Published: 20240802
With each international exhibition, the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania reveals ever more cultural and artistic links connecting Lithuania to the major centres of Europe, while presenting previously unknown treasures and the contexts that link them to Lithuania's history. The current international engraving exhibition, From the Creation of the World to the Apocalypse, showcases graphic works by famous European artists, many of which are also tied to the histories of Lithuania and Poland. Numerous masters worked for the rulers of both states, and their works were part of historical noble family collections.
For example, the works of the German artist Martin Schongauer were used as models for miniatures in the prayer books of Lithuania's Chancellor and Voivode of Vilnius, Count Albertas Goštautas, as well as in those of the rulers of Lithuania and Poland, Sigismund the Old and Bona Sforza. The Renaissance stove tiles in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius were created based on motifs from the works of the German artist Hans Sebald Beham. Meanwhile, the jeweller and gem engraver Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio, originally from Verona, worked at Sigismund Augustus' court in Vilnius for about six years, likely producing his most magnificent works there. These featured portrayals of the rulers of Lithuania and Poland – Bona Sforza, Sigismund Augustus, and Barbara Radziwiłł.
While travelling across Europe in his youth, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Władysław Vasa, visited the studio of the famous Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The artist painted several portraits of the monarch, and after Rubens' death, Władysław Vasa acquired part of his artistic legacy for his collection.
The renowned Italian painter Bernardo Bellotto worked for the King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and Elector of Saxony Augustus III, and later for his successor, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, the ruler of Poland and Lithuania. Poniatowski greatly valued the works of Giovanni Battista Piranesi and his son Francesco Piranesi, holding pieces by them in his collection. These famous Italian artists dedicated one of their most monumental works to the ruler of Poland and Lithuania – an engraving depicting Emperor Hadrian's villa in Tivoli, Italy. A print of this work now adorns the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (a gift from Valentinas and Lilė Ramonas).
More than 200 graphic works are on display at the exhibition. These highly valuable, rare, and delicate graphic pieces, dating from the 15th to 18th centuries, are presented as complete engraving series, with 27 series in total, as curated by Magdalena Adamska. The exhibition covers a variety of themes, including ancient mythology, Christian visions of the creation of the world, contemporary discoveries, attempts to depict ruined cities, and the end of the world. These themes are illustrated in black-and-white engravings, richly embellished with the artists' vivid imaginations.
The works of Martin Schongauer, Albrecht Dürer, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, Hendrick Goltzius, Philips Galle, Adriaen Collaert, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and Bernardo Bellotto, representing different European art schools, reflect various stylistic periods, including Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, and Classicism (spanning the 15th to 18th centuries).
The works have been brought to the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania from the Scientific Library of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Kraków. One of the richest collections in the region, these works rarely see the light of day – due to their fragility and sensitivity to the environment, the graphic pieces are only shown on rare occasions. This is the first time an engraving exhibition of this scale from the library’s collection has been displayed. Even the public in Kraków has not seen these treasures before.
Interestingly, the core of this engraving collection was originally formed by Count Fryderyk Józef Moszyński, the Grand Marshal of the Kingdom of Poland and a general in the Polish army. Moszyński also held the titles of Grand Referendary and Grand Secretary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as Grand Camp Leader. He was also connected to the Wettin dynasty, which ruled Lithuania, Poland, and Saxony, as Moszyński's mother was the illegitimate daughter of Augustus the Strong, the ruler of Poland and Lithuania.
