DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.23631#0024
2 0 Gothic sceptre of Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon is the most resplendent of the three. It is topped by a capi-
tal with a crown of foliage, and its polygonal staff ends at the base in an orb. Inside the crown which tops
the sceptre there are enamelled armorial bearings of Pope Alexander VI, Poland, and the Habsburgs.
The sceptre is attributed to the Cracow goldsmith Marcin Marciniec.
Two magnificent reliquaries preserved in the Treasury of Wawel Cathedral were becjueathed by members
of the Jagiellon dynasty. A donation of Queen Sophia (d. 1461), the fourth wife oi Ladislaus Jagiello,
is a golden casket in the form of a twelve-sided arcaded shrine with figures of saints and angels in the
severe style of Early Gothic. Originally, it was the reliquary for the head of St. Stanislaus, and at present
it holds the head of St. Florian. The other reliquary, presented in 1 504 by Elizabeth of Austria, widow
of Casimir Jagiellon, is known as the Golden House. This gold reliquary, the work of the Cracow goldsmith
Marciniec bearing his signature, is considered one of the most outstanding examples of Late Gothic
goldsmithing in Poland and beyond. Octagonal in shape, it is covered with a flattened dome resting on
the shoulders of four angels holding shields with the coats-of-arms of Poland, Lithuania, Cardinal Frederick,
and Queen Elizabeth. Its sides are engraved with scenes from the life of St. Stanislaus, demonstrating
Veit Stoss' influence. The cover is studded with pearls and precious stones, notable among which are
a magnificent sapphire and black diamond. The fact that the artist inscribed this work with his signature
testifies to his Renaissance bias. Marciniec is frequently mentioned in documents of the Cracow goldsmiths'
guild, and between i486 and 1 518 held the position of court goldsmith. For King Sigismund (1) the
Old he produced chalices and other liturgical vessels, but also caskets, clasps studded with pearls,
belt buckles, sword hilts, silver spoons, cups and dishes engraved with the royal arms. In 1 5 12, on the
king's orders, Marciniec made a triptych in gilded silver for the altar with the silver coffin of St. Stanislaus
in Wawel Cathedral. This work was unfortunately looted and destroyed by the Swedes in 1657.
The sumptuous chasuble dating from 1505, bequeathed by Voivode Piotr Kmita the Elder, is
reminiscent of the St. Stanislaus reliquary, being embroidered with scenes from that saint s life. In its
present state, only its central orphrey is original, since the rest of the material was in such bad condition
that it had to be replaced. The orphrey depicts seven scenes from the life of St. Stanislaus with the armorial
bearings of the Kmita family (Sreniawa) at the bottom. The faces of the figures shown in these scenes,
the patterns on their robes and contours of other minor items are embroidered in coloured silks, while the
remainder is modelled in crimson, green and yellow lame. The outlines of robes, furniture, windows and
plant ornaments are trimmed with small pearls, whereas such objects as swords, chalices, incense-burners,
crosiers and beaks and claws of eagles, are fashioned in gilded silver with extraordinary precision. The
whole recalls a bas-relief sculpture rather than a piece of embroidery. Many such embroidered works must
have been made in Cracow at the time, but the Kmita chasuble was obviously a masterpiece, highly valued
and piously preserved.
A considerable number of liturgical vessels and vestments dating back to the Late Gothic period have
been preserved in Poland. Most of these objects were votive offerings donated by kings and magnates.
Many chalices from that period have survived in various churches in Great Poland and Little Poland, the
great majority of local workmanship. As regards such objects, the Gothic style continued well into the
1 6th century. One example of this vitality of the Gothic style is the magnificent chalice offered in 1 5 14 by
Krzysztof Szydlowiecki to the Bernardine church in Opatow, subsequently transferred to the collegiate
church in Opatow and at present to be seen in the State Art Collections in Wawel Castle. The same goes
for various Gothic embroidered chasubles as well as objects in bronze which have survived. On the other
hand practically no furniture from the Gothic and Early Renaissance period has been preserved in Poland.
In other branches of artistic crafts, Gothic intermingled with Renaissance influences which reached Poland
from Italy via Hungary and from southern Germany thanks to both imported goods and foreign artists
who were invited to the royal court as servitores regis. The example set by the court was followed by
magnates, the rich gentry and burghers.
Thanks to an extraordinary series of happy circumstances, the sword of Sigismund the Old, listed in
inventories of the Royal Treasury in Wawel Castle since the 16th century, was returned to Wawel after
an absence of close on two centuries. This sword, known as Gladius lustitiae (The Sword of Justice),
probably made in Cracow in circa 1526, combines Gothic and Renaissance features. The scabbard,
covered in gilded silver, is engraved with the king's likeness and the inscription 'Sigismundus Rex lustus'.
Its narrow angular blade is reminiscent of the tuck sword described in detail in instructions of the Cracow
guild of swordmakers.
tal with a crown of foliage, and its polygonal staff ends at the base in an orb. Inside the crown which tops
the sceptre there are enamelled armorial bearings of Pope Alexander VI, Poland, and the Habsburgs.
The sceptre is attributed to the Cracow goldsmith Marcin Marciniec.
Two magnificent reliquaries preserved in the Treasury of Wawel Cathedral were becjueathed by members
of the Jagiellon dynasty. A donation of Queen Sophia (d. 1461), the fourth wife oi Ladislaus Jagiello,
is a golden casket in the form of a twelve-sided arcaded shrine with figures of saints and angels in the
severe style of Early Gothic. Originally, it was the reliquary for the head of St. Stanislaus, and at present
it holds the head of St. Florian. The other reliquary, presented in 1 504 by Elizabeth of Austria, widow
of Casimir Jagiellon, is known as the Golden House. This gold reliquary, the work of the Cracow goldsmith
Marciniec bearing his signature, is considered one of the most outstanding examples of Late Gothic
goldsmithing in Poland and beyond. Octagonal in shape, it is covered with a flattened dome resting on
the shoulders of four angels holding shields with the coats-of-arms of Poland, Lithuania, Cardinal Frederick,
and Queen Elizabeth. Its sides are engraved with scenes from the life of St. Stanislaus, demonstrating
Veit Stoss' influence. The cover is studded with pearls and precious stones, notable among which are
a magnificent sapphire and black diamond. The fact that the artist inscribed this work with his signature
testifies to his Renaissance bias. Marciniec is frequently mentioned in documents of the Cracow goldsmiths'
guild, and between i486 and 1 518 held the position of court goldsmith. For King Sigismund (1) the
Old he produced chalices and other liturgical vessels, but also caskets, clasps studded with pearls,
belt buckles, sword hilts, silver spoons, cups and dishes engraved with the royal arms. In 1 5 12, on the
king's orders, Marciniec made a triptych in gilded silver for the altar with the silver coffin of St. Stanislaus
in Wawel Cathedral. This work was unfortunately looted and destroyed by the Swedes in 1657.
The sumptuous chasuble dating from 1505, bequeathed by Voivode Piotr Kmita the Elder, is
reminiscent of the St. Stanislaus reliquary, being embroidered with scenes from that saint s life. In its
present state, only its central orphrey is original, since the rest of the material was in such bad condition
that it had to be replaced. The orphrey depicts seven scenes from the life of St. Stanislaus with the armorial
bearings of the Kmita family (Sreniawa) at the bottom. The faces of the figures shown in these scenes,
the patterns on their robes and contours of other minor items are embroidered in coloured silks, while the
remainder is modelled in crimson, green and yellow lame. The outlines of robes, furniture, windows and
plant ornaments are trimmed with small pearls, whereas such objects as swords, chalices, incense-burners,
crosiers and beaks and claws of eagles, are fashioned in gilded silver with extraordinary precision. The
whole recalls a bas-relief sculpture rather than a piece of embroidery. Many such embroidered works must
have been made in Cracow at the time, but the Kmita chasuble was obviously a masterpiece, highly valued
and piously preserved.
A considerable number of liturgical vessels and vestments dating back to the Late Gothic period have
been preserved in Poland. Most of these objects were votive offerings donated by kings and magnates.
Many chalices from that period have survived in various churches in Great Poland and Little Poland, the
great majority of local workmanship. As regards such objects, the Gothic style continued well into the
1 6th century. One example of this vitality of the Gothic style is the magnificent chalice offered in 1 5 14 by
Krzysztof Szydlowiecki to the Bernardine church in Opatow, subsequently transferred to the collegiate
church in Opatow and at present to be seen in the State Art Collections in Wawel Castle. The same goes
for various Gothic embroidered chasubles as well as objects in bronze which have survived. On the other
hand practically no furniture from the Gothic and Early Renaissance period has been preserved in Poland.
In other branches of artistic crafts, Gothic intermingled with Renaissance influences which reached Poland
from Italy via Hungary and from southern Germany thanks to both imported goods and foreign artists
who were invited to the royal court as servitores regis. The example set by the court was followed by
magnates, the rich gentry and burghers.
Thanks to an extraordinary series of happy circumstances, the sword of Sigismund the Old, listed in
inventories of the Royal Treasury in Wawel Castle since the 16th century, was returned to Wawel after
an absence of close on two centuries. This sword, known as Gladius lustitiae (The Sword of Justice),
probably made in Cracow in circa 1526, combines Gothic and Renaissance features. The scabbard,
covered in gilded silver, is engraved with the king's likeness and the inscription 'Sigismundus Rex lustus'.
Its narrow angular blade is reminiscent of the tuck sword described in detail in instructions of the Cracow
guild of swordmakers.