Published: 20260310
On the eve of the Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania, the Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum introduced an exhibition showcasing the state's most important symbol—the Lithuanian coat of arms, the Vytis. The international exhibition "Verdures with the Vytis. Tapestries of the Princes Wiśniowiecki and Sanguszko from Wawel" displays exceptional Lithuanian heritage pieces – textiles regarded as priceless relics of Polish and Lithuanian history. The tapestries have been brought from Wawel Royal Castle – State Art Collections (Krakow, Poland).
Verdures (tapestries depicting natural landscapes, forest scenes, and wild animals) featuring the Lithuanian Vytis bear witness to the complex and intriguing history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its noble families. These artistic textiles emphasize the noble lineage of the families and their efforts to solidify their status within the Polish-Lithuanian state.
In the second half of the 17th century, Prince Dymitr Jerzy Korybut Wiśniowiecki, Grand Hetman of Poland and Castellan of Krakow, commissioned a series of heraldic tapestries (seven pieces in total). The primary focal point of the textiles is the combined coat of arms positioned in the center of the upper border. At the heart of the coat of arms is the Vytis—the symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, signifying the Wiśniowiecki family's descent from the Gediminid dynasty that once ruled Lithuania, specifically from Korybut Olgerdovich, the grandson of Grand Duke Gediminas.
Woven likely in French (Beauvais) or Flemish workshops from wool and silk, these heraldic textiles belong to the category of verdure tapestries. The word "verdure" derives from the Old French word verdure, meaning greenery. In the 17th and the first half of the 18th century, verdures served representational, decorative, and practical functions; during gloomier months, they acted as a view into a winter garden or a window into nature. Lithuanian nobles held verdures in high esteem.
Following Wiśniowiecki's death, his wife inherited the tapestry collection. Later, as part of their descendants' dowry, the tapestries entered the Sanguszko collection. Notably, the Vytis also perfectly represented the coat of arms of the Sanguszko family, who likewise traced their origins to the Gediminids. For this reason, these textiles were equally important to the Sanguszkos, leading some researchers to mistakenly attribute them to that family.
Fleeing the turmoil of World War II, Roman Władysław Stanisław Andrzej Sanguszko transported the historical tapestries to São Paulo, Brazil. In 2022, Wawel Royal Castle acquired six tapestries from the verdure series from the last descendant of the Prince Sanguszko family, Paweł Sanguszko. The exhibition at the Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum features the three tapestries from the Wawel Royal Castle collections that are in the best condition; the remaining pieces are still awaiting restoration.
Exhibition concept authors: Prof. Habil. Dr. Andrzej Betlej, Dr. Vydas Dolinskas, Marijus Uzorka. Exhibition curators: Dr. Magdalena Ozga, Dr. Živilė Mikailienė. Scientific consultants: Magdalena Ozga, Dr. Ieva Kuizinienė.
The exhibition at the Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum will run until July 12th. Simultaneously, on the first floor of the Museum’s Exhibition Center, visitors can explore portraits of the rulers and nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as other paintings that have supplemented the museum's collections over the past eight years.
