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INTRODUCTION

Sacral works of goldsmiths in Warmia dominium from mid-14th until the end of 18th c. is the second exhibition after In gloriam et decorem. Old liturgical vestments and textiles from Warmia dominium” (1999), presenting and documenting the works of craftsmen, preserved for centuries in treasuries of churches in Warmia.

This time it is the presentation of the noblest of crafts – goldsmithery – sacral goldsmithery as works of that craft only, with just a few exceptions, survived until our times representing exceptionally valuable, because the only available, material for studies on goldsmithery in Warmia dominium.

This time it is the presentation of the noblest of crafts, goldsmithery. These examples of sacral goldsmithery have only just survived into our times and, as such, these pieces, all the more valuable for their rarity, represent extremely precious material for the study of goldsmithery in the Warmia dominium.

Silver vessels carefully preserved for centuries in churches of Warmia are presented for the first time to the general public outside the sacral context – in the former castle of Warmia chapter in Olsztyn – the premises of the Museum of Warmia and Mazury.

Some of those objects are not here for the first time. During 16th and 17th c., the castle of Olsztyn was the best-protected property of the chapter of Warmia. During wars or invasions the most previous objects, books and documents evacuated from Frombork cathedral were kept in that castle.

The exhibition and the catalogue are linked to a region that is special with concern to the political and legal aspects – Warmia dominium – the territory in which the bishops, in parallel to the sacral power, also exercised the secular might, including legislative and judicial power. That region was the property of 2 the bishops and chapter of Warmia, providing the means of their support. This was the only diocese in Poland excluded from metropolitan jurisdiction and responsible directly to the Holy See – the Pope. Three names were used for designation of that area: the Dominium of Warmia, Warmia proper and Duchy of Bishops. For the first time the word „princeps” was used among the titles of the bishop of Warmia by Emperor Charles IV in 1357. Since mid-17th c. bishops of Warmia commonly used the title of dukes and Ignacy Krasicki holding the position during the years 1767 – 1795 was the last of them to use the title.

Functioning and development of crafts in Warmia, including goldsmithery, depended on bishops and the chapter. The charter written by the guild seniors in consultation with masters was the basic document governing the internal system of each guild. In the area of Warmia in the domain of the bishop the bishop approved the statutes and charters, while the chapter approved them in its own domain. Only Braniewo, based on numerous privileges, had, as of 14th c the town statutes and guild charters approved by its town council. They were confirmed in 1722 by bishop Teodor Potocki and later again by bishop Adam Stanisław Grabowski. The privileges of Braniewo had their major source in its establishment according to the Lubeck law and including it into the union of hanseatic towns in 1361 as the only town of Warmia. Later the town also belonged to the Prussian Union and, after 1454, to the Prussian Council. Braniewo was among six so-called „great cities‟ of Royal Prussia, ranked the last among them after Gdańsk, Królewiec, Elbląg, Toruń and Chełmno.

In addition to town charters and statutes, the issues related to principles of operation of guilds were governed by national ordinances issued by bishops and, during the earliest period, additionally, by the decisions of assemblies of Prussian states at which Braniewo represented the towns of Warmia. Braniewo was responsible for presenting those decisions to the bishop as those that must be observed in Warmia (Sztum, 03. 01. 1394). The above undoubtedly is 3 evidence of a lack of complete sovereignty of Warmia and its dependence from (on??) the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order. One of the acts concerning goldsmiths approved by the assembly of states in Malbork in 1395 and renewed in Elbląg in 1408, was at the same time presented to the bishop of Warmia: “Firstly, what goldsmiths make should be marked with a master‟s marks. In case of a different marking of the piece, such a piece should be confiscated from the craftsman and passed to the Church” (quote after Kolberg).

The earliest source materials concerning goldsmiths working in Warmia (1346) refer to Braniewo. The material mentions that a goldsmith of unknown name settled there. During the second half of 14th c. there were already seven goldsmiths working in the area known by name. The position of Braniewo is confirmed by its inclusion in the group of towns (Gdańsk, Królewiec, Elbląg, Toruń and Chełmno) enjoying the privilege of melting and burning silver, granted during the assembly of Malbork in 1412.

The oldest known charter of the guild of goldsmiths from Braniewo dates back to 1581. Joseph Kolberg, after analysis of archival sources concerning goldsmiths of Braniewo, assumes that an earlier charter must have existed dating back at least to late 1560s. It should be pointed out here that from the second half of 14th to the 16th c. Braniewo was second only to Gdańsk among Prussian towns with regards to the number of goldsmiths known by name and confirmed by source materials. While during 14th c. the differences in the number of known names were small, during the 15th and 16th c (the paramount time for that town) Braniewo was completely left behind by Gdańsk in that respect.

The statutes of Bishop Maurycy Ferber enacted after the secularization of the Teutonic Order on September 22, 1526, were the most important collection of laws in Warmia. They also contained regulations applicable to goldsmiths including those “On measure and weight” referring to the resolution of the states assembly held in Elbląg in 1408. Also the decisions applicable to goldsmiths 4 approved during the assembly of Bartoszyce held in 1528 (including those on application of 14 x ½ ounce silver, that gold should not be subjected to sulphur treatment or painted with golden paint, but fire treated, that gold should not be treated by repoussè work but shaped in fire) were accepted for application in Warmia by envoys of Bishop Ferber. The provisions of 1528 were included, among others, in the town charter of Lidzbark Warmiński in the chapter “On Goldsmiths”. In smaller towns of Warmia, when the number of goldsmiths was lower than three, they were usually associated with the guild of blacksmiths. An example of this is the charter of blacksmiths from Orneta, article 4 of which contains the provision: “Anybody who practising his craft in this town, works using a hammer becomes a member of our guild, our companion and leads his spiritual life together with us. That can be a blacksmith of large objects, a blacksmith of small objects, a goldsmith, a smith working with copper, manufacturer of knives, armourer, bell-founder, maker of jugs, maker of saws, maker of belts, leather straps, maker of vessels, saddler, founder or glass maker” (quoted after Kolberg). The statutes of Ferber remained in force until 1766, when they were replaced by the act issued by Bishop Adam Stanisław Grabowski that, among other things, banned involvement of sons of peasants in activities of craftsmen, facilitating obtaining the diplomas of masters by journeymen, abolishing the custom of costly guild feasts and unified the system of remuneration across the entire Warmia.

The separate status of Warmia resulted in a very strong position for the chapter of Warmia. Appointment for it was reserved for people with a higher university education (does this mean higher than a first degree?).

The nature of artistic patronage in Warmia was a consequence of the role and importance of clergy. The history of arts in Warmia is mainly the history of projects implemented on the initiative of bishops and the chapter. That nature of 5 patronage, as well as the abovementioned specific elements typical for the dominium of Warmia, differentiated it in the European scale.

A very high percentage of sacral goldsmithery works represents donations confirmed by inscriptions or coats of arms. Unfortunately, what we can marvel at nowadays is only a small percentage of what originally could be found in this territory. This applies in particular to very numerous and exceptionally rich donations by bishops known only from source materials and literature, which have been preserved in tiny fragments and do not reflect either the scale or the quality of those projects. They were lost not only as a result of war, theft or imposed contributions but also as a result of melting “old and unfashionable” altar vessels to produce new ones, which is confirmed not only in source materials but also in inscriptions on objects. On the monstrance from Nowe Kawkowo (Z-142-AW) of 1742 by Anton Krieger we find the following inscriptions: In the year 1742 it was remodelled from an old form used during ancient times into a better one, used in present times. ... (translated after translation from Latin by Rev. Bishop Prof. Dr. hab. Julian Wojtkowski). The actions taken by the chapter of Frombork during the years 1752 – 1756 for the purpose of making the altar set (6 candlesticks and a cross by J.G. Schlaubitz) for the new main altar donated by Bishop Adam Stanisław Grabowski for the cathedral church of Frombork, consecrated in 1751, were a spectacular example of such melting of old silverware and sale of precious stones that decorated the melted pieces. More than 91 pounds (around 42 kilograms!) of silver was obtained from objects and liturgical vessels melted at that time. Those melted pieces included the cross almost one meter (2 elbows) high donated by Bishop Henryk III Sorbom (1373 – 1401), with Christ Crucified, the figures of Mary and St. John the Evangelist and decorated with white and dark blue stones topped with a figure of a pelican. Its foot contained a piece of the Holy Cross presented by Charles V, King of France (1364 – 1380) placed under glass. Two “heads of maidens” with coats of arms of Bishop Łukasz Watzenrode, 6 containing relics of Holy Maidens from the court of St. Ursula, were also melted.

Donations by lay donors are a rarity among sacral goldsmithery works in Warmia. They appear in just a few cases. Equipping churches in Warmia with silverwares was mainly the contribution of the clergy and bishops. Ordering vessels or wares for celebration of Holy Mass liturgy they decided the quality, form and theological message represented. To a large extent their education and artistic contacts determined the image of the art of goldsmithery in Warmia that has survived until our times.

The search conducted in preparation for the exhibition Sacral works of goldsmiths in Warmia dominium from mid-14th until the end of 18th c. covered over 80 churches, i.e. all those that existed until the first partition of Poland and incorporation of Warmia into Prussia. In 44 of them silverware pieces that were in the sphere of our interest and directly linked to the exhibition subject were found. The museum was lent liturgical objects from 38 churches, Warmia Metropolitan Curia and the Higher Theological Seminary of Warmia Metropolis “Hosianum” – in total over 160 monumental objects representing almost 90% of the resources of sacral works of goldsmithery in Warmia.

Some of the objects could not be placed on exhibition for technical and liturgical reasons, including some altar candlesticks (e.g. those from Dobre Miasto by J. Ch. Geese), votive offerings (e.g. the tiny silver shoe from 18th c. found in Święta Lipka), individual thuribles and eternal lamps (including the unique, but now incomplete, lamp in the form of a merry-go-round made by Johann Bartolomowicz for the church in Święta Lipka) as well as silver covers of miraculous paintings of the Virgin from Stoczek, Gietrzwałd and Bisztynek or from paintings set in altars. 7

Assembling such extensive, monumental material in one place and at the same time offered a unique opportunity to complete detailed studies and analyses, as well as verifying the existing findings and making new ones. The research was continued during the exhibition. It resulted in the drafting of this catalogue, in which some of the findings differ significantly from those contained in the short catalogue attached to the guide to the exhibition.

The goldsmithery of the gothic period proved particularly important – firstly, because of the quantity and diversity of various forms preserved, second, because of high artistic value. In the oldest pieces, dating back to the second quarter of 14th c. some romanesque forms were still preserved while in the latest post-gothic from the first half of 17th c the form and proportions are still gothic while the ornaments are renaissance and mannerist. The oldest 14th c. vasa sacra that were presented at the exhibition, have been mentioned in the earlier literature as lost after 1945. Four of them are gilded copper ciboria seized by the Soviet army, together with other objects from the cathedral hill of Frombork. Returned to Poland in 1953, they were placed in the National Museum in Warsaw initially as deposits and later, as of 1953, as elements of own collections of that museum. The catalogue published for the huge 1964 exhibition of acquisitions of that museum does not include them. Some of them appeared in literature as lost and, as such, they are included in the specification of war losses, even though they were returned to Warmia in 1981. The most important piece considered lost, not only in Polish but also European literature, is the so-called „Orzechowo chalice‟ from 1379. That outstanding masterpiece of goldsmithery art was, during all those years, described, most probably, on the basis of the photograph from the publication by Boetticher, and also on the basis of descriptions representing low levels of professionalism. That is an object very difficult to make photographs of as it is made of cast gold decorated with tiny, precise, mainly very high relief decorations. No wonder then that the descriptions and analyses could not correspond with the reality. That 8 masterpiece is but one mentioned in this short introduction which was donated by Henryk III Sorbom, bishop of Warmia during the years 1366-1373, notary and secretary to Charles IV. The reliquary herma for the head of St. Ida from the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Lidzbark Warmiński (initially without base, the inscription defining the saint on brass belt fastened by rivets along the dress neck) was probably made during the same time as the golden chalice to Lidzbark castle chapel of St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Although the opinion that 15th c. goldsmithery was anonymous, on two chalices we find name marks of goldsmiths, while on the third one the mark is most probably also the goldsmith‟s mark, but engraved. The oldest of them bearing the name mark of the master - B originates from Barczewo and according to the inscription it is dated for 1488. The next one is the chalice from Henryków from late 15th or early 16th c. is signed with a letter S, while the chalice from Lidzbark Warmiński from ca. 1500 is signed (?) with three engraved letters MJG.

Among the five retable monstrances, the oldest one was made around 1500 and in 1634 was transferred to the church in Płoskinia by parish priest Szymon Lang. The others are late-gothic pieces from 17th c. The monstrance from Płoskinia was mentioned in all post-war specifications as “destroyed after World War II, fragments of the base preserved”. It was discovered that it was not destroyed but severely damaged, with the third level (presenting St. Andrew and the majority of figures of saints) missing. Careful conservation, without unnecessary reconstruction returned it to its former magnificence, although it is around lower 20 cm than it was originally.

Gothic silverwares from churches of Warmia have at least one common, tiny element. If the scene of Crucifixion appears on the foot of any vessel, it is generally presented against the background of a landscape.

Goldsmithery of 17th c. is not as anonymous as it was during previous 9 centuries. We find not only name marks of goldsmiths but also city marks on objects. The majority of wares and vessels preserved from that period were made in Warmia; in Braniewo, Dobre Miasto, Jeziorany, Lidzbark Warmiński, Olsztyn and Orneta, although the place of origin is not always confirmed by the marks. The oldest marked objects are works by Hans Lettau (1596 – 1629) (thought to include the chalice from Orzechowo with the coat of arms Hosjusz, signed with the goldsmith‟s name mark – interlinked letters HL), works by Christof Schmidt (1611 – 1660) and his son Jörg Schmidt from Braniewo, as well as works by Jacob Lettau (1642 – 1688) from Dobre Miasto, son(?) of Andreas Lettau (active in 1620) from Dobre Miasto and nephew Hans Lettau from Braniewo. Slightly later are the works by Michael Ruhnau (1646 – 1702) from Jeziorany, Michael Hoyer (1686 – 1710) from Dobre Miasto and Michael Bartolomowicz, first active in Olsztyn (1679 – 1699) and later in Dobre Miasto (1704 – 1733) and his nephew Johann, active in Lidzbark Warmiński during the years 1694 – 1717. On the 1682 chalice from Lamkowo we find the city mark of Orneta that had not been previously identified.

In the group of objects dating back to 17th c., next to the works by goldsmiths from Warmia, we find pieces from nearby workshops of Gdańsk - Johanna Rohde (1646 – 1660), a goldsmith using the name mark HPL (object from 1660) and Peter Rohde III (1688 – 1717); from Królewiec - Georg Basse active in that town before 1627 (object dated on the basis of the inscription for 1660 bearing no city mark) and later working in Tylża (until 1670?), Philipp Hoyer (1634 – 1684), Baltasar Keuck (1686 – 1717), Johann Niclas Benedict, master as of 1685 and from Elbląg - Niclas Henning (1643 – 1665) and Daniel Stahlenbreher (1683 – 1710). On the objects originating from Królewiec, two year marks for Królewiec and two name marks of goldsmiths not recorded earlier from monumental materials were identified. 10

Two objects donated to the Frombork chapter – the chalice of Warmia Canon Ludwik Fantoni (1642 – 1662) and a monstrance donated by Cardinal Primate Michał Radziejowski (1688 - 1705), Bishop of Warmia during the years 1680 - 1688, were made in Warsaw by goldsmiths active at the royal court. While so far the magnificent monstrance donated by Radziejowski cannot be linked to any of the known goldsmiths, there is no doubt about the author of the chalice. It was made by Johann Christian Bierpfaff, royal servitor (ca. 1643 – 1650), who was active in Toruń during the later years.

Candlesticks donated for the main altar of Frombork cathedral by Szymon Rudnicki, Bishop of Warmia between 1604 – 1621 (made in Rome by Christofor Fischer, alias Pescatore, a goldsmith originating from Augsburg and active in Rome during the years 1617 – 1626) are the only imported 17th c. pieces preserved until the present times.

The part of exhibition devoted to 18th c. goldsmithery, which as of 1760s had been dominated by works of a goldsmith from Olsztyn Johannes Christof Geese (1715 – 1761) and his shop (in total 41 works).

The part of the exhibition devoted to 18th c. reflects the post-1760 dominance of the Olsztyn goldsmith Johannes Christof Geese (1715-1761) and his shop (in total 41 works)

OR

The part of the exhibition devoted to 18th c is dominated by the post-1760 works of …

The activity of Geese corresponds to the years when great patrons of arts held the office of the bishop of Warmia: Krzysztof Adam Szembek (1724 – 1740) and Adam Stanisław Grabowski (1741 – 1766). Geese was the main contractor for projects commissioned by Szembek. Samuel Grewe (1712 – 1750), the most prominent goldsmith of Królewiec during 18th c. was the other. 11

A golden chalice from Frombork cathedral, decorated with painted enamelled plates and diamonds, was donated by Bishop Szembek. Although in the exhibition guide as well as here, in the catalogue note, its make (source??) is attributed to Silesia (while in the earlier literature it was attributed to Dresden), it is hard to resist the belief that in its form and decoration, as well as the method of setting the stone, it is very close to works by Geese from years 1724 – 1732, and not only those works that are found in Warmia. Geese cannot be excluded as a possible author of that chalice (except for plates that are obvious imports). The source materials and studies mention works of that Olsztyn master made of gold, such as the lost 1732 monstrance made for the church in Święta Lipka, decorated with precious stones and pearls and with enamelled vine leaves surrounding the glory.

Among the presented works by Geese one had been previously unknown – a tondo in a brass frame presenting the Annunciation, originating from the cathedral of Frombork. That is the earliest work by Geese marked with his name mark, although unknown until now. In 1910 there was one more such tondo in the cathedral presenting the Nativity. Both of them were probably elements of a larger set, a cycle of five illustrations presenting the five Joyful Mysteries.

Such a big set of works by Geese allowed the documenting of two year marks for Olsztyn: B – 1751 and C – 1752. Some determinations functioning in literature concerning the works attributed to Geese have been verified.

During 1980s and 1990s the monstrance from Stoczek Klasztorny was still attributed mainly to him, but also to Georg Mittag (1734 – 1738) from Dobre Miasto. That monstrance with presentation of St. Louis of Toulouse is one of few preserved imports. It was made by Gerhard Müller, active in Düsseldorf from ca. 1710 until after 1744.

Geese is not the only maker of the silver elements and decorations on reliquaries in the Saviour‟s Chapel of Frombork cathedral donated by Bishop 12

Szembek. The majority of those pieces were made in the workshop of Samuel Grew. The exhibition presents only two of them: the earlier one from 1731 (with the year mark of Królewiec - t), and the other one probably from the early 1740s. The work on reliquaries continued after the bishop‟s death, which is confirmed by his testament and also documented by the objects differing from the earlier ones in style whilst maintaining the same convention. Another work by Grewe is exceptional in form among the objects presented; the 1732 silver frame in the form of an altar for the miraculous figure of Christ Crucified from 14th c. donated by Gotfryd Henryk Eulenburg, canon of Warmia (1719 – 1734) to the church in Święta Lipka.

Works marked by Georg Mittag (1734 – 1738) from Dobre Miasto, who came there from Żagań, Anton Krieger (1738 – 1755), who took over the shop after his death, Sigismund Tolckemit (1728 – 1772) from Elbląg and Caspar Conradt (1729 – 1768) from Królewiec can be found among 18th c. sacral vessels and wares originating from various churches in Warmia.

The exhibition and the catalogue end with the masterpieces of the most prominent Polish goldsmith of 18th c. and one of the leading European goldsmiths of that period, Johann Gottfried Schlaubitz, active in Gdańsk during the years 1733 – 1771 and works of goldsmiths creating under his influence: a prominent student of Schlaubitz, Conrad Daniel Lundgren, active in Gdańsk during the years 1756 – 1768, Johann Zacharias Kryzewitz, a goldsmith working in Braniewo and Orneta during the years 1763 – 1785 and a goldsmith from Królewiec, Philippa Zimmermann (1763 – 1801).

Johann Gottfried Schlaubitz created his most important and largest projects on commission from Bishop Grabowski, one of the greatest patrons and connoisseurs of arts in the history of Warmia and from the chapter of Warmia. Next to them the exhibition presents the monstrance originating from the church of St. Catherine in Braniewo, until recently included in the register of objects 13 missing after 1945 and recently included by M. Woźniak in the catalogue of the exhibition presented in Gdańsk in 2004 “Gdańsk for Poland...”. The humble cross from Pieniężno, entirely forgotten by the researchers, was created in early 1743 while the monstrance from 1765 or 1769 from the church in Bartąg is the latest presented work by Schlaubitz.

The exhibition, Sacral works of goldsmiths in Warmia dominium from mid-14th until the end of 18th c. is the first exhibition of its kind in the history of the Church in Warmia and, if not the only one so far, one of very few in Poland presenting almost the entire resource of old sacral goldsmithery from a single diocese – the smallest one in Poland. It provides the opportunity to review the oldest masterpieces of goldsmiths from Prussia, Warmia and nearby centres in Poland produced on commission from local clergy. It is immensely important for the culture and arts of Warmia as it presents for the first time to the public and the researchers of goldsmithery the previously unknown masterpieces by goldsmiths from Prussia, Braniewo, Dobre Miasto, Jeziorany, Orneta and Olsztyn and is the first presentation of more than 40 works by Johannes Christof Geese and his workshop.

I also dare say that it is important for the history of goldsmithery in Poland. Maybe this catalogue will result in the disappearance from the works on goldsmithery in Poland of statements such as: “We also possess masterpieces of gothic goldsmithery in Warmia, e.g. at the treasury of the church in Święta Lipka”, and the appearance of more factual statements, however short.

The exhibition offers the opportunity to commence detailed and problem focused studies on goldsmithery in Warmia. What has been done here so far is just an attempt at presentation and description of the silverwares preserved until the present day in the churches of Warmia. Both the exhibition and the catalogue 14 are presented in chronological order with the division by goldsmithery centres and workshops.

The scientific session accompanying the exhibition on “Sacral works of goldsmiths in Warmia dominium from mid-14th until the end of 18th c.” held on September 18, 2006, in the castle of Olsztyn – the premises of the Museum of Warmia and Mazury was the first result of that exhibition. Papers presented during the session will be published in 2007.

The exhibition was possible only thanks to goodwill and understanding of the importance of the project among the highest authorities of the Warmia Metropolis, His Excellency Archbishop Dr. Edmund Piszcz and Bishop Auxiliary Dr. Jacek Jezierski. Special thanks are directed to Sister Janina Bosko, M.A. for her kind cooperation in organization of the exhibition.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Magdalena Piwocka, Dariusz Nowacki and Krzysztof J. Czyżewski from the Wawel Castle in Kraków for questions, kind remarks, hints and assistance provided.

I am immensely grateful to Rev. Bishop Prof. Dr. hab. Julian Wojtkowski for the time devoted to translations from Latin necessary for this catalogue.

I would like to thank separately Dr. Michał Woźniak from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Nicholas Copernicus University in Toruń and curator of the Castle Museum in Malbork, who supported this exhibition from the initial research until the last sentences of the catalogue. He has never failed. I could depend on his knowledge, experience and kindness at any difficult moment during the work on the so extensive material. My questions, discussions, exchange of (occasionally differing) opinions 15 were to serve just one goal – earnest studies on sacral goldsmithery objects entrusted to the Museum of Warmia and Mazury for the time of the exhibition.

Małgorzata Okulicz

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