Art of Renaissance Poland-Lithuania

by

Tomasz Grusiecki, Olga M. Hajduk

• LAST MODIFIED: 24 October 2024
• DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195399301-0540

Introduction

Poland-Lithuania was a multiethnic, multilingual, and multi-confessional polity, comprising the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. While they maintained separate legal systems, treasuries, and armies, these two realms formed a union in 1385, primarily as a defensive and dynastic alliance against the Teutonic Knights, a leading power in the region at that time. The union faced various challenges but endured, and on 1 July 1569, the nobilities of both territorial states established the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth—a political confederation that lasted until 1795 when it was ultimately dissolved by neighboring powers. Located at the juncture of Central Europe, the lands of Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Ottoman world, Poland-Lithuania was a vast, culturally heterogeneous community of different peoples, traditions, and regional identities, roughly the size of today’s France and Germany combined. The visual and material cultures of this vast union thrived at the nexus of interregional links, connections, and cultural entanglements. Despite being one of the lesser-explored European cultural geographies in English-language scholarship, Poland-Lithuania boasted a rich and diverse artistic landscape. Given its position at the intersection of the Germanic, Slavic, western Mediterranean, and Ottoman worlds, it embraced Latin, Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic, and Armenian influences. The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were themselves ethnically, linguistically, and religiously polymorphous realms united through common political attitudes and participatory institutions rather than shared race, confession, or language. Poles, Ruthenians, Lithuanians, and Germans constituted the majority of enfranchised citizens in the shared body politic, but both territorial states had economically vital minorities of Jews, Armenians, and Tatars, as well as Scots, Italians, and Dutchmen, to mention only the most populous groups. While Roman Catholicism enjoyed privileges far greater than did other religions, Eastern Orthodoxy (since 1595 together with the Greek Catholic Church), various Protestant denominations of Christianity, Judaism, and even Islam could, too, claim adherents in these lands. Language was another marker of diversity: Polish, Ruthenian, and German were most commonly spoken, with Lithuanian, Yiddish, and Turkic languages also in use, though not among the nobles. The Polish nobility, or szlachta, wielded significant power within the Commonwealth, but they had to account for their counterparts in Lithuania, Prussia, and Rus’. Poland-Lithuania was one of the few early modern European polities to simultaneously be home to Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Armenian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Islamic mosques within its borders. This resulted in a rich diversity of art and culture, where Latin religious paintings coexisted with Orthodox icons, Jewish Torah arks, and Tatar muhiry, and where European-style artifacts intertwined with West Asian designs. English-language scholarship on the visual arts, material culture, and architecture of Poland-Lithuania is expanding, yet significant gaps remain for an international audience. This annotated bibliography aims to guide anglophone students and scholars seeking foundational knowledge of this frequently overlooked European artistic tradition. Though comprehensive research necessitates proficiency in several languages in which scholarship is produced (such as Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German), as well as languages of the source materials like Low German and Old Church Slavonic, there is a sufficient body of literature in English to acquaint English-speaking readers with Poland-Lithuania’s artistic cultures. Priority is given to books, encompassing scholarly monographs, edited collections, and exhibition catalogs, with articles and chapters highlighted where no English-language books are available.

General Overviews

While no single work provides a comprehensive overview of the diverse cultural and confessional aspects of Polish-Lithuanian art, and many existing surveys lean Polonocentric, English speakers still have access to several syntheses for a fundamental grasp of this artistic landscape. Białostocki 1976, Hempel 1965, and Kaufmann 1995, for instance, discuss Poland-Lithuania within the broader artistic context of Central and East-Central Europe. Majewski 2008 offers a rich spectrum of Polish-Lithuanian material and visual culture. Augustyniak 2015 presents the most recent overview of Polish-Lithuanian history, with dedicated sections on art and culture. Ancāne 2022 focuses on artistic mobility in the region.

• Ancāne, Anna, ed. The Migration of Artists and Architects in Central and Northern Europe, 1560–1900. Riga: Latvijas Mākslas Akadēmija, 2022.

  This post-conference publication delves into the mobility of artists and architects in Central and Northern Europe, featuring several chapters on Polish-Lithuanian themes.

• Augustyniak, Urszula. History of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: State—Society—Culture. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 2015.

  A recent overview of Polish-Lithuanian history by a preeminent Polish historian. This synthesis aims to move away from the conventional Polonocentric perspective when discussing the Commonwealth. Notably, it includes sections specifically focused on art and culture.

• Białostocki, Jan. The Art of the Renaissance in Eastern Europe: Hungary—Bohemia—Poland. Oxford: Phaidon, 1976.

  A valuable exploration of Renaissance art in East-Central Europe, this study seeks (the allegedly) vernacular elements of Polish art, while also highlighting its dialogue with Italian and German traditions.

• Hempel, Eberhard. Baroque Art and Architecture in Central Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland. London: Penguin, 1965.

  A classic yet somewhat dated survey of Central European art and architecture. While its primary focus leans toward German regions, it incorporates sections on Poland and effectively highlights the artistic entanglements between Polish and German lands.

• Kaufmann, Thomas DaCosta. Court, Cloister, and City: The Art and Culture of Central Europe, 1450–1800. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.

  The latest and most outstanding English-language synthesis of Central European art and architecture, which includes several segments on Poland-Lithuania. It highlights the region’s transcultural makeup and underscores its artistic connections with surrounding areas.

• Majewski, Lech, ed. Polish Commonwealth Treasures: On the History of Polish Collecting from the 13th Century to the Late 18th. Olszanica, Poland: Bosz, 2008.

  A richly illustrated edited collection showcasing a wide variety of artistic forms and media in Poland-Lithuania.