Barbara Radziwiłłówna

Painting from the collection of the Potocki family, the former owners of the castle, it shows a portrait of a young woman against a neutral background. The portrayed woman is Barbara Radziwiłł, depicted in half-figure, wearing her coronation robe (with famous pearls) and accompanied by the coats of arms of the Crown and the Radziwiłł family. The painting is framed in a wide double channel frame, decorated with palmettes and lesbian cymatium. At the bottom of the frame, in the middle, a plate with decorative edges with an inscription specifying who the portrait depicts. The upper frame topped with a closed crown. The Queen wears her famous coronation costume, richly decorated with pearls (apparently these were her favourite stones), including a cap with a pearl band around her neck. The dress was embroidered with pearls. Barbara Radziwiłł (born in December 1520 in Vilnius, died in May 1551 in Kraków) was the daughter of Jerzy Radziwiłł, Grand Hetman of Lithuania, and Barbara, née Koła, sister of Hetman Mikołaj Radziwiłł, surnamed Rudy (Ginger). After the death of her first husband, Stanisław Gasztołd, she secretly married in 1547 King Sigismund II Augustus, who was also already a widower. The wedding caused great protests among the nobility, also the king’s parents were against this union, but the king carried out his will and led to the coronation of Barbara as the queen of Poland. Barbara was accused of promiscuity, even called a great harlot, but Sigismund had great affection for her and cared for her during her long illness, which ended with her death. Her person became the subject of many dramatic works and films. The fact that her portrait was included in the Łańcut collection raised the rank of the castle’s owners - the mother of the last Entailer of Łańcut came from the Berlin branch of the Radziwiłł family. The painting comes from the 19th century, the author is unknown; it is exhibited in the Gala Corridor on the first floor of the castle.