History of Civilization in Poland (Polish : Dzieje Cywilizacji w Polsce) is a cycle of twelve oil sketches on canvas and wood, created by the Polish nominal painter Jan Matejko in 1889 with accompanying commentaries. The originals are kept at the Museum of the Royal Castle, Warsaw. [1]
Matejko created his series along with an accompanying commentary in part to fulfill a set of research requirements for his new academic title, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa, which he received from the Jagiellonian University. [2] [3] Much of the imagery of the cycle has been inspired by the lectures of historian Józef Szujski which Matejko might have attended around 1877–1878, or read in print afterward. [4]
The cycle consists of the following paintings:
| # | Title | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Zaprowadzenie chrześcijaństwa (Adoption of Christianity) 1889, oil on wood panel, 79cm x 120cm |  |
| 2. | Koronacja pierwszego króla (Coronation of the First King) 1889, oil on wood panel, 71cm x 105cm |  |
| 3. | Przyjęcie Żydów (Reception of the Jews) 1889, oil on canvas, 76cm x 112cm |  |
| 4. | W Łęczycy pierwszy sejm - Spisanie praw - Ukrócenie rozbojów (The First Parliament in Łęczyca) 1888, oil on wood panel, 74cm x 110cm |  |
| 5. | Klęska Legnicka - Odrodzenie (Defeat at Legnica) 1888, oil on wood panel, 74.5cm x 109.5cm |  |
| 6. | Powtórne zajęcie Rusi - Bogactwo i oświata (Retaking of Rus) 1888, oil on wood panel, 79.5cm x 110cm |  |
| 7. | Założenie Szkoły Głównej przeniesieniem do Krakowa ugruntowane (Founding of the Academy) 1889, oil on wood panel, 79.5cm x 62cm |  |
| 8. | Chrzest Litwy (The Baptism of Lithuania) 1889, oil on canvas, 60cm x 115.5cm |  |
| 9. | Wpływ Uniwersytetu na kraj w wieku XV - Nowe prądy - Husytyzm i Humanizm (New Trends in the 15 Century Poland) 1889, oil on wood panel, 69cm x 116cm |  |
| 10. | Złoty wiek literatury w XVI wieku - Reformacja - Przewaga katolicyzmu (The Golden Age in Literature) 1889, oil on wood panel, 69cm x 107cm |  |
| 11. | Potęga Rzeczypospolitej u zenitu - Złota wolność - Elekcja (Power of Commonwealth at its Zenith) 1889, oil on canvas, 72.5cm x 113cm |  |
| 12. | Konstytucja 3 maja - Sejm Czteroletni - Komisja Edukacyjna (Constitution of the 3 May) 1889, oil on wood panel, 79cm x 120cm
|  |
Jan Alojzy Matejko was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale oil paintings such as Rejtan (1866), the Union of Lublin (1869), the Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God (1873), or the Battle of Grunwald (1878). He was the author of numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish monarchs in book form, and murals in St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. He is considered by many as the most celebrated Polish painter, and sometimes as the "national painter" of Poland. Matejko was among the notable people to receive an unsolicited letter from the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, as the latter tipped, in January 1889, into his psychotic breakdown while in Turin.
Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who wrote in Latin and Polish and established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language. He has been called the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz and one of the most influential Slavic poets prior to the 19th century.
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Feliks Karol Koneczny was a Polish historian, theatrical critic, librarian, journalist and social philosopher. He founded the original system of the comparative science of civilizations.
The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, is a public institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1818 and granted full autonomy in 1873.
The Battle of Grunwald is a painting by Jan Matejko depicting the Battle of Grunwald and the victory of the allied Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania over the Teutonic Order in 1410. The canvas dates to 1878 and is one of the most heroic representations of the history of Poland and Lithuania. It is displayed in the National Museum in Warsaw.
Stańczyk is a painting by Jan Matejko finished in 1862. This painting was acquired by the Warsaw National Museum in 1924. During World War II it was looted by the Nazis, but later seized by the Soviet Union and returned to Poland around 1956.
Teodora Matejko (Matejkowa) née Giebułtowska, Is primarily known for serving as a live model for Poland's' national painter Jan Matejko, her husband. she served as a live model for many paintings, primarily of notable women through polish history. For many years, Teodora served as the live model for her husband's portrayals of notable women from Polish history.
Roman Grodecki, Poraj coat of arms, was a Polish economic historian, a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and a member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The Constitution of 3 May 1791 is an 1891 Romantic oil painting on canvas by the Polish artist Jan Matejko. It is a large piece, and one of Matejko's best known. It memorializes the Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791, a milestone in the history of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and a high point of the Polish Enlightenment.
The Prussian Homage is an oil on canvas painting by Polish painter Jan Matejko painted between 1879 and 1882 in Kraków. The painting depicts the "Prussian Homage", a significant political event from the time of the Renaissance in Poland in which Albrecht of Hohenzollern, the Duke of Prussia paid tribute and swore allegiance to King Sigismund I the Old in Kraków's market square on 10 April 1525. Matejko depicted over thirty important figures of the Polish Renaissance period, taking the liberty of including several who were not actually present at the event.
Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God is a painting by the Polish artist Jan Matejko completed in 1873, in the collection of the Jagiellonian University, Kraków. It depicts Nicolaus Copernicus observing the heavens from a balcony in a tower with the cathedral in Frombork in the background. The canvas was purchased from a private owner by public subscription in Poland and hangs in the aula of the Collegium Novum of the university. Matejko produced the painting as part of a series of paintings intended to capture and represent key moments in the history of Poland to inspire the public.
The Hanging of the Sigismund Bell is a painting by Jan Matejko finished in 1874. It depicts the installation of the Sigismund Bell in the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków in 1521. The bell was installed in the Sigismund Tower and rung for the first time on 13 July 1521. The bell is considered to be one of the national symbols of Poland. This painting is one of a number of historical paintings by Matejko. It shows a crowd of people, with a number of identifiable figures of historical importance. It conveys the Golden Era of the Polish Renaissance, and the power of the Kingdom of Poland.
Władysław Łuszczkiewicz was a Polish historian and painter of the late Romantic era from Kraków, active in the period of the foreign partitions of Poland. He was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and served as its principal in 1893/95. One of his best students was Jan Matejko, the eminent Polish historical painter and later, his close associate. Łuszczkiewicz taught painting, drawing, anatomy and architectural styles. Highly educated, he also worked as conservator of architectural monuments in the city later on in his career, and wrote historical dissertations.
Leopold Loeffler, also spelled Löffler,, was a Polish realist painter of the late Romantic period popular in the second half of the 19th century under the foreign partitions of Poland. Lithographic reproductions of his paintings were widely distributed among the members of the Kraków and Warsaw art societies, and frequently reprinted in popular periodicals owing to their historical references to Polish national uprisings and battlefronts, as well as their great attention to period detail.
Rejtan, or the Fall of Poland is an oil painting by the Polish artist Jan Matejko, finished in 1866, depicting the protest of Tadeusz Rejtan against the First Partition of Poland during the Partition Sejm of 1773. Tadeusz Rejtan was a member of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's Sejm, known for his opposition to the First Partition of Poland in 1773 by physically trying to prevent delegates from leaving the chamber to stop the ratification of the partition. The Sejm was heavily influenced by foreign powers, with delegates being bribed or threatened, while Russia, Prussia, and Austria justified their annexation of Polish territory as a response to the internal conflicts of the Bar Confederation.
The Sermon of Piotr Skarga or Skarga's Sermon is a large oil painting by Jan Matejko, finished in 1864, now in the National Museum, Warsaw in Poland. It depicts a sermon on political matters by the Jesuit priest Piotr Skarga, a chief figure of the Counter Reformation in Poland, where he rebukes the Polish elite for neglecting the national interest.
Jan Krzysztof Żaryn is a Polish historian, professor and politician, who was a Senator in the Senate of Poland from 2015 to 2019.
Heinrich Rauchinger (1858–1942) was a Kraków-born history painter and portrait painter.
