Sigismund II Augustus

In his not very long life (about thirty seven years) Steven van Herwijck was also briefly connected with the Polish court. He was a representative of the then emerging Baroque style in medal-making. Medal makers of that time were mostly connected with German centres. Steven van Herwijck was a Dutchman. He came to Poland in 1561. Perhaps, as a dissenter, he was looking for  shelter in the then tolerant Commonwealth, although it is also probable that his stay - most probably in Vilnius - was a short stop on his artistic way. Although he was born in the Netherlands, he received his education mainly in Italy. There he came into contact with new means of expression characteristic of the early Baroque. In his works he was connected mainly with the Netherlands, especially his hometown Utrecht and Amsterdam, and England. In these countries he created most of his works. In Poland he is known for his series of medals dedicated to the royal family, consisting of images of Sigismund the Old and Queen Bona and their children: Sigismund Augustus with his wife Catherine of Austria, Isabella with her husband John Sigismund Zapolya and Anna. For the most part, these are one-sided medals. One of the exceptions is a medal dedicated to Sigismund Augustus. On the obverse there is the bust of the ruler showing his right profile, and on the reverse there is an image of Pogoń. Both depictions are unique in their own way. In the case of the portrait it is different from other works by Herwijck. While creating other medals depicting the royal family, the medallist was inspired by the portraits of Lucas Cranach the Younger, whereas the portrait of Sigismund Augustus is different, which leads to the conclusion that the artist made it from autopsy. At the same time, it is a hint that Herwijck may have stayed in Poland, which is not certain. The depiction of Pogoń on the reverse is also unusual, as the artist stylized it a bit and presented it as a mirror image - the figure of the rider is pointing to the right, not to the left.

The presented copy, kept in the National Museum in Lublin, is a 19th-century copy made as a cast which was later covered with bronze. The quality of execution and precision of treatment slightly differs from the original created in 1562.

Leszek Poniewozik