Prussian homage (painting)

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Prussian homage , painting by Jan Matejko , 1882

The Prussian Homage ( Polish Hołd Pruski ) is an oil painting by the Polish painter Jan Matejko , painted between 1879 and 1882 in Krakow , which was then part of Austria-Hungary . It shows the kneeling of Albrecht of Prussia , after the Treaty of Krakow, Duke of Prussia , before Sigismund I the Old, on the market square of Krakow on April 10, 1525. The painting is a patriotic historical picture that glorifies the history of the Polish state. At the same time, it has a dark side and is reminiscent of the partitions of Poland in the 18th century, in which Prussia played a major role. The painting is considered a masterpiece by Matejko.

The picture

meaning

The painting is one of Matejko's most important and largest works (388 × 785 cm). It shows the painter's idea of ​​a political triumph of Poland over the Prussians when the weakened religious order became a Polish fief . At the time the painting was created, Poland was divided between Russia , Austria and the Prussian part of the German Empire . Russia and the German Empire pursued a clear Russification and Germanization policy . Matejko, who saw his art as "a kind of weapon" to preserve the cultural identity and patriotic encouragement of his compatriots in the time of oppression by the dividing powers, conveys in this painting that the balance of power in the early modern era was once reversed: In bright, Matejko shows in bright colors how the ancestor of the German emperor Wilhelm I (German Empire) , the Hohenzollern prince Albrecht, kneels before the Polish king and swears his feudal oath. At the same time, the image indicates future catastrophes through the gestures and facial expressions of the people depicted. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the figures of the king, Sigismund I the Elder, and Albrecht of Prussia, who kneels before him. Sigismund is portrayed as a powerful, majestic figure without appearing threatening; he treats Albrecht with mildness, which shows that this victory is only a temporary one and not a complete, permanent domination that crushes the opponent. Albrecht holds the flag tightly, but only touches the Bible carefully. Finally, a gauntlet also lies on the floor, an announcement of a challenge to Sigismund from Albrecht. Although the painting is often seen as anti-Prussian, there is also a side critical of Poland. Matejko also shows that the tribute was a hollow victory, a victory that was not used properly and did not secure Poland's future. Except for a chattering lady-in-waiting, nobody in this picture smiles.

The painting has been the subject of numerous art-historical studies and has been reinterpreted through works by artists such as Tadeusz Kantor . The cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami played the painting in 1992.

Historical figures in the painting

The painting depicts numerous characters from the Polish Renaissance. As is often the case, Matejko took the liberty of depicting some characters who were not present at the historical event .

Sigismund I is depicted in the center of the picture and his nephew Albrecht of Prussia kneels in front of him. The later Sigismund II August is shown here as a five-year-old boy in a red dress, held up by his tutor Piotr Opaliński . In it Matejko portrays his contemporary Józef Szujski , professor at the Jagiellonian University . In addition, 31 characters from the time of the event are depicted, including: Georg, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , Albrecht's brother from the House of Hohenzollern , who was the chief negotiator, and who received a contingent mortgage for himself and all of his descendants at the homage , and both brother-in-law Friedrich II of Liegnitz , as the widower of his first wife, brother-in-law of Sigismund the Elder and also former negotiator of the Grand Master, face only partially visible, stand behind Albrecht.

  • The old, bearded man in the background between Albrecht, Georg and Friedrich is the castellan Posens Łukasz II Górka , who sympathized with Prussia.
  • Friedrich von Heydeck , Oberkompan and Komtur , Albrecht's advisor, stands behind the flag and waits to receive it after the event.
  • The Bishop of Cracow Piotr Tomicki - with the miter - stands to the right of the king.
  • The man holding up the sword is the diplomat Hieronim Łaski , nephew of Archbishop Jan Łaski . They stand above the crowd to the right of the king. Tomicki stands between Jan and Hieronymus, who holds the sword rigidly in his hands, as a warning to the Prussians.
  • Duchess Anna Radziwiłł , top left, the mistress of the Duchy of Mazovia , who died in 1522, was intentionally included in the picture to emphasize her country's connection with Poland.
  • Janusz III of Mazovia , the last Duke in the Piast line of Mazovia. He died very young in 1526.
  • Hedwig Jagiellonica , Electress of Brandenburg (1513–1573), daughter of Sigismund I the Elder and his first wife Barbara Zápolya , and through Sigismund's cousin Albrechts. The Queen had planned to marry her daughter to Prince Janusz, but this prevented his early death. This figure is personified by Matejko's daughter Beata, in the top left of the painting below Anna Radziwiłł.
  • Below to the left of Hedwig is Mauritius Ferber , Bishop of Warmia , in conversation with the Prussian diplomat Krzysztof Kreutzer . The worried Ferber seems to be making a gesture to ward off bad luck, while Kreutzer tries to calm him down.
  • Queen Bona Sforza , center left, is represented by Matejko's wife Teodora , née Giebułtowska.
  • Piotr Kmita Sobieński , Grand Marshal of the Crown and Governor of Cracow, raised his right hand in alarm, as if to demand order from the crowd.
  • Chmielnik Przecław Lanckoroński's Starost , on horseback, at the bottom right of the picture, a glorious military leader, but beyond his youth, personifies the still considerable military strength of the League.
  • The older mustache bearer in white, above Bishop Ferber and to the left of Duchess Anna, is Prince Konstantin Ivanovich Ostroschski , Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Voivode of Troki , Castellan of Vilna .
  • Jan Amor Tarnowski , governor of Krakow, who later became a hetman , stands with a helmet on, to the right of Prince Ostroschski . It portrays Stanisław Tarnowski , professor at the Jagiellonian University, literary historian and biographer Matejkos.
  • The man who takes coins from the tray is Andrzej Kościelecki , treasurer and court marshal who manages the state finances. Proud and confident of victory, he symbolizes the importance and wealth of the Polish administration at that time.
  • To the right of the large black figure of Opaliński is Krzysztof Szydłowiecki , the king's foreign policy advisor. He holds the imperial orb in his right hand. His worried expression seems to question the honesty of the celebration.
  • Hetman Mikołaj Firlej , between Krzysztof Szydłowiecki and Andrzej Tęczyński, castellan of Kraków, also wears a worried expression.
  • Andrzej Tęczyński , who holds the flag in the upper right corner, is the ensign of Kraków and later became castellan there. He's apparently having trouble keeping the Polish flag open, another unfavorable omen.
  • Albrecht Goštautas ( Olbracht Gasztołd ), Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Voivode of Vilnius, is barely visible at the top right of the picture. The king had entrusted him with the drafting of the Lithuanian statute . His presence in the painting symbolizes the political wisdom of the king as a legislator.
  • Beneath the king sits Stańczyk with an equally worried expression . He seems to have doubts as to whether the homage will mean victory in the long run, and he makes a gesture of defense.
  • Further down in the left corner stands opposite Bartolomeo Berrecci , architect and rebuilder of the Wawel . He is holding a document with the royal seal. Next to him is Seweryn Boner , an important citizen and banker, one of Matejko's two self-portraits in the picture. The other is the face of the court jester Stańczyk. As Berecci, with a royal scepter in hand, Matejko portrayed himself as the gray eminence who rules the event. Below Hedwig an old soldier is shown, a reference to the end of the Teutonic Order state . At the bottom of the painting, a city guard watches over the crowd so that there is no disturbance of the ceremony. At the top of the picture a dove symbolizes peace.

Matejko painted the Kraków Cloth Hall , the historical place of the event, in the Renaissance style . They got this shape in 1555 after a fire destroyed the originally Gothic structure. At the time of the homage it was still standing. The Church of St. Mary in Krakow is visible in the background .

history

Origin and foundation

Matejko began the picture on Christmas Eve of 1879 and finished it in 1882. He donated the painting to the Polish nation (represented by the city of Krakow) during a meeting of the Galician Parliament in Lviv on October 7, 1882, in order to raise funds for the restoration of the Wawel, the residence of the Polish kings in Krakow. The painting was exhibited in Krakow, Lviv and Warsaw at the time, also in Berlin, Paris, Budapest and especially in Rome and Vienna before returning to Krakow in 1885. The Wawel was then used as a barracks by the Austrian army. Therefore, the painting was exhibited in the Museum of the Kraków Cloth Hall.

During the German occupation of Poland from 1939 to 1945 , the painting was hidden in the city of Zamość from the occupiers who wanted to destroy it as an act of historical revision . Similar to Matejko's battle near Grunwald , the Germans could not find it.

Since 1945 the picture has mostly been exhibited in the "Hall of Prussian Homage" in the National Museum in the Krakow Cloth Hall.

From September 23, 2011 to January 9, 2012 it was in the exhibition “Door to door. Poland - Germany. 1000 years of art and history ”, organized by the Royal Palace in Warsaw together with the Martin-Gropius-Bau , can be seen in Berlin.

Restorations

The painting was restored for the first time in 1915 and again in 1938. It did not survive the years in hiding during World War II without damage, which is why further restoration was necessary in 1945. There was also restoration work in 1974 before it traveled to Moscow for an exhibition. The last restoration took place between 2006 and 2008.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at Marek Rezler: Z Matejką przez polskie dzieje: Hołd pruski. Interklasa.pl, accessed on March 26, 2012
  2. ↑ a b c d door to door. Poland - Germany. ( Memento from November 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) September 21, 2011, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
  3. ^ Feliks Szyszko: The Impact of History on Polish Art in the Twentieth Century. ( Memento from September 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Greatest Polish artists . poland.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ Matejko Jan. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016 ; accessed on April 6, 2020 .

literature

  • Halina Blak, Stanisław Grodziski: Hołd Pruski. Obraz Jana Matejki. Wydawnictwo literackie, Kraków 1990, ISBN 83-08-01714-2 .
  • Halina Blak: Hołd Pruski Jana Matejki. Krajova Agencja Wydawnicza, Warsaw 1977 (Prussian homage from Jan Matejko).
  • Maria Bogucka: The Prussian homage. Interpress Verlag, Warszawa 1986, ISBN 83-223-2141-4 (covers the painting only in passing).
  • Stephan Dolezel: The Prussian-Polish feudal relationship under Duke Albrecht of Prussia (1525-1568) . Grote, Cologne, Berlin 1967
  • Maryjan Gorzkowski: Instructions for the new picture Johann Matejko's " Oath of Homage of the Prussians". Transferred from the Polish by Karl Hermanseder. L. Tenczyński, Cracow 1882.