2024-04-23
As many as five figures from the painting "Battle of Grunwald" are depicted in a drawing by Jan Matejko available for auction in December. Who were these figures, which side did they take, and what do you need to know about the master Matejko? This is discussed below.
Jan Matejko was the author of over three hundred oil paintings, and went down in history as the most prominent representative of the historicist trend in Polish painting. In 1858, he graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Kraków, then studied in Munich and Vienna. He became famous for his depictions of victorious moments from the history of Poland. While still quite young, he gained international fame and recognition, winning, among others, a gold medal at the Paris Salon and a first-class gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. From 1873 until the end of his life, Matejko influenced the formation of a new generation of talented artists as director of the Kraków School of Fine Arts. His students included: Stanisław Wyspiański, Jacek Malczewski and Józef Mehoffer.
As many as five characters from the "Battle of Grunwald" can be seen on Janek Matejko's drawing: Jakub Skarbek of Góra, Mikołaj Skunarowski, Zyndram of Maszkowice, Kazimierz V of Szczecin and Konrad VII the White. In the top right corner, the viewer will see Jakub Skarbek of Góra and a profile of Casimir V of Szczecin. In the large-scale representation, both figures are involved in a skirmish against each other. Jakub Skarbek on the Polish side, Casimir V, under the other. In the upper right corner, we can see Zyndram of Maszkowice. By order of Jagiełło, he was marshalling the banners of the Polish wing before the Battle of Grunwald. In Jan Matejko's painting, he is bravely pointing his sword at Ulrich von Jungingen. Almost in the middle of the composition - Mikołaj Skunarowski vel Skunaczewski with a grey beard. In the painting, he is inflicting a stab with his sword on the monastic knight, who is holding the still-falling flag of the Grand Master. Prince Konrad VII the White is depicted in the lower-left corner of the drawing. In the painting, Conrad is immortalized at the moment of falling from his horse, in his left hand, he holds a sceptre with which he points at Vytautas. In the clash, the prince was on the side of the Teutonic Knights; he survived the battle, but was taken prisoner. Intriguingly, after his release, he supported the Kingdom of Poland militarily.
