Sigismund II Augustus – portrait sketch

The function of a portrait is to commemorate significant figures in history or a person for whom it has sentimental value. It is a way to keep the image of someone important for a longer time.

Although Jan Matejko did not live at the same time as the depicted monarch, he portrayed Zygmunt August. He was the last king of the Jagiellonian dynasty, elected vivente rege, that is during his father's lifetime. At his coronation, he was nine years old. This decision was due to Bona Sforza's fear of depriving her son of the crown if the king died before his descendant came of age. Sigismund Augustus became a minor ruler of both Lithuania and Poland; this is the only time Poland has had two kings at the same time. He began to rule independently after his father's death, that is from 1548.

Even the verisimilitude of an anachronistic representation, based on period sources, will not create a document equal to a photograph. Matejko said the following about his work: "I paint the epoch, and the records of chroniclers and historians are not the gospel, not the Holy Scriptures, I do it my way and basta!".

During his studies at the academy, the artist was considered an ambitious student. With great care, he rendered the structure of the objects he drew - details of armour or fabrics. At the same time, he did not forget about his interests - history, which he could explore thanks to his eldest brother Franciszek, who worked at the Jagiellonian Library. The combination of two passions meant that history was expressed in refined works of great artistic value.

Klara Sadkowska