Be ween his Wo ld and he He ea e :
aRi ual o T ansi ion1
Jan Błoński
Iwill p esen sou ces, inspi a ions, and possible p eceden s o he co in po ai , hen i s cha ac-
e is ics, ole in he une al ce emony and, inally, i s mode n ecep ion and changing place in Pol-
ish cul u e. I de eloped when he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h was one o he mos powe ul
s a es in ea ly mode n Eu ope and sha ed i s a e.
KEY WORDS:
co in po ai ; une al cul u e; cus oms and manne s in Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h
Du ing e e y pe iod o ime and in e e y place on Ea h humankind ied o ind
ameaning in dea h and away o cope wi h i 2. Dea h was an impo an ac o and
apoin o e e ence o cul u e, eligion, a and philosophy, because, especially in
he pas , i was omnip esen and accompanied people’s daily ac i i ies. The co in
po ai — one o he mos o iginal and unusual ype o po ai s in ea ly mode n
Eu ope— is also unique on he Eu opean scale as aby-p oduc o he Ba oque, Sa -
ma ism and he cul u e o he nobles in he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h. In
his a icle Iwill p esen he sou ces, inspi a ions and possible p eceden s o he
co in po ai , hen i s cha ac e is ics, ole in he une al ce emony and, inally,
i s mode n ecep ion and changing place in Polish cul u e. I de eloped when he
Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h was one o he mos powe ul s a es in ea lymod-
e n Eu ope and sha ed i s a e— decline, all and obli ion— e i al and my h pe -
pe ua ion as asense o nos algia o he los powe . Co in po ai s we e highly o igi-
nal c ea ions o Sa ma ian a bu also e y impo an pa s o a une al— he i ual
o ansi ion had anumbe o common elemen s wi h aspec acle c ea ed o bo h he
deceased and he mou ne s.
Dea h is an inhe en and insepa able pa o li e. This applies equally o he Ba-
oque pe iod, which saw in Eu ope he Thi y-Yea s’ Wa and which was, especially
in he 17 h cen u y, ac i ical ime o he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h. I is da ed
con en ionally om he u n o he 17 h cen u y o he end o he eign o he Saxon
Dynas y in 1764. I ma ked ape iod o g adual decline om one o he g ea es Eu o-
pean powe s o aweak, di ided and ine icien s a e. Wa s o a i ion ( oge he wi h
amine, po e y and epidemics) led o massi e des uc ion o p ope ies and com-
modi ies (o e 50% o asse s) and people (up o 40% o apopula ion). They in lic ed
1 W i ing o his a icle was made possible hanks o Mg . Lenka S olá o á’s semina Face o
Face, he iendly and help ul coope a ion, as well as a ip o P ague inanced by he In-
e na ional O ice o he Uni e si y o Kons anz.
2 See e.g. Philippe ARIÈS, Wes e n A i udes Towa d Dea h om he Middle Ages o he P esen ,
Bal imo e 1974.
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44 HISTORIE — OTÁZKY — PROBLÉMY 1/2019
unp eceden ed damage o he hi he o lou ishing and powe ul kingdom and spel
he beginning o i s decline. So began ape iod o d as ic poli ical changes and ex e nal
and in e nal con lic s ha caused an e osion o he s a e sys em, de e io a ion o he
ma e ial and in ellec ual si ua ion o e e y social g oup, including he nobles and he
cle gy3. People we e exposed on adaily basis o aids, obbe ies, i es, mu de s, apes,
and many o he c uel ies. Also, eligion was a ec ed by he dynamic changes. I is
hough ha he Ba oque had ag ea impac on ea ly mode n Polish eligious cul u e,
which was also aba le ield in acon essional wa : Ca holicism, as well as new cul u al
ends in he Ba oque, ied o win people’s hea s and minds h ough he imagina-
ion which was exp essed in a amous Jesui mo o: “Th ough he eyes o he soul”4.
In such ci cums ances he e de eloped in he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h
a e y speci ic and unique ype o nobles’ ideology called “Sa ma ism”. I was based
on he con ic ion ha all he nobles a e descendan s o an ancien e hnic g oup, Sa -
ma ians, and he e o e ha e some common ea u es and a ibu es, such as b a e y
and hospi ali y, kindness, app ecia ion o he eedom and p o i o he a he land,
ollowing o he knigh ’s e hos and ha d “men’s” li e, as well as engagemen in poli ics5.
Since Sa ma ism a ec ed e e y pa o li e, i comes as no su p ise ha i a ec ed a 6.
SOURCES OF THE COFFIN PORTRAIT
Fayum mummy po ai s, which a e named a e he place whe e hey we e ound—
in he oasis o Fayum in no he n Egyp , o igina ed be ween he 1s cen u y BC and
he 1s cen u y AD, in he Roman Impe ial e a. The pain ings we e highly na u alis-
ic— he au ho s depic ed he models ealis ically and “ eco ded hei pe sonal ea-
u es”, so ha he aces, o example, a y much mo e han he a i es7. People a e
p esen ed agains amonoch ome backg ound, en ace, wi h he head sligh ly u ned
ha one ea is less isible han he o he . Encaus ic pain ings on small wooden pan-
els we e pu on he op o he mummy o co e i s ace. As Ba ba a Bo g poin s ou ,
“ he de elopmen o mummy po ai u e may ep esen acombina ion o Egyp ian
and Roman une a y adi ion, since i appea s only a e Egyp was es ablished as
aRoman p o ince”8.
3 Mi osław BRZOZOWSKI, Teo ia kaznodziejs wa (wiek XVI—XVIII) [Theo y o p eaching.
16–18 h cen u ies], in: Ma ian Rechowicz (ed.), Dzieje eologii ka olickiej w Polsce II/1, Lub-
lin 1975, p.396.
4 Janusz TAZBIR, Szlach a i eologowie [Nobili y and he heologians], Wa szawa 1987, p.56.
5 Jakub NIEDŹWIEDŹ, Sa ma yzm, czyli adycja wynaleziona [Sa ma ism o he in en ed
adi ion], Teks y D ugie, 2015, N .1, pp.46–62, he e p.48.
6 See: Tadeusz ULEWICZ, Sa macja. Zagadnienie sa ma yzmu w kul u ze ili e a u ze polskiej
[Sa ma ia. The issues o Sa ma ism in he Polish cul u e and li e a u e], K aków 2006.
7 Susan WALKER, Mummy po ai s and he Roman po ai u e, in: eadem (ed.), Ancien ac-
es. Mummy Po ai s om Roman Egyp , New Yo k 2000, pp.23–26.
8 Ba ba a BORG, De zie lichs e Anblick de Wel … Ägyp ische Po ä mumien, Mainz 1998,
p.40sq.
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Jan BłOńSKI 45
In he 1930s he Polish a his o ian Al ed B osig no ed “Idon’ know, whe e does
he cus om o pu ing dead pe sons images came om o Poland. I , howe e , esem-
bles asimila cus om o ancien Egyp ians, ha is hose amous Egyp ian, G eek-
Egyp ian and Hellenis ic encaus ic po ai s o mummies pain ed on small wooden
panels”9. Al hough some a his o ians ied o show di ec inspi a ions and links
be ween he mummies’ and he co in po ai s10, he e is no sound e idence o ha .
The e m Eikon, om he G eek “image”, “po ai ”, may be applied o di e en
wo ks o a , including sculp u es, mosaics and a ious o he echniques, hough
he Eas e n Chu ch has a e y speci ic and complex unde s anding o an icon, going
a beyond he a is ic ea u es11. Ne e heless, he e Iwould like o ocus on hose
cha ac e is ics ha may be impo an in he con ex o he co in po ai . An icon de-
pic s asain , an angel o adi ine being, p esen ed, as in he Fayum mummy po ai ,
en ace, looking ahead. Bu , con a y o he a o emen ioned pain ings, icons e ol ed
mo e in he di ec ion o allego ic ep esen a ions a he han ealis ic ones. Depend-
ing on he icon, he backg ound may be mo e de ailed, p esen ing abiblical scene,
a ibu es o asain , symbols, o names w i en in Cy illic.
Wi h he economic c isis he alding he decline o he Roman Empi e, he a o
mummy po ai s declined, bu he adi ion o panel pain ings and on ally p e-
sen ed people su i ed in Byzan ine icons, whe e i was di ec ly linked o Ch is i-
ani y. O hodoxy ou las ed he Byzan ine Empi e and was kep ali e in he Russian
Empi e and o he lands o Eas e n Eu ope. Due o he p oximi y, good poli ical, eco-
nomic and cul u al ela ions plus he wa s and mu ual in luences, he s yle was im-
po ed o he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h, a ec ing no only i s O hodox o
Unia e ci izens bu also he Ca holic con ession12. A ypical example o his in luence
is apain ing o he Black Madonna o Częs ochowa— he pain ing was execu ed
o he Queen o Poland in 1717 and emains he mos impo an eligious image
in p esen -day Poland13. In he 17 h cen u y he e we e ag ea many o mi aculous
pain ings in Poland, no only in a o m esembling icons (some o hem we e s olen
9 Quo ed acco ding o Joanna DZIUBKOWA, S oj pog zebnicze, apod glancem ey blachy upa-
uj p ześwie ne popioły, in: eadem, Vani as: Po e umienny na le sa mackich obycza-
jów pog zebowych [Co in po ai in he con ex o he Sa ma ian une al cus oms] (ca -
alogue), Poznań 1996, p.18.
10 Taduesz DOBRZENIECKI, Geneza polskiego po e u umiennego [The e olu ion o he Pol-
ish co in po ai ], in: Po e . Funkcja— o ma— symbol [Po ai . Func ion— Fo m—
Symbol], Wa szawa 1990, pp.73–88.
11 See: Pio CHOMIK, Kul ikon Ma ki Bożej w Wielkim Księs wie Li ewskim w XVI–XVII wieku
[The cul o icons o Mo he o God in Li huania in 16 h–17 h cen u ies], Białys ok 2003,
pp.27–30.
12 See: Mi osław KRUK, Ikony-ob azy w świą yniach zymsko-ka olickich dawnej Rzeczypospo-
li ej [Icons— images in Roman Ca holic chu ches o he old Polish-Li huanian Common-
weal h], K aków 2011.
13 Joanna DZIUBKOWA, Gdzie Wschód spo yka Zachód: po e osobis ości dawnej Rzeczypospo-
li ej 1576–1763: Muzeum Na odowe w Wa szawie, 22 maja— 31 lipca 1993 [Whe e he Eas
mee he Wes : po ai o pe sonnali ies o he old Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h
1576–1763: Na ional Museum in Wa saw, 22nd May— 31s July 1993], Wa szawa 1993.
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46 HISTORIE — OTÁZKY — PROBLÉMY 1/2019
in Russia du ing he ecu en wa s); hey we e also associa ed wi h he Eas in a i-
ous legends explaining hei o igins14. I is easy o see ha he composi ion o an icon
as well as he ep esen a ion o ape son a e e y simila o hose ound la e in he
co in po ai s.
The las sou ce o he co in po ai , p obably o he u mos impo ance, is he
Ba oque Polish, also known as he “Sa ma ian po ai ”. I was alocal emana ion o
agene al endency in Eu opean pain ing o ha ime and i de eloped and gained in
popula i y wi hin he a o emen ioned ime ames— om he end o he 16 h cen u y
o he second hal o he 18 h cen u y. The mos equen subjec s we e membe s o he
nobili y desi ous o displaying hei social s a us. “Acommon ea u e o po ayed
people is akind o asupe icial biologism, o en an exp ession o ahaugh iness and
sel -con idence enhancing hei social signi icance, and in an e en s onge way—
ame e ac o physic exis ence”15. The si e was p esen ed in a ealis ic way, a leas
as a as hei physiognomy was conce ned, wi h a ibu es symbolizing hei belong-
ing o asocial class, o ice, me i s and i ues— such as abook, ka abela (so o ca a-
bine), cap, mace, o acoa o a ms. The pe son in he pic u e also wo e a adi ional
na ional cos ume— along ga men wi h slee es and bu ons (żupan), o e i a obe
called kon usz, ied wi h along, wide sash called pas kon uszowy (o mo e o namen ed
and expensi e slu ski sash). The a i e was usually in i id colou s so ha he wo
pa s con as ed wi h each o he . The backg ound was s ylized as an an ique image,
wi h aG eek column o ad ape y.
Those o ien al elemen s exe a ascina ion wi h he Eas and a e a ace o amuch
b oade in luence om Uk aine, Russia, and Tu key. This is la gely mani es ed in he
Sa ma ian a i es, he shape o he swo ds and hai cu s16, as we can now obse e in
hose po ai s. “Polish pain ing, ep esen ed by guild pain e s, king’s se an s and
magna e’s cou ie s o by non-p o essionals om ci ies and noblemen, was ap o-
incial pain ing, al hough no dep i ed o some cha ac e is ic ea u es ha es i y
in a ou o i s sepa a eness”17. While he Sa ma ian po ai was mean o p esen
ape son in he p ime o li e and wi h all he a ibu es be i ing hei s a us, he co in
po ai was mo e simple and modes .
14 Jan KRACIK, Świę e ob azy wś ód g zesznych Sa ma ów: ze s udiów nad ecepcją kul owego
dziedzic wa [Sain images among he sinn ul Sa ma ians: s udying he ecep ion o he cul
he i age], Nasza P zeszłość 76, 1991, pp.141–192.
15 Tadeusz DOBROWOLSKI, Polskie mala s wo po e owe: ze s udiów nad sz uką epoki sa -
ma yzmu [The Polish po ai pain ing: s udying he a o he e a o Sa ma ism], K aków
1948, p.211.
16 See: T.ULEWICZ, Sa macja, p.197.
17 T. DOBROWOLSKI, Polskie mala s wo po e owe, p. 200. Ne e heless, Ja osława
Szczepańska d aws some in e es ing analogies wi h Neapoli an sepulch al sculp u es, see
EADEM, Malowane po e y epi a ijne na Mazowszu zXVII ipocz. XVIII wieku [Pain ed epi aph
po ai s in he Mazo ia om he 17 h and he beginning o 18 h cen u y], Rocznik Mazow-
iecki 2, 1969, pp.253–297, he e pp.257–258.
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Jan BłOńSKI 47
THE COFFIN PORTRAIT
In away, he co in po ai may be seen as a e y speci ic sub ype o he Sa ma ian
po ai which e ol ed om he b oade gen e. Bu , in con as o i s ances o , he
backg ound is usually plain and monoch ome in o de o ocus a en ion on he ace
and he cha ac e . The mos impo an and unique ea u e o he co in po ai is
i s shape. Ame al shee (in coppe , in o lead) wi h apain ing in oil was mos o en
hexagonal and made o i he inside o he co in whe e i was placed. This was he
ou come o he e olu ion o he co in po ai , because he i s one, apo ai o he
Hunga ian King o he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h, S ephen Bá ho y, 1588, a -
ibu ed o Ma cin K ome 18— was ec angula and pu , like he Fayum po ai s, on
he op o he co in, p obably wi hou any special unc ion. This an con a y o Ba-
oque poe y, li e a u e, o se mons, which end o idealize and exagge a e he sub-
jec ’s i ues)19. “The co in po ai was domina ed by in s o laming ed, yellow and
b own. The paleness o he complexion was balanced by accen ing blushing cheeks
and ed lips”20. Ye one can no ice all he laws and weaknesses o he pe son— he o
she is shown wi hou beau i ying no smoo hing. This was mean o c ea e he im-
p ession ha he deceased, po ayed as being s ill ali e, is aking pa in he ce e-
mony, wa ching he gues s and he amily. In ha o m he co in po ai emained as
asepa a e gen e wi hou any signi ican changes un il he end o he Polish-Li hua-
nian s a e in 179521.
Tadeusz Ch zanowski holds ha “ e is ic explici ness, naï e minu eness, and
syn he ici y o mino elemen s (backg ound, e en a ibu es), g aphic conc e e-
ness— all his gains meaning in he con ex o dea h, ai h and a i ude owa ds e e -
ni y. […] The co in po ai is abo e all an exp ession o complacency, sa e us in he
e iciency o s a e p i ileges as well as in he a e li e”22. As he a his o ian poin s
ou , one can ge he imp ession ha he Polish nobili y was no a aid o dea h in an
escha ological sense, maybe only in aphysical and ma e ial sense— as an illness and
decay, no as mee ing wi h God. This can be unde s ood in he con ex o he une al
ce emony in which he co in po ai played an impo an ole.
Al eady, in he 17 h cen u y, Polish une als we e conside ed by o eign obse -
e s as la ish and exceedingly sump uous. “The e is so much pomp and ce emony
in Polish une als ha you would soone ake hem o be a iumphan e en han
he bu ial o he dead.”23— w o e in 1698 Be na d O’Conno , he B i ish physician
o King JohnIII Sobieski, who w o e down his memo ies and obse a ions o his
18 See: J.DZIUBKOWA, S oj pog zebnicze, p.21.
19 Tadeusz CHRZANOWSKI, Ciało sa mackie [Sa ma ian body], Teks y: eo ia li e a u y,
k y yka, in e p e acja 32, 1977, N .2, pp.54–83, he e p.57.
20 Zbigniew KUCHOWICZ, Obyczaje ipos acie Polski szlacheckiej XVI iXVII wieku [Cus oms
and igu es o noble Poland o 16 h and 17 h cen u y], Wa szawa 1993, p.253.
21 T.DOBROWOLSKI, Polskie mala s wo po e owe, pp.146–148.
22 T.CHRZANOWSKI, Ciało sa mackie, p.62.
23 Be na d O’CONNOR, His o ia Polski, ansl. W.Duży, T.Falkowski, P.Hanczewski,
K.Pękacka-Falkowska, London 1698/Wa saw 2012, p.482.
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48 HISTORIE — OTÁZKY — PROBLÉMY 1/2019
ellow Englishmen. His accoun , e y accu a e hough some imes supe icial and
naï e, se es as one o he mos in e es ing sou ces o he Polish cus oms and man-
ne s as seen by a o eigne 24. Also Jan Kmi a, ap in e om he own o Lubcz,
w o e asho book abou he une al o He man K zysz o Radziwiłł, wi h ade-
ailed desc ip ion o he ce emony, as hough i was ascena io o his e en 25.
We can lea n in i abou he homilies deli e ed, and wha is also in e es ing is he
excuse ha Kmi a p o ides in he p e ace o he la ishness o he une al, namely
ha ag ea man dese es g ea honou s26. This is in acco dance wi h he es imony
o O’Conno and many o he sou ces. The p oblem is ha he hea um uneb is o -
en con as ed wi h he las will o he deceased and hei wish o modes y and
simplici y. Fo ins ance, Jan Bys oń quo es he las will o K zysz o Szczed owski,
a ich nobleman om G ea e Poland— who asks his descendan s o a une al o
be as humble as possible, wi hou any g andeu s, se mons, o ap ocession27. This
a he common p oblem was o en sol ed by conduc ing wo ce emonies— ahum-
ble one o he dead, and asecond o he li ing ones— la ish and pompous, ull o
splendou and glamou 28.
The e o e, he pe iod be ween adea h and he ce emony o en las ed a ew weeks.
The amily o he deceased wai ed be o e he ce emony o all he ela i es and
gues s o a i e, some imes om e y dis an p o inces. Du ing ha ime he body
was p esen ed o he public and amass o he soul o he deceased was celeb a ed
e e y day29. Usually, his was he ime when co in po ai s we e pain ed, hough i
happened om ime o ime ha some nobleman o de ed one du ing his li e ime30.
Joanna Dziubkowa sees he e ano he eason o he popula i y o co in po ai s—
“Wi h he necessi y o long p ocedu e o p epa ing he body om he momen o
dea h o he une al, apa om sho - e m p ese a i e me hods, o he means we e
eso ed o. The co in was u nished wi h asmall glass ha allowed o see he ace
24 Sabina FLANCZEWSKA, Be na d O’Conno ijego “The His o y o Poland” [Be na d O’Conno
and his “The His o y o Poland”], Biule yn Biblio eki UMCS 24, 1976, n .4, pp.13–19.
25 Jan KMITA, P oces pog zebu s. pamięci […] K zysz o a Radziwiła [The cou se o he une al o
holy memo y K zysz o Radziwił], Lubcz 1641, a ailable online: h ps://jbc.bj.uj.edu.pl/dli-
b a/doccon en ?id=364882 [ e ie ed 31.7.2019]. See also: Ma iola JARCZYKOWA, Kul-
u a une alna Radziwiłłów Bi żańskich w świe le kazań pog zebowych zpie wszej połowy XVII
wieku [Fune al cul u e o Radziwiłł o Bi że in he ligh o une al se mons om he i s
hal o he 17 h cen u y], S udia Bibliologiczne 6, 1993, pp.40–51.
26 J.KMITA, P oces pog zebu, c. a2. .
27 Jan S.BYSTROŃ, Dzieje obyczajów w dawnej Polsce II [His o y o cus oms o old Poland],
Wa szawa 1976, pp. 2–93.
28 Ma celi KOSMAN, Li ewskie kazania pog zebowe zpie wszej połowy XVII wieku [Li hua-
nian une al se mons om he i s hal o he 17 h cen u y], Od odzenie iRe o macja
wPolsce17, 1972, pp.87–114, he e p.89.
29 Juliusz CHROŚCICKI, Pompa uneb is. Zdziejów kul u y s a opolskiej [F om he his o y o
Old Polish cul u e], Wa saw 1974, p.50.
30 Fo he ime o pain ing he po ai s see he discussion in: Ba lomiej LYCZAK, The co in
po ai and he celeb a ion o dea h in Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h in he Mode n Pe iod,
IKON. Jou nal o Iconog aphic S udies 4, 2011, pp.233–242, he e p.240.
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Jan BłOńSKI 49
o he deceased. Undoub edly easie was, howe e , o pu he pain ed po ai on he
co in”31. Wai ing o he une al was also a ime o mou ning, ememb ance and
lamen ing. The la e in ensi ied du ing he e y ce emony and is disce nible in
sou ces (se mons, dia ies, poe y) om ha ime32.
In he cen e o he chu ch he e was a cas um dolo is (La in o “ he cas le o
g ie ”), which was a o m o a ichly o namen ed ca a alque deco a ed wi h abal-
dachin, candles, acoa o a ms, and su ounded by columns o monumen s, wi h
apla o m o he co in and aco in po ai 33. The la e elemen , i is wo h no ing
again, p esen ed ali ing pe son, as hough he o she was among he ga he ed gues s,
obse ing and aking an ac i e pa in he ce emony. The pe son p esen ed in he
co in po ai was he e o e on he bo de line be ween wo ldly and u u e li e. The
o icial mass s a ed o en wi h agun salu e. A e i , an a chimimus, an ac o play-
ing he deceased, wea ing his o he clo hes and a ibu es app oached he co in
iding aho se and ell down o symbolize dea h and he inal a ewell. Depending on
he ank and posi ion o he deceased he a ibu es— weapons (such as ahe man’s
mace), ings, seals, and he like— we e b oken34. Then ap ocession wi h he co in
le he chu ch and wen o he bu ial place and a omb. I anobleman was bu ied
in achu ch c yp , he p ocession walked a ound he chu ch and came back. Be -
na d O’Conno also ga e ade ailed desc ip ion o a ypical une al p ocession: The
body is pu in he co in, which is placed on he hea se o in awagon d awn by six
ho ses, while e e y hing is co e ed by ablack eil. The co in is co e ed by ablack
el e y sh oud, wi h a ed sa in c oss in he middle, and sag om i six long, black
silk assels held by he housema es o he deceased. They all wea une al a i e. In
on o he wagon walk p ies s, monks and huge mass o people, each wi h awhi e
wax bu ning o ch in he hand. Closes o he hea se mo e h ee ho semen, holding
weapons o he deadman— one wields his swo d, second his lance, and he hi d
one his a ow35.
When he co in was placed in he omb, he ela i es deli e ed (usually lauda-
o y) speeches, he co in po ai and he coa o a ms o he deceased we e hung on
he chu ch wall along wi h he banne s, he so-called laba a uneb ia— hey we e as
popula as he co in po ai s ( o example, a e he Moscow incu sion in 1613 se -
e al dozen o hem we e hung in he Be na dine chu ch in L i 36). No many o hem
ha e su i ed due o he ail y o he ma e ials.
31 J.DZIUBKOWA, S oj pog zebnicze, p.20.
32 Bogdan ROK, Człowiek wobec śmie ci w kul u ze s a opolskiej [Man owa ds dea h in he Old
Polish cul u e], W oclaw 1995, pp.65–72.
33 J.CHROŚCICKI, Pompa uneb is, pp.125–139.
34 Ibid., p.52.
35 B.O’CONNOR, His o ia Polski, p.483.
36 J.S.BYSTROŃ, Dzieje obyczajów w dawnej Polsce, p.114.
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50 HISTORIE — OTÁZKY — PROBLÉMY 1/2019
MODERN RECEPTION
Today, he “ ibald man wi h ac anky look”37, aSa ma ian nobleman om he co in
po ai s seems o be as e eo ypical Pole. This image was pe pe ua ed by he 19 h and
20 h cen u y in li e a u e, especially by he na ional ba d Adam Mickiewicz and his
epic poem Si Thaddeus, and he Nobel-p ize winne , Hen yk Sienkiewicz, wi h his
ilogy abou he 17 h cen u y wa s— bo h au ho s depic ed he Sa ma ian gen y and
hei cus oms o a leas hei ep esen a ion o hem, c ea ing he my h o he Pol-
ish-Li huanian Commonweal h, i s cul u e and ideology38.
The co in po ai became a e y impo an pa o his he i age. I has added
a e y ealis ic image o he li e a y and poe ic cha ac e is ics. Thanks o i s ealism
and lack o idealiza ion i could exp ess ambi alen sides o he same phenomenon.
On he one hand, he gen y we e admi ed o in en ing apoli ical sys em ha was
ahead o i s ime, making he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h one o he mos pow-
e ul s a es in Eu ope, ole an o di e en con essions, wi h a lou ishing economy
and cul u e. On he o he hand, he same gen y we e blamed o pa ochialism and
na ow-mindedness, xenophobia, egoism and o e bea ing and poli ical inep ness
ha inally ended up wi h he Pa i ions o Poland (1772–1795)39. This complex and
con adic o y image is in keeping wi h Polish his o y and i s decline in he Ba oque
pe iod. Apopula simpli ied image o he Sa ma ian cul u e was p esen also in his-
o ical desc ip ions, al hough, as Jakub Niedźwiedź poin s ou , his in e p e a i e
ca ego y becomes less and less popula and mode n his o ians pay mo e a en ion
o he di e si y o he Commonweal h’s cul u e40. Ne e heless, i s ill plays an im-
po an ole in he cu en poli ical discussions (as a ame o e e ence) o in he
pop-cul u e, as apopula image o Polish his o y. A e Wo ld Wa II, he co in po -
ai also gene a ed in e es in a his o ians and museums, and hanks o his, be-
came widely ecognized as apa o he na ional he i age.
This peculia ly Polish gen e o he Ba oque was exhibi ed a a shows qui e as
o en as he Sa ma ian po ai . I was aphenomenon comple ely incompa able o
any hing ha migh be ound ou side he coun y. Co in po ai s had aclose connec-
ion o Polish une al cus oms o hei ime. They we e exhibi ed as some o he bes
examples o he ealis endencies in he local a o he pe iod and as one o he mos
impo an elemen s in he ich cul u al he i age o he Ba oque e a.41
The e o e, Ba oque co in po ai s ha e aken p ide o place in he Polish collec-
i e imagina ion and will o along ime shape he iew o he pas no only o p o es-
sional his o ians, bu also o he public-a -la ge.
37 Emil KŁODA— Adam SZELĄG, “Ribald Man wi h ac anky look”. The Sa ma ian po ai
as he pop-cul u al symbol o Ba oque a in Poland, Jou nal o A His o iog aphy 15, 2016,
pp.1–27.
38 See: J.NIEDŹWIEDŹ, Sa ma yzm.
39 T.ULEWICZ, Sa macja, p.197 and .
40 J.NIEDŹWIEDŹ, Sa ma yzm, p.60.
41 E.KŁODA— A.SZELĄG, “Ribald Man”, p.11.
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Jan BłOńSKI 51
RÉSUMÉ:
In my a icle I ied o p esen o he eade he ascina ing eali y o he Sa ma ian bo de land be-
ween his wo ld and a e li e. In o de o make he ansi ion and he a ewell mo e bea able and
o p o ide he bigges chance o aplace in Hea en (o a leas as sho as possible a ime in he pu -
ga o y) acomplica ed and sophis ica ed i uals we e de eloped. Resembling almos hea ical pe -
o mances, une als in he Commonweal h we e mean o acili a e he c ossing o he in isible line
be ween li e and dea h. In ha ce emony an impo an ole was played by he co in po ai — he
image o he deceased, po ayed as ali ing pe son— in ana u alis ic and ealis ic way, wi hou ide-
aliza ion. I was as hough hey we e among he p esen gues s, accompanying hem o he las ime.
Soon ha (usually) hexagonal pain ings gained in popula i y no only in he b oad ci cles o he Pol-
ish gen y, bu also among he iche bou geois. This is why many o hem ha e been p ese ed o
his day and can be seen in many galle ies. The e i al o in e es in he Polish co in po ai a e
IIWo ld Wa made hem again en e he collec i e consciousness and has es ablished hem as asym-
bol o an (allegedly) glo ious pas and imes o powe . On he one hand, hey a e an as ic sou ces o
esea ch on he ea ly mode n pe iod o he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h his o y as hey show
he “ eal ace” o ou ances o s and a e a angible pa o hei cul u e and wo ld; on he o he hand
hey join ly shape he na ional my hs and imagina ions. The di iding line be ween hose unc ions
is e y hin. The e o e, i is e en mo e impo an o in es iga e he place o he co in po ai s and
he i uals o ansi ion in he pas ages. Along wi h o he sou ces, hey may p o ide adeep and e-
liable insigh in o he old habi s and ways o ace dea h.
Mg . Jan Błoński is ahis o y and psychology s uden a he Uni e si y o Wa saw. He is cu en ly
pu suing esea ch on social ela ions in he Polish-Li huanian Commonweal h, he ea ly mode n e-
ligious cul u e, and di e en ways o inding ameaning in li e (j.blonski@s uden .uw.edu.pl).
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