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OleksiiRudenko
TheSejmsof1547-1548areparticularlyworthyofanalysisforcreatingan
overviewoftheroyalimageinpolitics(Nowak-Dłużewskialsomentionsthe
dialogueWroku1547),especiallythankstothedefenceofAugustusbyKraków
BishopSamuelMaciejowskipresentedattheassembly.60Libelsandrumours
couldthreatenSigismundAugustus)alreadyestablishedimage,thereforehis
responsetothemin1548-1550iscrucialforstudyinghowtheroyalposition
inearlymodernPolandwasreinforcedviaartandpublicrepresentation.
Inconclusion,severalkeypointsshouldbeunderlined.Theprocess
ofimageconstructionstartedinthechildhoodyearsofAugustus,shaping
bothinternalPolishandLithuanianandinternationalrepresentationofthe
youngheirtothePolishandLithuanianthrones.Theperiodof1544-1548,
whenhegainedsolitaryreigninVilnius,becameparticularlycrucialforthe
formationofAugustus)image.Alongwiththeensuingrightsandresponsibili-
tiesoftheGrandDuke,thiserabroughtseveralnewapproachestoAugustus)
self-representation.Bothwerevisualandrequiredtimeforpreparationand
creation:coinsandarrases(tapestries),wheretheformerfollowedthepat-
ternsofEuropeantrendsandSigismundtheOld)spractices,whilethelatter
becameadistinctivefeatureoftheJagiellonianheritageinthefuture.61
Amongthemainagentsinvolvedinconstructingtheroyalimagewere
theauthorsofpoemsandliteraryworksdedicatedtoSigismundAugustus,
whetherornottheyrealisedtheircontributiontotheyoungking)simage,his
tutorsandpeopleresponsibleforhiseducation(Siculus,Opaliński,Tomicki,
Tarnowski,Górka,Maciejowski),hisfatherSigismundtheOld,andespecially
hismotherBonaSforza.62After1544,Augustusandhiscourtlaunchedtheir
ownprogrammeofimage-shaping,whichnowcomprisedmoremodalitiesof
visualpropaganda-coins,arrases,andsomeofthemethodsofroyalrepre-
sentationheinheritedfromtheJagielloniantradition,especiallyhisfather.
OthermethodsofSigismund)sself-representationafter1548includedhis
patronageofwriters,poetsandartists,hisnotablebibliophilism,collecting
arrasesandotherartworks.63
Asof1548,Augustuslackedoneimportantfeatureofadignifiedsixteenth-
centuryruler:militarysuccesses,especiallywhencomparedtoSigismundI,
60J.Nowak-Dłużewski,op.cit.,pp.197-198.
61Theissuesofartisticthemesandmeaningsofthearrasesarewell-researchedin
recenthistoriography,includingthedissertationbyCarmenNiekrasz.SeealsoM.Piwocka,
ArrasykrólaZygmuntaAugusta.DTheArtofMajesty”ostatniegoJagiellona,in:Patronatartystyczny
Jagiellonów,vol.1,ed.M.Walczak,P
.Węcowski,TowarzystwoNaukoweSocietasVistulana,
Kraków,2015,pp.397-421;M.Piwocka,ThetapestriesofSigismundAugustus,ZamekKrólewski
naWawelu,Kraków2017.
62M.Morka,Sztukadworu,pp.147,171-172,197,223,232-233.
63DerekPearsalldescribesthebibliophilismofHenryVofEnglandasfollows:HItwas
entirelyinaccordwiththeprince)spolicyandpracticetohavesponsoredgiftsofbooksinthis
way.Hewasaneducatedman,andvaluedbooks.”SeeD.Pearsall,op.cit.,p.396.Thesame
words,infact,couldfairlydescribeSigismundAugustus.