Europa Jagellonica - Kutna Hora : May 2012 – September 2012

Who Were the Jagiellonians?

 

The 14th century was a period of strong rulers in Central and East-Central Europe. However, Casimir of Poland († 1370), Louis the Great († 1382), and Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia Charles IV († 1378) died during the same twelve-year period. In Poland and Hungary, the royal dynasties of the House of Piast and Anjou died out. The Continent was involved in the dispute of two popes, and Central Europe was occupied with the feverish efforts to find successors for the thrones.

 

In this situation, Grand Duke Jogaila from the Lithuanian family of Gediminids emerged: he married Jadwiga of Poland, princess of Hungary and heiress of Poland (on her mother’s side). In 1386 Jogaila was baptized and crowned King Vladislav II Jagiello of Poland. Beginning in the 16th century, his offspring started bearing his name and became known as the Jagiellonians.

 

During the next three generations, the Jagiellonians radically influenced the development of Central and East-Central Europe. The abrupt rise of the Jagiellonians began in the second generation after Vladislav’s son Casimir married Elisabeth of Austria. Their thirteen children solidified the dynastic positions and the family gained international fame. In 1471, Casimir’s oldest son Vladislav acquired the crown of St. Wenceslas and nineteen years later also the crown of St. Stephen, for which he fought against his brother John Albert. Later on, their two other siblings acceded to the Polish crown in Krakow. Sigismund I the Old went down in Polish chronicles as an educated Renaissance benefactor, while Frederick adopted religious career and became the primate and cardinal of Poland. The family attempted to canonize their prematurely dead brother Casimir, but unsuccessfully.

 

Around 1500, the Jagiellonians were the most powerful dynasty in Central and East-Central Europe. Their prominent position was further enhanced by the double wedding between the children of Vladislav, King of Bohemia and Hungary, and the grandchildren of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. As early as 1526, the prominent position is lost because of the defeat by the Turkish sultan in the battle of Mohács, which brought about the death of Vladislav’s son Louis II and the end of the rule in Central Europe. As a result, the Jagiellonians retreated to Lithuania and Poland. Nonetheless, they had to face succession issues because Sigismund’s son of the same name died childless in 1572.

 

The once shining star of the Jagiellonian dynasty lost its glamour and importance in European politics and became a closed chapter in the files of national chroniclers: In Poland the chronicle is written in gold letters, portraying the origin of the combined Lithuanian-Polish state and the increased influence of Jagiellonian Krakow among the most important cities in Europe. In Bohemia, this era was enthusiastically compared to the time of Charles IV, whose fame could never be duplicated because of social differences. In Hungary, the Jagiellonian era was nearly eclipsed by the ambitions of Matthias Corvinus and the cultural isolation under Turkish sultans. This exhibition is nothing less than an attempt to provide a more historical view of the political and artistic legacy of one European dynasty, independent of national limits and unfair bias.

 

 

 

Silver Mining and the Art around 1500

 

International trading companies rationalized long-distance trade. Rich deposits of silver laid the foundation for the growth and prosperity of the local towns. Kutná Hora, one of the most important Central European mining centres at that time, gained renown for the mining and processing of silver. Around 1500, the mining was used in the art, as proved by the title folios of three graduals of Kutná Hora, which for the first time documented all technological methods of silver mining and processing. The royal mint masters are the main representatives of the Czech exhibition project. The burgher of Nuremberg, Hans Harsdorfer, was a noteworthy mint master. In his hometown in Franconia, he commissioned the rich furnishings of the royal chapel in the Italian Court. He was the owner of the gold scales, which he commissioned as an attribute of his significant position in the land administration. Furthermore, a reminder of the exceptional benefactors of the Smíšek of Vrchoviště family will be presented.

 

The authentic environment of the Late Gothic mining town of Kutná Hora will further enhance the importance of the surviving sites in situ. In cooperation with the town administration, the local museum institutions, and the Roman Catholic Church, these historic sites will be open to the public and listed in the printed guide (the Late Gothic fountain, Sankturin’s burgher house, Hrádek, Italian Court, St. Barbara’s Church, St. James Parish Church, Parish Church of Our Lady Na Náměti, and more). Some of the sites will showcase the works of art that they originally housed, which will present the works in their authentic context. The exhibition presentation of the Czech Museum of Silver in the authentic milieu of the Hrádek (Little Castle) not only will provide the detailed information about the mining techniques and technology but also gives the visitors an opportunity to visit a mining tunnel.

 

Exhibition Concept

 

FOYER “Space and Time”

 

Historic regions in Central Europe, principal events in the history of the world and Europe circa 1450 - 1550

 

Map of Europe with highlighted Central Europe, historical and present boundaries

Timeline with the principal historical events, issues related to the exhibition, and historical quotes with indications of answers

1. PROLOGUE

 

Several exceptionally attractive pieces of art, from monumental sculptures to small drawings, sacral works, and the objects of everyday life, which will stimulate the interest of visitors

 

2. THE ART IN CENTRAL EUROPE

 

Works of art and foundations of the social classes in the lands ruled by the Jagiellonians: aristocrats, (arch) bishops and high clerics, towns and the patriciate, scholars, and others. Each section of the particular land will be presented below the map of Europe with the highlighted region, including the important towns, court residences, and trade routes in both historic and present boundaries. Furthermore, the views of the most significant towns published in the World Chronicle of Hartmann Schedel (1493) will be on display as well as the oldest maps of the historic lands.

 

Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1386/1572)

 

Lithuania

Krakow and Lesser Poland

Greater Poland

former territory of the Order of the Teutonic Knights

Lands of the Bohemian Crown (1471/1490/1526)

 

Prague and Kutná Hora – the double capital

Bohemia (royal towns, aristocratic and (arch) bishop’s residences)

Moravia

Silesia

Upper and Lower Lusatia

Kingdom of Hungary (1490/1526)

 

Buda

Central Hungary (royal towns, aristocratic and (arch) bishop’s residences)

Upper Hungary (More like the crossroads of artistic ideas)

Transylvania

Croatia and Dalmatia

 

3. THE JAGIELLONIANS – EUROPEAN DYNASTY

 

The court art of the male side of the Jagiellonian dynasty will be presented in chronological order. The dynastic marriage policy will further document the importance of the dynasty in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Era.

 

Genealogy, heraldry (seals, coins, etc.) and court ceremonies (coronations, burials, land diets, etc.)

Jagiellonian residences in Vilnius, Krakow, Prague, and Buda

Jagiellonian representatives (the male line); special attention is paid to the couple Casimir IV and Elisabeth of Austria and their many children

Marriage policy of the Jagiellonian dynasty (the female line), mainly with the Wittelsbachs: George the Rich, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut and Hedwig Jagiellon (married in 1475), the Wettins: George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony and Barbara Jagiellon (married in 1496)

Upper and Lower Lusatia with Hohenzollerns: 1. Frederick the Elder, Margrave of Brandenburg and Sophia Jagiellon (married in 1479); 2. Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg and Hedwig Jagiellon (married in 1535)

 

4. CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND MOBILITY

 

Means and tools of cultural exchange, examples of technical and scientific innovations, education, and music

 

Trade and Mining (Hans Harsdorfer, Stephan Schlick, Georg Thurzo, Johann Könneritz, etc.)

Universities and Humanism (scientific exploration of the world – Nicolaus Copernicus, Marcin Bylica, etc., literate brotherhoods and associations of scholars)

Religion and Devotion (the art of the reformation, Utraquist art, Jewish art, etc.)

Music (excerpts of historical music at the exhibition)

 

5. THE TRANSFORMATION OF ART

 

The art and artists in the transitional period from Late Gothic to the Renaissance, art workshops and their practices, art production during the “media revolution” – graphic art, book printing, an artist as an entrepreneur, mass production phenomenon, art history and the limits of knowledge, etc.

 

Veit Stoss, sculptor in Krakow and Nuremberg, as an example of the artists’ mobility, his family, preparation drawings, the reception of his work, etc.

Study of nudes and nature: Albrecht Dürer and Monogramist IP

Workshop practice in the metal foundry workshop – Peter Vischer the Elder from Nuremberg (the furnishings of St. Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, etc.)

Wide distribution of the iconographic compositions and motifs: graphic work of Wenceslas of Olomouc and his copies of Martin Schongauer’s engravings

The boundaries of the work of art historians, the problems of attribution and the myth of local/national artist – Jakob Beinhart, sculptor of Wroclaw

The meaning of the work of an art historian and the reconstruction of the works of art at the exhibitions – Hans Süß von Kulmbach (altar retable from St. Stanislaus Church in Skalka, Krakow)

    Additional Program for the International Exhibition Project EUROPA JAGELLONICA Art and Culture in Central Europe under the Jagiellonian Dynasty 1386–1572

 

The additional programs of the international exhibition project Europa Jagellonica are held under the patronage of Ms Alena Hanáková, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic

 

I. KUTNÁ HORA

 

During the international exhibition Europa Jagellonica at the Jesuit College (GASK), historic sites of the city of Kutná Hora and vicinity will be open for the holders of the combined ticket, including a special printed guide of Kutná Hora, the Treasury of the Kingdom of Bohemia (1471–1526). In this connection, the Kutná Hora municipal information system includes a Czech-English united marking system of the most significant landmarks with texts about history, function, owners, decoration, etc. Including the selected historic sites in the short-time exhibition project will be part of the more permanent measures to improve the image of the historic city of Kutná Hora and the conservation area listed in UNESCO for all visitors.

 

II. THE CZECH REPUBLIC

 

The exhibition project EUROPA JAGELLONICA/ Art and Culture in Central Europe under the Jagiellonian Dynasty 1386–1572 includes a large number of additional events for the public throughout the country. Museums, galleries, national heritage institutions, universities, and Roman Catholic parishes are involved in the project as well as items from the Jagiellonian era that belong to private owners.

 

The effort to present the variety of monuments in particular regions in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia from the time of the Jagiellonian rule was the main selection criterion. Furthermore, regional particularities and their international overlapping will be enhanced.

 

The visitors who use the combined ticket from the exhibition EUROPA JAGELLONICA/Art and Culture in Central Europe under the Jagiellonian Dynasty 1386–1572 in the selected localities will be able to choose from a variety of discount admissions to historic buildings, museums, and galleries, provided by the partner institutions.

 

The Czech-German-Polish exhibition project presents art and culture in Central Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Era. For the first time in history, art and culture are presented in a wide international context. In a way, the project follows the previous successful exhibition “Charles IV – Emperor by the Grace of God” in 2005-2006, which took place at Prague Castle and the Metropolitan Museum in New York and attracted more than 250,000 visitors.

 

The exhibition will showcase up to 200 outstanding works of art of medieval provenance, most of which are today scattered in museums across Europe and the USA. Quite a few of the works remain at their original locations, i.e. in churches, chapels, councillor halls, etc. The majority has not been on display abroad.

 

The exhibition project is organized by four museums of art from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany in cooperation with the Research Institute for Social Sciences at Leipzig University (GWZO), which is the coordinating institution. It was in GWZO where the general concept of the exhibition originated, and it is backed up by the results of a five-year international research project financed by Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), published in the newly established edition line of Studio Jagellonica Lipsiensia (GWZO with Thorbecke Verlag in Ostfildern), which was held by the Leipzig Institute between 2000 and 2005. The team of researchers cooperated with more than fifty renowned experts from Europe and the USA.

 

With the support of the Central Bohemian Region, the Czech section of the exhibition takes place in Kutná Hora, the authentic milieu where the land estates elected the Jagiellonian Vladislav II the first king of Bohemia in 1471.

 

Galerie Středočeského kraje v Kutné Hoře (GASK)

Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie (MNW)

Zamek Królewski w Warszawie (ZKW)

Das Haus der Brandenburgisch-Preußischen Geschichte in Potsdam (HBPG)

Das Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas an der Universität Leipzig (GWZO)

The three towns with rich cultural history, which are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, will be the exhibition venues.

 

Kutná Hora: May 2012 – September 2012

Warszawa: October 2012 – January 2013

Potsdam: March 2013 – June 2013