DOI article:
Kazubowska, Joanna: Dwaj książęta i moda: studium wartości poznawczej strojów i tkanin w malarstwie na przykładzie portretów autorstwa Bartłomieja Strobla (1591-ok. 1647)
Citation link:https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/modus2020/0096
leader, pillar of a powerful family, or a diplomat. Perhaps both of the best portraits
by Strobel were created in connection with the planned marriages of the por-
trayed men, which cautiously suggests that the paintings might have had their
female counterparts.
Conclusions
The example of the portraits here discussed illustrates the fact that both Stro-
bel himself and his models were perfectly familiar with the current fashion in
Western Europę, and also that they reacted to any changes introduced therein.
Furthermore, it was an instantaneous reaction, which we observe when comparing
the costumes of the magnates with items stored in museums (mainly in England
and Germany), in which cases the time of creation is precisely defined. Thanks
to Strobels art, we can observe the extremely fast process of adaptation by Polish
magnates, nobility, and bourgeoisie to the latest trends and changes in European
fashion. This is an extremely valuable source of information, especially with
the view to the negligible State of preservation of the original garments or their
fragments in Polish collections. The painters treatment of the details ofWestern
European costumes, rendered with the greatest attention and precision, provides
a kind of document, confirming the artistic tastes of the inhabitants of the Polish -
-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the reign of the Waza dynasty. The direc-
tions chosen by Polish customers in the search for fashion novelties included
France and England. The sons - as there is no information about the daughters -
of the magnates of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania visited both Paris and London. Prince Janusz Radziwiłł has certainly
done so, and during his stay in London, he received the news of the royal nomi-
nation to the Lithuanian chamberlainship, which undoubtedly could have influ-
enced his decision to commission an outfit appropriate to this new distinction.
Dressing “according to foreign fashion” was typical especially for the magnate
youths, whereas it did not arouse the enthusiasm on the part of the noble clien-
tele, accustomed to traditional, native dress, which corresponded to the image
of a Sarmatian - popular among the nobility, created as an iconographic model
of the national myth. Characteristically, that same Janusz Radziwiłł, after he
had received the nomination for the Lithuanian field hetman, instructed Daniel
Schulz to paint him in the satin żupan garment, thus renouncing the Western
fashion, ostentatiously foreign to the Polish and Lithuanian nobility whom he
was to going to lead in the capacity of a military superior.
From the conducted analysis, it seems certain that Bartłomiej Strobel por-
trayed his models in specific costumes that they actually used. This is evidenced
by the similarities between the costumes and fragments of textiles found in mu-
seum collections throughout Europę and - less frequently - also in Poland. Such
a precise rendition of the clothes’ details could not have resulted from the painter s
fantasy; an unreal, imaginary outfit would have placed the portrayed dignitary
in an unfavorable light, morę of a figurę in disguise than a wealthy magnate.
The courtly elite of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, performing numer-
ous clerical functions, often appeared in public, which was widely commented
on by the opponents and the supporters alike. Participation in court ceremonies
was a fashion show of sorts, providing the opportunity to show off one’s textile
acquisitions. Furthermore, following the latest fashion trends was a deliberate,
96
ARTICLES
Joanna Kazubowska
by Strobel were created in connection with the planned marriages of the por-
trayed men, which cautiously suggests that the paintings might have had their
female counterparts.
Conclusions
The example of the portraits here discussed illustrates the fact that both Stro-
bel himself and his models were perfectly familiar with the current fashion in
Western Europę, and also that they reacted to any changes introduced therein.
Furthermore, it was an instantaneous reaction, which we observe when comparing
the costumes of the magnates with items stored in museums (mainly in England
and Germany), in which cases the time of creation is precisely defined. Thanks
to Strobels art, we can observe the extremely fast process of adaptation by Polish
magnates, nobility, and bourgeoisie to the latest trends and changes in European
fashion. This is an extremely valuable source of information, especially with
the view to the negligible State of preservation of the original garments or their
fragments in Polish collections. The painters treatment of the details ofWestern
European costumes, rendered with the greatest attention and precision, provides
a kind of document, confirming the artistic tastes of the inhabitants of the Polish -
-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the reign of the Waza dynasty. The direc-
tions chosen by Polish customers in the search for fashion novelties included
France and England. The sons - as there is no information about the daughters -
of the magnates of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania visited both Paris and London. Prince Janusz Radziwiłł has certainly
done so, and during his stay in London, he received the news of the royal nomi-
nation to the Lithuanian chamberlainship, which undoubtedly could have influ-
enced his decision to commission an outfit appropriate to this new distinction.
Dressing “according to foreign fashion” was typical especially for the magnate
youths, whereas it did not arouse the enthusiasm on the part of the noble clien-
tele, accustomed to traditional, native dress, which corresponded to the image
of a Sarmatian - popular among the nobility, created as an iconographic model
of the national myth. Characteristically, that same Janusz Radziwiłł, after he
had received the nomination for the Lithuanian field hetman, instructed Daniel
Schulz to paint him in the satin żupan garment, thus renouncing the Western
fashion, ostentatiously foreign to the Polish and Lithuanian nobility whom he
was to going to lead in the capacity of a military superior.
From the conducted analysis, it seems certain that Bartłomiej Strobel por-
trayed his models in specific costumes that they actually used. This is evidenced
by the similarities between the costumes and fragments of textiles found in mu-
seum collections throughout Europę and - less frequently - also in Poland. Such
a precise rendition of the clothes’ details could not have resulted from the painter s
fantasy; an unreal, imaginary outfit would have placed the portrayed dignitary
in an unfavorable light, morę of a figurę in disguise than a wealthy magnate.
The courtly elite of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, performing numer-
ous clerical functions, often appeared in public, which was widely commented
on by the opponents and the supporters alike. Participation in court ceremonies
was a fashion show of sorts, providing the opportunity to show off one’s textile
acquisitions. Furthermore, following the latest fashion trends was a deliberate,
96
ARTICLES
Joanna Kazubowska