M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
K. Donelaičio g. 64, LT-44248 Kaunas (for correspondence)
V. Putvinskio g. 55, Kaunas (entrance for visitors)
Institution code 190755932
AUDIO GUIDE OF THE EXHIBITION "LITHUANIAN ART OF THE 14TH – 19 C."
The privilege of Duke Vytautas the Great of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
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PLATES of the late 16th – 17th centuries
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These plates were found during archaeological excavations in the old town of Kaunas. With the development of ceramic technologies during the Renaissance, decoration of tableware (especially plates and bowls) was raised to a new level. Embellished with ornaments, plates acquired an aesthetic function as well as being practical. Plates with only the surface glazed and having small holes on the bottom for loop threading suggest they were used as items of interior decoration.
STOVE TILES of the 16th–18th centuries
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With the growth of cities in medieval Europe came to an innovative heating system – tiled stoves. Clay tiles were introduced in Lithuania in the 16th century. The shape of tiles gradually improved and their decoration reflected artistic trends of the time: initially unornamented clay tiles were manufactured, later Gothic niche tiles. Renaissance tiles ultimately gained popularity because their flat surfaces lent themselves to decoration. With ornamental tiles, stoves not only provided heat but also served as decorative elements in wealthy citizens’ homes. Flat tiles were produced using special wooden, clay or copper moulds. Tile workshops found in the old parts of Kaunas indicate that tiles were not imported but manufactured by local craftsmen. The exhibited tiles were found in the 1980s and 1990s during archaeological digs in central Kaunas - they are examples of the wide variety of tile types manufactured over extended periods of time. Noteworthy are the multi-coloured tiles with the coat of arms and the monogram of Sigismund Augustus and the coat of arms of the Polish State.
The Treasure of Drageliškės. Lithuania. 13th – 14th c.
The Treasure of Aleksotas. Lithuania, Poland, European countries. 17th c.
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Found in 1977. Acquired from Liudas Šulinskas. A treasure of 127 coins was discovered in 1977 during the course of roadwork by the Nemunas River embankment, close to the Vytautas the Great Bridge. The coins had been stowed in a copper, silver-plated container supposedly manufactured in the 17th century by Hamburg jewelers. The treasure is made up of a wide variety of coins, the largest amount of which are from the reign of Sigismund III Vasa: groats minted in Poland; shillings, a double denarius and a groat minted in Lithuania; shillings minted in Riga. The treasure also contains shillings minted in Livonia (at the time of Swedish occupation during the reign of Gustav II Adolf) and coins from Prussia. Acquired from the collector Liudas Šulinskas.
The Žygaičiai Lion. 14th c.
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UNKNOWN ARTIST The Žygaičiai Lion. 14th c. Granite Found in 1932, transferred to the Museum in 1936. The sculpture was found in 1932 on the eroded banks of the Ežerūna stream in Žygaičiai Parish (Tauragė County). It is attributed to the late Romanesque style and represents one of the earliest examples of Christian sculpture in Lithuania. Its iconography is unique: with its left foreleg, the lion clasps to its breast a king holding a cross while its left hind paw treads on a grass-snake (dragon). At the bottom on both sides are illegible, worn-down engraved inscriptions, except for the word LEO which can be discerned on the left side. In the Middle Ages, a lion was the symbol of both Christ and Satan. The imagery of a lion treading on a grass-snake (dragon) thrown on the church floor signified Christ’s victory over Satan. The iconography of the Žygaičiai Lion is more complex as it also has a political connotation – the Christ-lion, defender and protector of secular power protects the Christian king from Satan-serpent’s snare. The provenance of the Žygaičiai Lion is unknown. It could have been brought by crusaders who, in the 14th century, repeatedly led attacks in the Karšuva region – the area where the sculpture was found was on one of their principal routes to Samogitia.
JACOBUS DE THERAMO (1349–1417). The Compendium of Pope Urban VI. 1484
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The Compendium of Pope Urban VI. 1484 Acquired from the collection of Vladas Daumantas in 1941 This incunabulum (a Latin term for the first printed books 1456–1500) is the oldest book in the museum’s library collection. 500,000 incunabula have been preserved all over the world since the invention of Gutenberg's printing technique in the first half of the 15th century - 453 of them in Lithuania. This book is rare as it is the only one of its kind. There is no bibliographic information regarding the publisher nor the place of publication. The texts are in Latin with the Gothic font. Leather covered oak plates are embellished with stamped ornaments and metal knobs. A chain attached to the cover allowed for the book to be fixed to a reading stand. Pope Urban VI’s (real name: Bartolomeo Prignano) connection to Lithuania lies in the fact that he was the pope who authorized the Diocese of Vilnius on March 22 1388, as well as the baptism of Lithuania on April 17, 1388. This book is a compendium Pope Urban VI’s basic thoughts. Collector Vladas Daumantas bought it at 1919 in Berlin-Antique store.
Unknown Artist of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Allegory of Time, 17th century
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Polychrome wood Purchased in 1987 The Old Testament provides two interpretations for the concept of time: Chronos (ancient Greek: χρόνος) – sequential or passing time and Kairos (ancient Greek: καιρός) - the right, critical or opportune time. In Western European art, the allegorical rendering of time is also dual. Since the 4th century B.C., Kairos was depicted as a winged young man holding scales – an image of balanced time. Chronos, especially in the 17th – 18th centuries, was depicted as a winged old man (an allusion to Tanat, the Greek god of death) with a scythe, a sand-glass or a skull – symbols of impermanence. This sculpture depicts Chronos as a grave-digger sitting on an open, empty coffin, a shovel stuck in the ground and a wreath which may signify glory or love, but may also be a funeral attribute. This subject conveys the idea of Memento mori (Latin: Remember that you will die). It is supposed that this sculptural composition could have been used in Baroque funeral ceremonies.
Unknown Artist of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Coffin Portrait of a Young Nobleman
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Copper plate, oil Purchased from a private person in 1977 There are very few remaining examples of funerary or coffin art in Lithuania. Such portraits of deceased nobles in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were painted in oil on a hexagonal copper plate and fixed at the head of the coffin, on its side. After a solemn funeral, the coffin with the portrait was placed in the church’s crypt though sometimes the portrait was removed after the funeral and hung in the church as an epitaph to the deceased. This coffin portrait was acquired from the Rudamina church (Lazdijai district). It depicts a nobleman in traditional period clothing – a whitish, buttoned outer garment with a reddish fur-lined cloak. On the right of the portrait is the Pillau (Baltiysk) coat of arms. The composition is framed by a characteristic plant motif popular in the second half of the 17th century.
Madonna with a Pear. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Early 16th century
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UNKNOWN ARTIST Madonna with a Pear. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania Early 16th century Polychrome limewood, gilding Acquired in 1929 from Aleksas Majauskas The origin of the “Madonna with a Pear” is unknown. The sculpture was shown in 1931 at the First Exhibition of Ancient Lithuanian Ecclesiastical Art and later deposited at the Museum of Ecclesiastical Art which opened in May 1935. Under the occupation by the Red Army, the museum was brutally liquidated and some of its treasures were transferred to Vilnius, other exhibits were moved elsewhere. In 1942, under the direction of the artist Kazys Varnelis, futile attempts were made to reopen the museum. In the same year, the “Madonna with a Pear” was deposited at the Museum of Ecclesiastical Art. In 1943, the management of the museum was assigned to artist Stasys Ušinskas, however, after one year, the museum’s activity ceased. The history of the museum during the post-war years is quite obscure; a number of works of art were missing, some were returned to the museum. The “Madonna with a Pear” had fallen into private hands and for a long time was considered as lost. In 1951, artist Stasys Ušinskas gave it to the Kaunas Historical Museum and in 1994 ”Madonna with a Pear” was returned to the State M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art. It was restored in Vilnius from 1994 to 1997.
Tapestry
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In the early 17th century, in keeping with the European tradition of palace decoration, noblemen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania began to set up their own tapestry weaving factories/workshops. Religious and historical scenes prevailed over mythological compositions. The tapestries were simple in design and roughly woven. They were not commercial items.
Andrew Ignace Joachim Josaphat Oginski (1740–1787)
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Hedwiga Theresa Skumini-Tyszkiewicz Oginski née Zaluski. 2nd half of the 18th century
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Glassware
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Glassware produced in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania factories that belonged to the noble Radziviłł family are good examples of Lithuanian design. Anna Katarzyna Radziwiłłowa (Sanguszko) (1676–1746), a Polish-Lithuanian noblewoman and wife of the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, founded glass factories in Naliboki and in Urzecze (curr. Belarus) in 1722 and 1737, respectively.
Nicodemus Erasmus IWANOWSKI (~ 1843–1931). Karolina Ivanauskienė (1844 ?–1918)
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Circa 1870 Oil on canvas 1963 transferred from the Kaunas Library Nicodemus Erasmus Iwanowski was a painter of the noble origin and a literary figure. His creative legacy having fallen into oblivion, he is more widely known as the father of writers Sofia and Maria, who wrote under the pseudonym Lazdynų Pelėda. He participated in the 1863 rebellion. After its suppression, for fear of persecution by the tsarist government, he went to St. Petersburg in 1864 (1865?) and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1868 he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich but returned to Lithuania soon thereafter to take care of domestic matters. He participated in exhibitions in Warsaw and Saint Petersburg but had no possibility to show his works in Lithuania. Although fragmented and diverse, his creative legacy is worthy of being included in the broader context of Lithuanian art.
Nicolaus Flensburgensis (1556–1611). Governor of Vilnius Stanisław Sabinas
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Copper-plate engraving Purchased for 250 francs in 1924 from Victor Rivière in Paris This engraving is one of the earliest examples of portraiture reflecting the stylistics of Mannerism in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Stanisław Sabinas was the Governor of Vilnius, court administrator, mintmaster, medical doctor, and the King’s secretary. He is featured as a warrior in ornamented armour. Allegorical and heraldic elements surround the subject. At the top is a figure of Christ surrounded by kneeling members of the Sabinas family: on His left, Sabinas with five sons and on His right, Sabinas’ wife with four daughters. A text under the coat of arms indicates that the artist considers himself primarily a painter and a poet and points out that he is not only the engraver but also drew the image from nature (delineabat ad vivum). The inscription at the bottom Nulla dies sine linea (not a day without a line drawn) is testimony to the artist’s diligence. The artist’s monogram N / AF in a rectangular frame is placed in the centre of the lower border. The image of Stanisław Sabinas and his family is one of the few examples of graphic chivalrous portraiture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania based on the traditions of epitaph creation. Through the complexity and abundance of allegorical images, this engraving reflects the strong religious influence on ethical ideals of that time.
Domenico Custos (after 1550–1612). Maurice, Prince of Orange
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Maurice, Prince of Orange Copper-plate engraving After the drawings by Giovanni Battista Fontana From the publication Short descriptions, armours … of the most Magnificent Kings and Archdukes, the most Glorious Dukes, compiler Jakob Schrenck von Notzing, Innsbruck, 1601 Purchased in 2018 This is the engraved portrait of a famous Dutch duke, Maurice of Orange, son of William the Silent, founder of the Dutch Royal family. Maurice, Prince of Orange was well known to the Radziviłłs, a powerful noble family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Field hetman Christopher Radziwiłł had studied military arts in his youth with Duke Maurice of Orange, who was a major figure in the victory of the Eighty-year War (1568–1648) with Spain. The Radziwiłłs applied Dutch military and fortification innovations to the Biržai Castle.
Domenico Custos - Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Orphan, Stephen Báthory, Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black
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Daniel SCHULTZ (1615–1683). Portraits of the Pac
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Chancellor Christopher Sigismund Pac of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, circa 1670, oil on canvas. 1920 received from the Ministry of Agriculture and State Treasury. Previously nationalized by the State Archeological Commission from Pažaislis Monastery. Clara Isabella Pac née de Mailly-Lascaris, circa 1670, oil on canvas. 1920 received from the Ministry of Agriculture and State Treasury. Previously nationalized by the State Archeological Commission from Pažaislis Monastery.
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