DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25050#0059
In Sigismund’s Chapel, Berrecci created an original and highly
homogenous ensemble of architecture and sculpture, with a sophi-
sticated symbolical content. It is the finest exemplar of the Polish
Renaissance; its spatial arrangement and the architectural and
sculptural solutions employed for the Sigismund’s tomb, set
a model for the entire country for several decades.
Renaissance forms found their earliest and fullest expression in
small structures and stone sculpture. The most typical motif was
a tomb in an architectural framework, with a reclining figure of
the deceased, the head supported by the arm. Cracow churches
were also filled with humbler memorial tablets. In the mid-six-
teenth century, beside the Italian decorative motifs, those of
Netherlandish origin started to appear, popularized by illustrated
pattern-books. In the third quarter of the sixteenth century the
first Polish sculptor and architect who fully absorbed Italian
Renaissance style gained prominence: Jan Michalowicz. He was
responsible for the chapels and tombs of Bishop Zebrzydowski
and Bishop Padniewski in the Cathedral. The development of
sixteenth-century sculpture in Cracow was closed by the art of
Santi Gucci, flamboyantly Mannerist, combining the refined
traditions of the Florentine Cinquecento with the fantastic rich-
ness of northern ornamentation.
In large-scale architecture, Renaissance influences were ab-
sorbed with more difficulty, severly hampered by the functions of
the buildings, traditional technology and climatic conditions.
Even the pinnacle of Polish Renaissance architecture, the Sigis-
mund Chapel, had its proportions tailored to its Gothic sur-
roundings. Local tradition heavily influenced the shape of the
Wawel Castle. The number of Italians was limited and the local
builders and stoneworkers had only a superficial knowledge of
Renaissance forms, not always comprehending their function and
meaning. Even some of the works done under royal patronage
were peculiar mixtures of Renaissance and Gothic forms, the
best examples being the east-wing portals of the Wawel Castle.
The Late Gothic period of intensive construction in Cracow
49
homogenous ensemble of architecture and sculpture, with a sophi-
sticated symbolical content. It is the finest exemplar of the Polish
Renaissance; its spatial arrangement and the architectural and
sculptural solutions employed for the Sigismund’s tomb, set
a model for the entire country for several decades.
Renaissance forms found their earliest and fullest expression in
small structures and stone sculpture. The most typical motif was
a tomb in an architectural framework, with a reclining figure of
the deceased, the head supported by the arm. Cracow churches
were also filled with humbler memorial tablets. In the mid-six-
teenth century, beside the Italian decorative motifs, those of
Netherlandish origin started to appear, popularized by illustrated
pattern-books. In the third quarter of the sixteenth century the
first Polish sculptor and architect who fully absorbed Italian
Renaissance style gained prominence: Jan Michalowicz. He was
responsible for the chapels and tombs of Bishop Zebrzydowski
and Bishop Padniewski in the Cathedral. The development of
sixteenth-century sculpture in Cracow was closed by the art of
Santi Gucci, flamboyantly Mannerist, combining the refined
traditions of the Florentine Cinquecento with the fantastic rich-
ness of northern ornamentation.
In large-scale architecture, Renaissance influences were ab-
sorbed with more difficulty, severly hampered by the functions of
the buildings, traditional technology and climatic conditions.
Even the pinnacle of Polish Renaissance architecture, the Sigis-
mund Chapel, had its proportions tailored to its Gothic sur-
roundings. Local tradition heavily influenced the shape of the
Wawel Castle. The number of Italians was limited and the local
builders and stoneworkers had only a superficial knowledge of
Renaissance forms, not always comprehending their function and
meaning. Even some of the works done under royal patronage
were peculiar mixtures of Renaissance and Gothic forms, the
best examples being the east-wing portals of the Wawel Castle.
The Late Gothic period of intensive construction in Cracow
49