Museum of Cieszyn Silesia
The exhibition is located on the 2nd floor of the Larisch mansion. Artefacts dating from the period of the Piasts greet us in the hall. There are several late medieval paintings which used to decorate churches of Cieszyn Silesia; e.g. St. Mary of the Assumption dating from the mid-16th century and originating from Leszna, a triptych from Kamienica dating from around 1460 associated with the school of Małopolska, and severalpaintings dating from the period of the Reformation. Among them are the Baptism of Christ, around 1550, and Christ as the Man of Sorrows by a Cieszyn painter, Paul Reiss, around 1590. There are also some stone exhibits; two keystones from the former parish church in Goleszów dating from around 1500 (one of them depicting the Piast eagle) and a Latin inscription on a stone beam referring to Prince Frederick William reading: FRIDERICUS GWILELMUS D[EI] G[RATIA] IN SILESIA TESCHINENSIS / ET MAIORIS GLOGOVIAE DUX NEC NON PRIMAE PARTIS / SILESIAE BELLI PRINCEPS POSUIT ANNO MDCXXIIII, which means; “Frederick William by the grace of God in Silesia Prince of Cieszyn and Wielki Głogów, the high commander of the army of part of Silesia laid [this stone] in 1624.” The inscription, probably originally placed on a portal leading to chambers in the princely castle, was carved to commemorate the charging of Frederick William with the defence of the Jablunkov Pass against the army of Bethlen Gabor, Prince of Transylvania, in 1624. Underneath there is an original coat of arms of the Cieszyn Piasts carved in stone, which used to decorate the quoin of the Piast Tower. The flattened design of the eagle links it to the Prague workshop of the Parlers. However, the most precious work of art is the Cieszyn Madonna, displayed in the hall. The discovery in 2000 of this Gothic sculpture originating in the workshop of Peter Parler, the most famous sculptor of 14th century Europe, was one of the most sensational discoveries in that field since the Second World War.
The Cieszyn Madonna
The Cieszyn Madonna is an almost life-size sandstone statue (measuring 123 cm high) depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary and Child. It belongs to the type of Marian statues with an open cloak clasped by a brooch. Mary is shown as a young woman with a naked infant sitting on her left forearm. She is wearing a long, close-fitting dress with a low neckline and long sleeves fastened with a row of small buttons. The wide cloak edged with trimming is draped around her shoulders and hangs in rich folds. The left edge of the cloak co-vers the lower part of the infant’s body. The Madonna’s head is adorned by her long hair falling in locks over her shoulders and back. Originally the Madonna used to have a crown in the form of a wide band with 4 lower and 4 higher fleurs-de-lis. The figure of the Child is more schematic. His left hand is laying on an apple which is held by the Mother. He is leaning on his Mother’s chest with his right arm and playing with the brooch. The apple is a Christian symbol of original sin and its redemption since the Cieszyn statue presents the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and the Second Eve.
The face of the Cieszyn Madonna has a natural but serious expression. It can be numbered among sculptures following the principles of the so-called new realism which developed as a reaction to the predominant tradition of idealism in the portrayal of the human form in the Middle Ages. New realism was initiated in Italy in the 1st half of the 14th century by Giotto (died 1337), but its principles were fully developed at the Prague court of Emperor Charles IV, particularly impressively in the work of the most famous sculptor of that century, Peter Parler. The Cieszyn Madonna bears all the most characteristic features of that style revealing great similarities with the major works of Peter Parler, among them busts of Charles IV and his family in the lower triforium of St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague. These features are; a naturalistic portrayal of the human form, an emphasis given to curves of the body, a predilection for asymmetrical composition and the use of contemporary courtly costume. According to experts, the Cieszyn Madonna dates from around 1368-69 and was carved in Cieszyn in sandstone from a local quarry (probably either in Brenna or Řeka). Since it is thought that Peter Parler did not leave Prague during this time, art historians conclude that the sculptor of the Cieszyn Madonna belonged to Parler’s workshop and also carved some of the finest sculptures in the cathedral of St. Vitus, which bear a close resemblance to the Madonna.
According to a legend recorded in the 19th century the statue of the Virgin and Child had been founded centuries before by a princess from the Piast dynasty in gratitude for being saved from a great danger. It is not known how much truth there is in the account, but certainly the commission was made on the initiative of Cieszyn Prince Premislaus I Noszak who was active at the Prague court for many years. He is credi-ted with commissioning a number of other works of art from Parler’s workshop in Cieszyn Silesia including the tomb effigy of a Piast Prince, most probably of Premislaus I in the present parish church. There may have been a permanent sculpture workshop at his court in Cieszyn. Originally the sculpture of the Virgin and Child was located in one of Cieszyn’s churches, maybe St. Nicholas’ Rotunda or the Dominican church. Both buildings were severely damaged by fire several times during their history. Some traces of those fires can also be observed on the statue. At the beginning of the 18th century the Madonna was placed on a column in front of the Cieszyn castle. When the Habsburgs built their neo-Classicist Hunting Castle on the Castle Hill, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was no longer welcome and was therefore moved to the Old Market in 1844 where it remained until 2000. After the restoration the Cieszyn statue of the Virgin and Child was placed as a long term loan from the town authorities in the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia where it is the jewel in the crown of the permanent exhibits. A copy of the statuewas put on a column on the Old Market Square.
Most of the exhibits originating in the Piast times are presented in the next room called the Piast Room. The exhibition provides us with a brief outline of the history of the Cieszyn Duchy during the period of the Piasts’ rule. Since the whole room is dedicated to the Cieszyn Piasts it is impossible to concentrate on each exhibit in details.
The Piast Room
One of the inherent privileges of sovereign princes, which includes the Piasts, was the right to mint their own coins. A display cabinet in the centre of the Piast Room contains coins struck in mints in Cieszyn and Skoczów during the period between the 14th and the mid-17th centuries. These are the coins struck by the Cieszyn Princes as well as some coins of smaller denomination minted by the town of Cieszyn in the 15th century depicting the characteristic uncial letter T. In one of the display cases there are some artefacts found during excavations of the Castle Hill; for instance a cutlery handle carved from animal bone in the form of a woman wearing typical 14th century dress. In the next case works of religious art and relics from Cieszyn churches are displayed; for instance the objects discovered in the crypts of the Dominican church including the remains from the tomb of Sigrid Brahe.
The third display case presents ceramic tiles with the Cieszyn coat of arms and the name of Cieszyn Prince Premislaus. The square tiles of side approximately 17 cm and thickness of around 3 cm were discovered on the Castle Hill in different periods. They are made of fired clay with a greenish glaze. A 2.5 cm border running along three side of the tile bears an inscription in Gothic minuscule reading Przemislaus dei gratia dux Tessinensis. Inside, at the bottom of a pointed shield, there is a depiction of the Cieszyn Piast eagle. Some of the tiles additionally bear Cieszyn’s coat of arms in their upper left corner. The tiles most probably decorated chambers in the Cieszyn castle, possibly forming a mural frieze. In the same display case there are also the octagonal tiles from Elizabeth Lucretia’s houses which were mentioned earlier. These tiles bear her initials and the date 1648.
The next exhibit from the Cieszyn castle is a round glass disc, the so-called roundel depicting Cieszyn’s full heraldic achievement and a date 1611. It is a circular panel of crown glass measuring 17.5 cm in diameter and with a thickness of 1 mm. The design includes an escutcheon bearing a yellow eagle imitating gold, crowned, facing right, and painted on a blue shield. Above it there is a helm adorned with a mantling and a coronet which carries a second Cieszyn eagle taking flight.
The same display case also presents a chalice and a paten of a very simple design, which according to attested tradition witnessed particularly important events during the recatholisation of the Cieszyn Duchy by Prince Adam Wenceslas. When he took over as independent ruler he signed a document in 1598in which he commanded Cieszyn townspeople to follow the Lutheran Church exclusively and for all time. However, in 1609 he converted to Catholicism and expected the same from the townspeople. The town authorities tried to oppose this by referring to the document mentioned above. Adam Wenceslas demanded that the document be brought to him, then personally cut it up and sent it back to the town authorities in a chalice covered with paten. These were the lovingly preserved for centuries in the Cieszyn Town Hall. They were there still during the interwar period together with the pieces of parchment which were finally lost during the Second World War.
A portrait of Prince Adam Wenceslas, with the dimensions of almost 2 x 1.4 metres is the most eye-catching exhibit in the Piast Room. In the display case next to the painting there is a small copperplate depicting his son, Prince Frederick William, the last male Piast. Adam Wenceslas’ portrait is painted in oils on canvas and depicts a standing figure of the Prince in a cuirass, with his head in three-quarter profile and a sword hanging at his left hip.
In his hand he holds a short rod, or possibly a rolled up parchment. His right hand rests on a table, on which there is a helmet and gauntlets. In the background, at the height of his head is a scene of the Crucifixion. A Latin inscription at the bottom of the painting reads that the portrait was commissioned by Heinrich Samuel Wolf, the dean of Cieszyn and bishopric commissar. This information leads to the conclusion that the portrait was most probably painted between 1700 and 1705. The painting is not signed; nonetheless, it is attributed to the painter Piotr Brygierski. Another very valuable and impressive exhibit linked to Prince Adam Wenceslas is a standard of the Cieszyn Duchy dating from 1605. The background of the forked satin standard has dimensions of 160 x 240 cm. The face side depicts the crowned Piast eagle painted gold on a blue background facing left with a red protruding tongue. On both sides of the eagle, between its legs and outstretched wings there is the date 1605 painted in gold. The standard was used as a war flag of the Prince, who was the only Piast of this line to have a vocation as a soldier. Therefore he took part in numerous wars in Moravia and Hungary serving his liege lords, the Habsburgs. In 1605 Adam Wenceslas was named commander of the Silesian armies which were to defend the southern border of Silesia against the anti-Habsburg uprisings of Stephen Bocskay in Hungary. The standard was probably commissioned on that occasion. Today it is the most spectacular coloured representation of the coat of arms of the Cieszyn Piasts. The gold eagle was placed on a blue background in order to distinguish the Cieszyn Piasts’ coat of arms from the Polish Piasts.
The likeness of the last Cieszyn Princess of the Piast lineage, Elizabeth Lucretia, can be found on one of the coins minted by her. However, the most striking exhibit connected with her is a cabinet. Made from several kinds of wood dyed black, with brass fittings, it consists of 55 drawers of different sizes. The outer drawers are decorated with panels of so-called ruin marble, a particular type of marble occurring only in Italy. Its veining patterns and colour create the illusion of landscapes which resemble ancient ruins. This kind of furniture was manufactured in Bohemia, Austria and southern Germany in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the 17th century. After the Princess’ death the cabinet remained in her last residence on Cieszyn Market Square, which was taken over by the Jesuits. After the dissolution of the order the cabinet ended up in the collection of Leopold Johannes Scherschnik, the founder of Cieszyn Museum. The drawings presented in the fourth display case also date from the times of Elizabeth Lucretia. Drawn during the siege of Cieszyn castle in 1647 they quite accurately show the Cieszyn Piasts’ seat just before its destruction.
Visitors will undoubtedly hear more information during guided tours around the museum. Of course the other parts of the permanent exhibition are also worth seeing. They present some relics of the Piast times although they are nominally devoted to later periods of Cieszyn Silesia’s history. For instance the remains of the tabernacle from the old parish church are on display at the end of the picture gallery. Leaving the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia we head for the final stage of our expedition following in the footsteps of the Cieszyn Piasts towards Lasek Miejski, a favourite recreational place of Cieszyn people since the 19th century. Leaving the Peace Park we turn right along ul. Limanowskiego, and then left at Osuchowski grammar school. By the monument to Paweł Stalmach we turn right again down ul. 3 Maja. There, in a bend in the street, at the crest of a hill looking down over the Freedom Bridge, is a monument to the founder of Cieszyn Duchy, Prince Mesco I. It is well visible from the street and is accessed by a little path on the left.
Editing and selection of illustrations: Renata Karpińska Photographs: Renata Karpińska, Paweł Halama, Anna Fedrizzi, Joanna Rzepka, Tomasz Matysiak, Henryk Tesarczyk, Dominik Dubiel Photograph of the heller of Premislaus I: Wojciech Woźniak
Translation from Polish: Irena and David French