The annual by-election to the Town Council and allocating positions to particular members of the Council, called kiera, were lavishly celebrated in the towns of Royal Prussia. The occasion was usually marked with a feast, for which special delicacies were ordered. In Elbląg (Elbing) and Toruń (Thorn) it was customary that apothecaries prepared special sweets (called morselki) for the occasion; wines were also specially ordered. In Gdańsk (Danzig) the municipal cantor was commissioned to compose a commemorative cantata every year. In Toruń councillors were presented with silver spoons, which was not practiced in other towns of Royal Prussia. The custom can be traced back to 1703, when it probably started. Apart from the time of kiera, when all the sixteen members of the Council received gifts, the four mayors and the two treasurers were entitled to additional gifts on the New Year. Spoons and other pieces of cutlery were ordered at the best goldsmiths’ workshops. This custom was copied by the councillors of Chełm, who started to treat themselves to such gifts in 1742, but the sums spent for them were smaller than in Toruń. The custom survived in Toruń until 1772. After the first partition of Poland the town suffered a period of economic decline due to the customs policy of Prussia, which was aimed at suppressing local trade and crafts in order to force the town to join the state of Frederick II.
In 1596 the Church of SS. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in Torun, regained from the hands of Protestants, was passed over to Jesuits to spread Catholicism in the city. Jesuits used all possible methods to do it; one of them was to influence people through art. Torun’s Jesuits started the process of changing the interior of the church, involving all social groups in the task. Members of Societatis Jesu, both closely connected with Torun and not related to the city, gave substantial sums of money to finance the altars. New fittings were founded by diocese priests connected with the parish Church of SS. Johns, e.g. the main altar, presented in 1633, was created thanks to Walenty Szczawinski – holding the function of the parish priest, who convinced his brother, the castellan of Brest and Kuyavia, to contribute. The next group of founders were representatives of the nobility from Royal Prussia, such as Ludmiła Niemojewska nee Lubieńska and Fabian Plemięcki, who financed the construction of the whole altars and provided regular material support to Torun’s Jesuits, the parish Church of SS. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, and other churches from the area. A significant contribution of burghers to the process of fitting churches was typical of Royal Prussia. Protestant churches were full of epitaphs of patricians’ families, whereas Catholic burghers, although less a fluent, devoted large sums of money to liturgical equipment – e.g. the altar of the Descent from the Cross, which was founded by a haberdasher Maciej Gęza and his wife Katarzyna. Compared with all those different foundations, the contribution of Kulm (Chełmno) bishops was insignificant, although they had good relationships with the Jesuits. They might have concentrated on financing the college thinking that Torun’s Jesuits managed to obtain resources to equip churches from various social groups.
The purpose of this article is to present the protocol from the inspection visit at the Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in 1706 during a general visitation of the Diocese of Chełmno commissioned by Bishop Teodor Andrzej Potocki. So far, this source has been scarcely used in research on Toruń Cathedral, and the information it contains can be used to study the most diverse areas of sciences of history, especially art, bibliology and material culture of the Counter-Reformation era. It constitutes a supplement to earlier protocols that had been published in print, and made during inspection visits ordered by Bishops Andrzej Leszczyński (1647) and Andrzej Olszowski (1667–1672). The document provides a detailed enumeration of the liturgical vessels and vasa non sacra, including silver figurines that contain fragments of relics, which were more numerous than previously thought. The inspector also listed different paraments (e.g. vestments and dalmatics) and the contents of the parish library, which, in addition to papal decrees, canonical literature and popular sermon collections, included works by secular thinkers, including Aristotle, Boethius and Cicero.
The early modern goldsmithery in Chojnice (Konitz) has so far been outside the main area of scholarly research. The search in archives and libraries conducted for the purposes of the article, as well as the analysis of preserved works crafted by local masters, has therefore brought a lot of new, previously unknown information on the subject. Chojnice is a typical, small centre of goldsmithery, which remained overshadowed by Gdansk, a powerful hub of crafts located nearby. For nearly whole of the eighteenth century only a single workshop operated in the town, and a new master usually appeared only after the death of his predecessor. The research yielded information about five goldsmiths operating in Chojnice in that century, as well as one apprentice who died before becoming a master. Nearly all of them were connected by various family ties. Only a few works of art created in the Chojnice workshops were identified, but they bear the signatures of only two masters who were active in the last third of the eighteenth century. Johann Friedrich Felsch I (1744–1808) made several items for the churches nearby: an incense boat in Chojnice, a monstrance in Bysław, a monstrance base in Wiele and a reliquary cross in Tuchola, as well as a set of six spoons, currently stored in the collection of the Malbork Castle Museum. It is worth noting that his works, apart from the master’s mark, bore a sign that proved he was a member of the guild of goldsmiths in Malbork. Johann Gottlieb Jantzen (1742–1772), Felsch’s brother-in-law, delivered a monstrance to the church in Jeleńcz (now in Tuchola), and a frame for the worshipped statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Bernardine Church in Zamarte (now missing). All these items represent an average level of artistry, and show considerable dependence on the style developed by the masters from Gdansk, where both goldsmiths active in Chojnice studied their craft.
In 1934, Alfred Brosig published the contents of a contract for the making of figures for the façade of the church of the Seraphic St Francis in Poznań, concluded in 1729 in Wschowa between the Bernardines and one “Franciszek Domusbergier, woodcarver and stonemason”. This document, now lost, was until recently the only evidence of this artist’s activity. Source queries in Polish and Czech archives have established that Franz (Franciscus Hieronymus) Thomasberger was born in Brno in 1696 and that his father was the sculptor Matthias Thomasberger. In 1721, he settled in Nysa, where he married, soon after obtaining citizenship and the title of a master craftsman. While in Nysa he worked, among others, on the decoration of the fountain (now lost) in the garden of the residence of the bishops of Wrocław. In the late 1720s, he moved to Wschowa, a town located in the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, becoming its citizen in 1729. Two years later he was granted membership in the guild of masons and stonemasons; he died in 1744. Several statues in Wschowa, mainly in the Bernardine church, and a sculpture of St John of Nepomuk in Kościan, originally probably in the local Bernardine monastery, have been attributed to him on the basis of stylistic similarities.
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W 1934 r. Alfred Brosig opublikował treść kontraktu na wykonanie figur na fasadę kościoła św. Franciszka Serafickiego w Poznaniu zawartego w 1729 r. we Wschowie między bernardynami a „Franciszkiem Domusbergier, snycerzem i kamieniarzem”. Ten zaginiony obecnie dokument był dotąd jedynym świadectwem działalności tego twórcy. Kwerendy źródłowe w polskich i czeskich archiwach pozwoliły ustalić, że Franz (Franciscus Hieronimus) Thomasberger urodził się w Brnie w 1696 r., a jego ojcem był rzeźbiarz Matthias Thomasberger. W 1721 r. osiadł w Nysie, gdzie ożenił się, uzyskał obywatelstwo i tytuł mistrzowski. Pracował tam m.in. nad dekoracją niezachowanej fontanny w ogrodzie rezydencji biskupów wrocławskich. Pod koniec lat 20. Thomasberger przeniósł się do leżącej w Rzeczypospolitej Wschowy: w 1729 r. został obywatelem miasta, a dwa lata później członkiem cechu murarzy i kamieniarzy, zmarł w 1744 r. Na podstawie analizy stylistyczno-porównawczej można mu przypisać kilka figur na terenie Wschowy, głównie w kościele Bernardynów, oraz rzeźbę św. Jana Nepomucena w Kościanie, zapewne pochodzącą z tamtejszej świątyni bernardyńskiej.
During the renovation works in the burgher house at 16 Żeglarska Street in Toruń a decoration in the form of forced perspective was discovered in the wooden roof of the room. The central scene presents the allegory of Veritas temporis filia est: Chronos raising a naked woman to the sky – the personification of Truth which saves her from the influence of Discord and Envy shown as women sitting on the edge of the scene. The painting constitutes the replication of the composition by Nicolas Poussin made in 1641 upon the commission of Cardinal Richelieu. It was destined to be placed in the ceiling of his private apartment in the cardinal’s palace in Paris. The work of art became quite commonly recognized owing to a few versions of engravings – the closest to the Toruń version is the one made by Bernard Picard. The roof decoration is complemented with puttos holding fruit, angels and four portraits which are stylized to be sculpture busts. They show the owner of the burgher house Jacob Heinrich Zernecke, his wife Concordia and his parents: Johanna and Christina.On the basis of the analysis of the archival sources one may put forward a thesis that the decorations were made by the local painter Johann Tiedeman the younger. On 13 August 1702 the god parents of his son Georg became Johann and Concordia Zernecke. The time when the painting was made falls shortly after the return of the newly married Jacob Heinrich and Concordia Zernecke to Toruń in June 1702.Three painters came from the Tiedeman family associated with Toruń since 1631. They were members of Toruń’s guild: Johan the older (1633-1705) and his sons Johann the younger (1669- after 1718) and Daniel (1674- after 1722). Moreover, Michael (1671-1747), the third son of Johann the older, made a career as a clerk – he eventually became a senior member of the Bench of the New City of Toruń.
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Podczas prac remontowych w kamienicy przy ul. Żeglarskiej 16 w Toruniu odkryto dekorację w formie malarstwa iluzjonistycznego, umieszczoną na drewnianym stropie sieni. Centralna scena przedstawia alegorię Prawda córką Czasu: Chronosa unoszącego w niebiosa nagą kobietę – personifikację Prawdy, ratującego ją od wpływów Niezgody i Zawiści ukazanych jako kobiety siedzące na skraju sceny. Malowidło jest powtórzeniem kompozycji Nicolasa Poussina, wykonanej w 1641 r. na zlecenie kardynała Richelieu i przeznaczonej na sufit jego prywatnego apartamentu w pałacu kardynalskim w Paryżu. Dzieło to rozpowszechnione było w Europie za sprawą kilku wersji rycin, z których najbliższa toruńskiej wersji jest ta autorstwa Bernarda Picarda. Dekoracje stropu uzupełniają putta z koszami owocowymi, anioły oraz cztery portrety stylizowane na rzeźbione popiersia. Przedstawiają one właściciela kamienicy Jacoba Heinricha Zernecke, jego żonę Concordię oraz jego rodziców: Johanna i Christinę.Na podstawie analizy źródeł archiwalnych można wysunąć tezę o powierzeniu prac dekoracyjnych miejscowemu mistrzowi Johannowi Tiedemanowi młodszemu, którego syn Georg trzymany był do chrztu przez Johanna i Concordię Zernecke 13 sierpnia 1702 r. Czas powstania malowidła wyznaczyć należy na okres krótko po powrocie świeżo zaślubionych Jacoba Heinricha i Concordii Zernecke do Torunia w czerwcu 1702 r.Z rodziny Tiedemanów, związanej z Toruniem od 1631 r., wywodziło się trzech malarzy, członków toruńskiego cechu: Johann starszy (1633-1705) oraz jego synowie Johann młodszy (1669 - po 1718) i Daniel (1674 - po 1722). Dodatkowo Michael (1671-1747), trzeci z synów Johanna starszego, zrobił karierę urzędniczą przypieczętowaną funkcją starszego Ławy Nowomiejskiej w Toruniu.
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Bei Renovierungsarbeiten im Haus in der ul. Żeglarska 16 in Thorn wurde eine Dekoration in Form einer illusionistischen Malerei gefunden, die an der Holzdecke im Flur angebracht ist. Die zentrale Szene zeigt eine Allegorie Die Wahrheit als Tochter der Zeit, auf der Chronos eine nackte Frau, die Personifikation der Wahrheit, in den Himmel trägt und sie vor den Einflüssen der Zwietracht und des Neides rettet, die als zwei Frauen gezeigt werden, die am Rand der Szene sitzen. Die Malerei ist die Wiederholung einer Komposition von Nicolas Poussin, die er im Jahr 1641 im Auftrag von Kardinal Richelieu ausführte und die für die Decke des privaten Appartements in dessen Kardinalspalast in Paris bestimmt war. Dieses Werk wurde in Europa durch mehrere Versionen von Abbildungen verbreitet, von denen die von Bernard Picard der Thorner Version am nächsten steht. Die Verzierung der Decke wird vervollständigt durch Putten mit Obstkörben, Engel sowie vier Porträts, die als skulptierte Büsten stilisiert sind. Sie stellen den Eigentümer des Hauses, Jacob Heinrich Zernecke, seine Frau Concordia und seine Eltern Johann und Christine dar. Die Analyse archivalischer Quellen lässt den Schluss zu, dass mit den Dekorationsarbeiten der örtliche Meister Johann Tiedeman der Jüngere beauftragt war, dessen Sohn Georg bei seiner Taufe am 13. August 1702 Johanna und Concordia Zernecke als Taufpaten hatte. Die Entstehungszeit der Malerei lässt sich auf die Zeit kurz nach der Rückkehr der frisch verheirateten Jacob Heinrich und Concordia Zernecke nach Thorn im Juni 1702 datieren. Aus der Familie Tiedeman, die seit 1631 mit Thorn verbunden war, stammten drei Maler, die Mitglied der Thorner Zunft waren: Johann der Ältere (1633-1705) sowie seine Söhne Johann der Jünger (1669 – nach 1718) und Daniel (1674 – nach 1722). Darüber hinaus machte Michael (1671-1747), der dritte Sohn von Johann dem Älteren, eine Beamtenkarriere, die er mit der Funktion des Ältesten im Stadtrat der Thorner Neustadt krönte.
The title page of the volume containing the minutes of the Toruń merchants’ guild, created when the city fell under Prussian rule in 1793, displays a hitherto unpublished drawing depicting an architectural portal with the cityscape of Toruń. Its author, Ernst Friedrich Kussmahly (1762–1805), a member of the local guild of painters, came from a family with some tradition in this profession: his grandfather, uncle and elder brother were all painters, as well as his nephew who, for a period, was taught in Ernst Friedrich’s workshop. The illustration on the merchants’ manuscript is the only known work by Kussmahly, with the exception of another drawing which qualified him as a journeyman. The layout of the panorama on the frontispiece was modelled on a print made by Georg Paul Busch, an engraver from Berlin, which was included in the second edition of Thornische Chronica by Jacob Heinrich Zernecke, published in 1727. It follows a long tradition of portraying Toruń from the south, across the banks of the river Vistula, that dates back to the beginning of the sixteenth century. The most renowned example of this type of work is an engraving from 1684 executed by Christian Daniel Pietesch, while the best in terms of artistic value are two copper engravings, both based on drawings by Friedrich Bernhard Werner printed in Augsburg by the heirs of Jeremias Wolff (aft er 1729) and Johann Christian Leopold (around 1735).
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