
of the Wawel hill s eternal lasting, as a place of particular importance on the map of
Polish lands, but also a sign of civic responsibility for the community. Sierakowski
wrote in his “Tłómaczenie kopersztychów” (“Explanation of the copper engrav-
ings”) that “the fabulous dragon [...] from the cave under the Wawel hill [...] spread
damages and terror in the area, until the Citizen of the city concocted an animal
stuffed with flammables, and sneaked it to the beast for its consumption, and when
that ignited inside this monster s entrails, it has torn them apart”.30 In this way,
27 S. Sierakowski, Architektura, vol. 1, unpaged.
28 Ibidem, p. 200.
29 Ibidem, unpaged (“Tłómaczenie kopersztychów”).
30 Ibidem, unpaged (“Tłómaczenie kopersztychów”).

Sebastian Sierakowskie treatise and the question of disseminating architectural knowledge... 99