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Prussian Homage
Artist	Jan Matejko
Year	1879-1882 (1879-1882)
Type	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	388 cm × 785 cm (152.75 in × 309.05 in)
Location	Sukiennice Museum, Kraków
Coordinates	50°03′36″N 19°55′26″E / 50.06000°N 19.92389°E / 50.06000; 19.92389
Owner	Kraków National Museum

The Prussian Homage (Template:Lang-pl) is an oil on canvas painting by Polish painter Jan Matejko painted between 1879 and 1882 in Kraków, Poland. It depicts a tribute made by Albrecht Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia, to King Sigismund I the Old in the Kraków market square on 10 April 1525; the key political event of the time of Polish Renaissance is know as the Prussian Homage. Matejko began to paint it on the Christmas Eve of 1879 and finished it in 1882. It is regarded as a historical painting which shows the triumphal past of Poland, the glory of its culture and the justice of its kings. At the same time, the paintings has some darker undertones, reflecting the troubled times that would befall Poland (in the late 18th century, Kingdom of Prussia would become one of the partitioning powers that ended the independence of Poland). Matejko, who lived during the time of partitions, created his paintings to remind others about history of the non-existing country he loved, and changing fates of history.

History

Donation of the painting

The Prussian Homage was donated by Matejko to the nation (technically, to the city of Kraków) during the meeting of the Diet of Galicia in Lwów (today's Lviv) on 7 October 1882, to initiate the collection designed to revive the remodeling of the Wawel Castle. It was then exhibited in Kraków, Lviv and Warsaw, as well as in Berlin, Paris, Budapest, and most notably in Rome and Vienna, returning to Kraków in 1885. The Royal Wawel Castle at that time was occupied by the Austrian army, as Kraków was part of the Austrian partition of Poland, and it was decided then that the painting would be temporarily exhibited in the Sukiennice Museum.

The pro-Polish and anti-Prussian character of the painting caused William I, German Emperor to object to a proposal about rewarding Matejko; it was the time that Prussia would engage heavily in an attempt to replace Polish culture on its new territories with a German one. During World War II, in occupied Poland, this painting, together with the Matejko's painting on the battle of Grunwald, was one of the two paintings on the "most wanted" list by the Nazis, who engaged in a systematic action of trying to physically destroy all artifacts of Polish culture. It was, fortunately, hidden and safeguarded through the course of the war (in the town of Zamość).

For most of the 20th and the 21st centuries the painting has been deposited in the National Museum gallery in the Sukiennice Museum, in Kraków, where it is usually displayed in the Prussian Homage Hall.

As of 29 August 2011, the painting has been dismantled for an art exhibition entitled "Side by Side Poland - Germany" promoted by the 1000 Years of Art and History project of the Royal Warsaw Castle in cooperation with the Martin-Gropius-Bau exhibition hall in Berlin. The exhibition will be open to the general public in Berlin from 23 September 2011 to 9 January 2012.

Restoration works

The renovation works in the Sukiennice Museum began on 12 June 2008 while the painting underwent restoration. It was not available for viewing by the general public during this time. It had previously undergone several restoration works in 1915 and 1938. During World War II, it was briefly sent to Zamość where it was damaged. In 1945 it underwent another restoration, and in 1974 it found itself once again in the hands of restaurateurs before going on public exhibition in Moscow. The last restoration process took place between 2006 and 2008 when the painting was finally restored to its former glory.

Significance

The painting is considered among Matejko's most famous works; it is also one of his largest canvases. It portrays an event of significant political triumph for Poland (the Prussian Homage), where Poland was able to enforce it will over Prussia. Prussia latter gained independence and turned against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, becoming one of the practitioners of Poland; Matejko's painting was created during the partition period, when no independent Poland existed, and like many of Matejko's other works, it was meant to remind the Polish people of their most famous historical triumphs. At the same time, the painting, through inclusion, gestures and facial expressions of certain characters, shadows the tragedies of the future.

For example, the two main characters, this is visible in the figures of the king Sigismund I the Old and kneeling before him Albrecht Hohenzollern. Sigismund is portrayed as a powerful and majestic figure, but not threatening; he treats Albrecht lightly, signifying that this event was only a temporary victory, not a total, lasting domination, crushing his opponent. Albrecht character is portrayed with many signs of a villainous intentions: he kneels on both legs, which they king should do only in front of a God, not a sovereign, which implies he does not see Sigismund as a sovereign; he grips his standard strongly, but touches the Bible only gingerly; the standard flies on a military lance, implying the future militarization of Prussia. Finally, there is a gauntlet on the ground, an implied challenge to the Sigismund from Albrecht.

The painting, due to its critique of Albrecht, and the portrayed event, is often seen as strongly anti-Prussian. The painting, despite being on the surface about glory of Poland, is also critical of Poland; Matejko went beyond just portraying the glory of a historical event, he intended to show how the history would play out, and that this event was but an empty victory that did not exploited properly, failed to secure Poland's future. Matejko knows that the homage was an empty gesture, that it was Prussia who exploited it, not Poland. Nobody in the painting is smiling, save for one lady of the court, engaged in irrelevant gossip.

The painting has been subject to numerous studies in the history of art field, and artistic reinterprations by artists such as Tadeusz Kantor. In 1992, the Piwnica pod Baranami group organized a historical reenacting of the painting.

Historical characters in the painting

The painting displays numerous important figures of the Polish Renaissance period. As he often did, Matejko took some liberties, and portrayed characters who were not present at the real historical scene of the Prussian Homage.

In the center of the painting are depicted Sigismund I the Old and kneeling before him Albrecht Hohenzollern. Sigismund Augustus is shown here as a 5-year-old baby boy wearing a red dress, held up by Piotr Opaliński, the court house tutor. Matejko portrayed Józef Szujski, professor of the Jagiellonian University as Opaliński. Thirty one other characters of the contemporary political life are also depicted. Some of them are:

• George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and Frederick II of Legnica, two other rulers who join Albrecht in the homage, standing behind him.
• Castellan Łukasz II Górka, sympathizer with Prussia, is seen as the old, bearded mean seen behind in the space between Albrecht and George and Frederick.
• Frederic von Heideck, Albrecht's advisor, is behind the standard, waiting to receive it after the scene is over.
• The Bishop of Kraków, bishop's miter, Piotr Tomicki (to the right of the king).
• The man holding a sword up is Hieronymus Jaroslaw Łaski, nephew of Archbishop Jan Łaski, a diplomat. They are shown to the right of the king, at the top of the crowd. Jan is separated from Hieronymous by bishop Tomicki. Hieronymous is holding his sword, with with Albrecht will be knighted, stiffly, as a warning to the Prussian ruler.
• Duchess Anna Radziwiłł, ruler of Masovia (died in 1522). Placed deliberately in the painting by Matejko to emphasize the connection of that land with Poland (top left).
• Janusz III of Masovia, the last Duke of Masovia of the Piastów line. He died very young in 1526.
• Hedwig Jagiellon, Electress of Brandenburg (1513-1573), daughter of Sigismund I the Old and his first wife Barbara Zápolya who planned her marriage to Prince Janusz. The death of the Duke ruined her plans. The character was impersonated by Matejko's daughter Beata. She is seen just below Anna Radziwiłł, in the top left of the painting.
• Mauritius Ferber, bishop of Warmia and Krzysztof Kreutzer, Prussian diplomat, are engaged in discussion just below and to the left of Hedwig. Ferber, worried, makes a well-hidden gesture to repel evil; Kreutzer tries to calm him.
• Queen Bona Sforza, impersonated by Matejko's wife Teodora Matejko, née Teodora Giebułtowskich (center-left).
• Piotr Kmita Sobieński, Grand Marshal of the Crown and governor of Kraków, with his right hand up, worried, likely demanding silence and order from the crowd.
• Przecław Lanckoroński (on horseback, in the lower right of the painting), starost of Khmilnyk. A notable military commander, personifying the still-respectable military prowess of the Commonwealth (yet past its youth).
• The elder mustached man in white, above bishop Ferber and to the left of Duchess Anna, is Prince Konstanty Ostrogski, Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Voivode of Trakai, Castellan of Vilnius.
• Jan Amor Tarnowski (in helmet, to the right of Prince Ostrogski), governor of Kraków, who later became hetman. This portrait was based on Stanisław Tarnowski, a professor of the Jagiellonian University and literary historian and biographer of Matejko.
• The man taking coins from the tray is Andrzej Kościelecki, treasurer and Court Marshal who skillfully managed the state finances. Looking proudly, unworried, seeing only victory, he symbolizes the importance and wealth of Polish officials of the period.
• Krzysztof Szydłowiecki, adviser of the king in matters of foreign policy (shown to the right of the large black figure of Opaliński). Holding the globus cruciger, he was one of the main political figures in the contemporary Polish and Prussian politics, his worried visage questioning the honesty of the ceremony.
• Hetman Mikołaj Firlej, between Krzysztof Szydłowiec and Andrzej Tęczyński, Castellan of Kraków. One of many characters with a worried expression, Firlej, a respected military leader, is likely considering the possibility of Prussia growing into a military power.
• Andrzej Tęczyński (holding the banner in the top right corner) - Ensign of Kraków, who later became Castellan of Kraków. He is having difficulty holding the Polish flag unfolded, in yet another foreshadowing of the troubles ahead.
• Albrecht Goštautas (Olbracht Gasztołd), Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and voivode of Vilnius (barely visible in the top right of the painting). The king entrusted him with the supervision of the drafting of the Statute of Lithuania. His presence in the painting is intended to symbolize the wisdom of the king as a legislator.
• Below the king sits Stańczyk. His worried face doubts whether that homeage meant victory over the long run (Prussia was one of the partitioners of Poland in the 18th century), and he makes a gesture to repel bad luck.
• In the lower-left corner of the painting, with the document bearing the Royal seal, faces Bartolommeo Berrecci, architect and rebuilder of the Royal Wawel Castle. Next to him is Seweryn Boner, important burgher and banker. His face is one of the two self-portraits of Jan Matejko. The second is the face of the Royal jester Stańczyk. As Berrecci, Matejko portrayed himself as a gray eminence, dominating over the scene, with a royal scepter in his hand.

There are also generic characters of some significance:

• an old Teutonic soldier is shown under Hedwig; he signifies the end of the Teutonic Order;
• Underneath him, at the bottom of the painting, an executor, or a city guard, keeps watch on the crowd, ensuring no unrest will disrupt the proceedings.

At the top of the painting, a dove, symbol of peace, can be seen.

Matejko painted fragments of the Sukiennice in Renaissance style, a form only dates from the year 1555, after a fire which destroyed the building in its original Gothic style (the portrayed event took place in 1525). The building was reconstructed by the Italian architect Giovanni II Mosca from Padua. St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków is visible in the background.

References

1. ^ Welcome. "Prussian Homage at Wawel Castle". Welcome.com. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
2. ^ Janczyk, Agnieszka. "The Prussian Homage". Painting. Zamek Królewski na Wavelu. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
3. ^ Template:Pl icon Marek Rezler, Z Matejką przez polskie dzieje: Hołd pruski. Interklasa: polski portal edukacyjny
4. ^ Dabrowski, Patrice M. (2004). Commemorations and the shaping of modern Poland. Indiana University Press. pp. 59–79. ISBN 0253344298.
5. ^ Museum, Wawel. "Temporary exhibitions (archives)". "The Prussian Homage. Matejko for Wawel – Wawel for Matejko". Wavel Krakow.pl. Retrieved 11 September 2011.. The Polish version of the article explains that the legislature of the question was the Sejm Krajowy, i.e. the Diet of Galicia.
6. Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie (2004). International Cultural Centre Cracow. International Cultural Centre. p. 59.
7. ^ Michael Moran (15 May 2008). A Country in the Moon: Travels in Search of the Heart of Poland. Granta Books. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-84708-001-1. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
8. ^ Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie (1 January 2004). International Cultural Centre Cracow. International Cultural Centre. Retrieved 14 September 2011. {{cite book}}: Text "page-59" ignored (help)
9. Rozpedzik, Stanislaw (30 August 2011). "Poland and Germany to look back on over 1000 years of shared history in new exhibition". Artdaily. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
10. Krupski, Adelina. "Wawel Royal Castle presents exciting plans for 2008-2009". Krakow Post. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
11. ^ Kazimierz Nowacki, Halina Blak (1987). Remek dela poljskog slikarstva XIX veka iz zbirki Narodnog muzeja u Krakovu. Beograd: Narodni muzej. p. 28. OCLC 22946857.
12. Jerzy Lukowski, Hubert Zawadzki (2001). A concise history of Poland. Cambridge University Press. p. 59. ISBN 0521559170.

Attribution

• This article is based on the corresponding article of the Polish Misplaced Pages. A list of contributors can be found there at the History section.

Further reading

• Halina Blak, Stanislaw Grodziski, Prussian Homage, painting by Jan Matejko, Literary Publishing. Kraków (1990)
• Halina Blak, The Prussian Homage by Jan Matejko. Warsaw (1977)

External links

Media related to Prussian Homage at Wikimedia Commons

• History of Poland
• Jan Matejko paintings
• 1862 paintings
• Polish art