DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31110#0559
missions were to last for longer periods of time, such as in the case of Jan Dantiscus'
(fig. 10) activities at the court of the emperor Charles V in the years 1522-1523-
Sigismund's attitude towards the agents acting on behalf of the Habsburg's
court must seem strange. One of these agents was the wealthy merchant Carl
Cotzer. In spite of the fact that the monarch could influence city councils, he did
nothing to hamper Cotzers career, as the latter was elected three times mayor of
Cracow. Then too, if the king had enjoyed greater executive power he might have
punished his closest friend, chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki (1467-1532) (fig. 3)
who had been sending secret Information of the highest order to the Habsburgs in
exchange for money sińce 1515. Seweryn Boner (1486-1549), probably the richest
individual in Poland (fig. 9 and 179), took part in the councils of a smali group of
senators with ties to the monarch. He then sent news of their councils to the
Habsburgs, as this facilitated his business interests in Germany. Nor should the
most important dignitaries of the church be overlooked. Sigismund I differed, in
matters of internal policies with that outstanding statesman the chancellor Jan
Laski (fig. 7), who considered that the king should rest his power on the nobility.
In 1510 Sigismund thus appointed Laski primate and bishop of Gniezno. When in
1519 the sejm (parlament) appointed two representatives to draw up laws, Laski
asked his canons whether it would be worthwhile to collect money for a bribe for
the clerks, so they would not formulate laws unfavourable to the clergy. The
canons, however, decided that it would be better not to commit the crime sińce it
might become known.
And yet, these persons left behind both political and diplomatic
achievements, as well as important architectural monuments. Examples of these
latter include the castle (later rebuilt) of the grand treasurer Mikołaj Szydłowiecki
in Szydłowiec (fig. 13), the castle of the Boners in Ogrodzieniec (now in ruins, fig.
14), and the rebuilt Renaissance villa of Jost Ludwik Decjusz in Wola Justowska
(fig. 8). Connected with the king, these men madę use of the same artists as he did.
In accordance with the principle defined in sociology as the functioning of status
symbols in hierarchical societies, they adopted the models created at a higher level
of social development. After all, every social group has its own status symbols,
distinguishing it from higher and lower groups on the social ladder. Status symbols,
being a composite element of cultural models, always have a tendency to trickle
downwards, as those created on higher levels are adopted by lower groups, who are
always characterized by a desire to move up. The distance between a group that
imitates and that which is imitated cannot, however, be too great.
The author's discussion of the social function of art is based on Arnold
Hauser's book, published in Polish in 1974, which is not entirely free of
simplifications. The development of religious and social life constituted the basis
for shaping the organization called a State. The best definition of a State is given
by Cicero (106-43 B.C.), who wrote that 7A ń <% /ktgc co//ccAo72
272 /A mrOgwAHz o/A C0772772072 Are <%T2<7 /A 7TJ////272g JnWF 72 07772772072 0wA(272f<2.' The
existence of a State is thus guaranteed by laws regulating the relations between
persons — laws to which both rulers and the ruled are subjected. A State may be
governed by an individual or by a group of persons, but until the end of the 18^
554
(fig. 10) activities at the court of the emperor Charles V in the years 1522-1523-
Sigismund's attitude towards the agents acting on behalf of the Habsburg's
court must seem strange. One of these agents was the wealthy merchant Carl
Cotzer. In spite of the fact that the monarch could influence city councils, he did
nothing to hamper Cotzers career, as the latter was elected three times mayor of
Cracow. Then too, if the king had enjoyed greater executive power he might have
punished his closest friend, chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki (1467-1532) (fig. 3)
who had been sending secret Information of the highest order to the Habsburgs in
exchange for money sińce 1515. Seweryn Boner (1486-1549), probably the richest
individual in Poland (fig. 9 and 179), took part in the councils of a smali group of
senators with ties to the monarch. He then sent news of their councils to the
Habsburgs, as this facilitated his business interests in Germany. Nor should the
most important dignitaries of the church be overlooked. Sigismund I differed, in
matters of internal policies with that outstanding statesman the chancellor Jan
Laski (fig. 7), who considered that the king should rest his power on the nobility.
In 1510 Sigismund thus appointed Laski primate and bishop of Gniezno. When in
1519 the sejm (parlament) appointed two representatives to draw up laws, Laski
asked his canons whether it would be worthwhile to collect money for a bribe for
the clerks, so they would not formulate laws unfavourable to the clergy. The
canons, however, decided that it would be better not to commit the crime sińce it
might become known.
And yet, these persons left behind both political and diplomatic
achievements, as well as important architectural monuments. Examples of these
latter include the castle (later rebuilt) of the grand treasurer Mikołaj Szydłowiecki
in Szydłowiec (fig. 13), the castle of the Boners in Ogrodzieniec (now in ruins, fig.
14), and the rebuilt Renaissance villa of Jost Ludwik Decjusz in Wola Justowska
(fig. 8). Connected with the king, these men madę use of the same artists as he did.
In accordance with the principle defined in sociology as the functioning of status
symbols in hierarchical societies, they adopted the models created at a higher level
of social development. After all, every social group has its own status symbols,
distinguishing it from higher and lower groups on the social ladder. Status symbols,
being a composite element of cultural models, always have a tendency to trickle
downwards, as those created on higher levels are adopted by lower groups, who are
always characterized by a desire to move up. The distance between a group that
imitates and that which is imitated cannot, however, be too great.
The author's discussion of the social function of art is based on Arnold
Hauser's book, published in Polish in 1974, which is not entirely free of
simplifications. The development of religious and social life constituted the basis
for shaping the organization called a State. The best definition of a State is given
by Cicero (106-43 B.C.), who wrote that 7A ń <% /ktgc co//ccAo72
272 /A mrOgwAHz o/A C0772772072 Are <%T2<7 /A 7TJ////272g JnWF 72 07772772072 0wA(272f<2.' The
existence of a State is thus guaranteed by laws regulating the relations between
persons — laws to which both rulers and the ruled are subjected. A State may be
governed by an individual or by a group of persons, but until the end of the 18^
554