material: oil on canvas
dimensions: 66 x 52 cm
description: Bacciarelli recorded the union formed between Poland and Lithuania on July 1, 1569 in Lublin. To the left of King Sigismund August, sitting on the throne, one can see a clergyman standing and reading out the text of the union to the assembled company. In the centre, Bacciarelli painted two knights symbolizing Lithuania and the Crown, holding joined banners of the two countries, topped with a laurel wreath: the Lithuanian one with the “Chaser” coat of arms on the left and the Polish one with the Eagle. Above them, there is a sash with the inscription: IN COMMVNE BONVM – [COMPL]EXV SOCIATA PERENNI (“For the common good – united forever”). The heads of the banners bear the king’s initials “S.A." (Sigismundus Augustus). This monogram refers to both Sigismund August, the initiator of the union, and Stanisław August Poniatowski, which reflects a desire to update the subjects of the historical series. In fact, it was the intention of Stanisław August, who commissioned the painting. Barbara Ciciora
exposition: The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice,
The Cloth Hall, 1, Main Market Square
key: Enlightenment >>>
dimensions: 66 x 52 cm
description: Bacciarelli recorded the union formed between Poland and Lithuania on July 1, 1569 in Lublin. To the left of King Sigismund August, sitting on the throne, one can see a clergyman standing and reading out the text of the union to the assembled company. In the centre, Bacciarelli painted two knights symbolizing Lithuania and the Crown, holding joined banners of the two countries, topped with a laurel wreath: the Lithuanian one with the “Chaser” coat of arms on the left and the Polish one with the Eagle. Above them, there is a sash with the inscription: IN COMMVNE BONVM – [COMPL]EXV SOCIATA PERENNI (“For the common good – united forever”). The heads of the banners bear the king’s initials “S.A." (Sigismundus Augustus). This monogram refers to both Sigismund August, the initiator of the union, and Stanisław August Poniatowski, which reflects a desire to update the subjects of the historical series. In fact, it was the intention of Stanisław August, who commissioned the painting. Barbara Ciciora
exposition: The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice,
The Cloth Hall, 1, Main Market Square
key: Enlightenment >>>