St. Wenceslaus before the Emperor

Description: The frame of the picture, in the shape of a vertical rectangle, in its main part is made of relatively wide slats, profiled in such a way that they create the illusion of a greater than the actual depth of the frame. On the outside and inside of the main part of the frame and in the middle, between the wider slats in the white color of the polished ground, there are three narrow, profiled gold slats (the slat closest to the image field is slightly wider). The white slats they capture are the inner one wider than the outer one and concave, while the other one, narrower, is set straight towards the viewer. On both of these slats, there are ornamental motifs placed within the width of the slats, flat, golden, and made of wavy thin twigs with leaves and a few flowers; floral patterns are complemented by scrolls of little varied ornaments. The described motifs occur near the corners and in the middle of the side and top sections of the frame. At the vertical sides and the upper edge of the frame, plastic, openwork “ears” are placed outside it – scrolls of acanthus leaves in white color of the polished primer, slightly dry styling, intertwined with sections of a rather narrow, golden, cross-grooved ribbon with ends wrapped in a volute. The scroll of the ornament at the upper edge is symmetrically shaped, slightly raised on the axis. There you can see a strip bent upwards on the line of a shallow segmental arch, decorated with a row of ox eyes. Above the upper edge of this flagellum, twisted, not very prominent segments of a flagellum, and directly on it, on the axis, a rose flower (?). Below the slat, on its axis, a short segment of vertically positioned flagellum is visible. On its sides, there are two golden twigs with spherical fruits, bent downwards at the ends. Side “ears” outside the frame with a strongly irregular edge, slightly bent outwards. In the middle of the height of the side “ears”, not very prominent, white, openwork twigs extend from them, overlapping the outer slats of the frame. At the bottom edge of the frame, on the sides, there are two partially openwork, white and gold garlands, the outer ends of which are attached to the spirally twisted lower ends of the ribbon decorating the “ears” on the sides of the frame. Almost symmetrical garlands, made of acanthus twigs and twigs with small buds, are complemented by large and small flowers in the upper projection. The inner ends of the garlands are attached to a symmetrical cartouche placed in the middle of the lower section of the frame. The top of the cartouche extends onto the field of the picture, and the bottom reaches below the line of the garlands, sticking out strongly from the surface of the frame. Decorations are mostly plastic and openwork, and the outer edge of the cartouche is irregular, and shaped following the course of ornamental motifs. The general shape of the cartouche is similar to an oval, in the center of which there is a rectangular heraldic shield surrounded by a golden ribbon, incised at considerable intervals. The shield is closed from the top with a flattened segmental arch. The tape framing the coat of arms from above is interrupted on its axis and the ends of the tape are accentuated with small volutes. On the sides of the coat of arms, there are indentations on the line of shallow segmental arches. From the bottom, the shield is closed with a trefoil, and on the axis, there is a tie in the form of a bow. The coat of arms is placed on the described shield. The main decorative motif of the entire cartouche, in the center of which the shield was placed, are coils of white acanthus flagellum, at the back of which stretches of golden, cross-grooved ribbon with spiral twists grow on the sides in four places. On the axis of the entire cartouche superimposed on the picture frame, a white, flat acanthus leaf is visible at the top. On the axis, below the main cartouche, there is also another cartouche in a rich setting, intended for an inscription. Cartouche in the form of a horizontally stretched rectangle with semicircular endings on the horizontal axis, with a blue field, surrounded by a frame mainly in gold, incl. made of a roller slightly diagonally grooved (like a rope) and sections of a transversely grooved ribbon with spirally wound ends arranged outside it, the upper sections of this ribbon are hung with acanthus leaves belonging to the setting of the coat of arms. At the bottom of the horizontal cartouche with an inscription and on its rim, there are symmetrically intertwined white sections of small acanthus tendrils. In the shield in the center of the main cartouche overlapping the lower section of the frame, the emblem of the city of Świdnica is visible. The coat of arms is divided into four fields. In the upper right (heraldic) dark blue field and the same color in the lower left (heraldic) field, there is a repeated emblem in the form of golden open royal crowns. In the upper left field (heraldic) on a silver background, there is a silver, striding griffin pointing to the right (heraldic) side. The bottom right field (heraldically) contains an emblem on a silver background in the form of a diagonally placed (with the head on the top left – heraldically – side) dark blue wild boar resting on its hind legs. There is no jewel in the arch, and there are no labrums on the sides (acanthus scrolls arranged here to have a decorative function). In the horizontal field at the bottom of the mentioned cartouche, there are gold letters “A. M.S.”. On the wall behind there is a painted (?) dark brown inscription not directly related to the frame, but important to specify its history. The inscription reads (in the reading by Sobiesław Nowotny): on the right (heraldic) side in a vertical column: “Cristoff | Riedel | Tischler|gesell| Anna | 1725′ and also in a vertical column, on the left (heraldically) side, continuing the previous one, shorter and starting a little higher than the previous one: ‘ist Verfertiget | worden | die work.”

History: An extremely richly decorated frame encloses a large painting belonging to the cycle placed on the walls of the nave dedicated to the two saint patrons of the church (and also the patrons of the countries they came from): Stanislaus, the bishop of Cracow and a martyr, and Wenceslaus, the Czech prince and also a martyr. A painting illustrating a scene from the life of St. Wenceslaus. The entire series was created on the initiative of the Jesuits, but only one painting and its frame were financed by the college in Świdnica. The monks, who did not have the appropriate means to complete the entire cycle, probably funded one painting around 1710 as an example. The process of acquiring founders must have taken a long time since the last painting – the one whose frame we present here – was not hung on the wall of the nave until 1725. We know this from a rather unique inscription that was placed directly on the wall (on the pilaster) behind the painting. Judging from the content of the inscription, it was created shortly before the great painting framed in a rich, massive frame was hung. The original German version of the inscription was quoted in the description, while its translation into Polish, made by Sobiesław Nowotny, an eminent expert on the past of Świdnica, reads as follows: “Christoph Riedel apprentice carpenter. In 1725 this work was done.” This inscription, an expression of pride in participating in the realization of such a magnificent work, provides valuable information, but above all, it clearly states that the frame was made in 1725. A frame, not a painting, because the inscription was signed by a journeyman carpenter. Besides, it cannot be ruled out that the painting – certainly cheaper than the frame, considering its complexity and a large amount of expensive gilding – was created even a few years earlier. However, we do not know to which studio Christoph Riedel, signed on the wall, belonged. It may be possible that he collaborated with one of the Świdnica masters mentioned in the sources as frame builders. They were: Tobias Franz Stallmeyer and Johann Karl Schönheim. However, it seems more likely that the journeyman in question belonged to a team permanently working in the convent in Świdnica, led by an outstanding sculptor, by then a Jesuit, Johann Riedel (1654-1736), considered to be the designer of all the elements of the Baroque interior of the present cathedral. The coincidence of the names of the head of the monastery workshop and the journeyman who made the inscription is puzzling: maybe Johann Riedel was protecting his relative Christoph to work on the church’s interior decoration? When talking about the history of the frame, one more element is important and can provide interesting information. It is the coat of arms placed at the bottom of the frame and the inscription below (limited to the letters “A. M. S.” which when expanded means, as established by Sobiesław Nowotny: “Amplissimus Magistratus Svidnicensis” or “Brightly enlightened Świdnica magistrate”) refer to the City Council of Świdnica.

Characteristics: The decision to make large paintings illustrating the lives of its patrons for the church in Świdnica was obvious due to the lively liturgical cult of the saints mentioned in this church. As has already been mentioned, the Jesuits – probably for example – funded only one painting. Three of the remaining ones were funded by representatives of the most powerful Silesian aristocracy. Another painting was funded by the Świdnica magistrate, which is confirmed by the name of this community shortened to the first letters. Also, the coat of arms above clearly identifies the city as the founder. Characteristically, in contrast to the coats of arms of the donor aristocratic families visible on three other frames, the coat of arms on this frame is devoid of a jewel and labels – it is limited to the shield itself. On this shield, there is an emblem in the shape given to it by the privilege of the Czech king Wenceslaus Pogrobowiec from 1452, which was used only from 1501. The symbols placed in the four-field shield make it possible to read the identity and history of the city. Two Czech royal crowns remind of Świdnica’s long affiliation with this kingdom and also refer to the fact that Świdnica was the capital of two duchies: Świdnica and Jawor. On the other hand, the griffin and the boar visible in the remaining fields refer to the two most important municipal offices: the Council and the Law Office. Invitation of the Świdnica City Hall to fund the painting It seems natural to go to the Jesuit church because the then-existing legal orders meant that only Catholics could be members of the City Council and officials. Inviting the councilors to fund the framework meant that this foundation was a manifestation of the attachment of the city (and mainly its authorities) to the Catholic religion, which was important if we take into account that the majority of the inhabitants were then followers of the reformed churches. Sobiesław Nowotny, in his yet unpublished study devoted to coats of arms on frames and their founders, assumed that the frame of the painting of St. Wenceslaus before the Emperor was realized during the term of office of a group of city officials known by name, who performed their functions for a year, in the period from November 11, 1724 (St. Martin) to November 11, 1725. We know very little about them (apart from their names and functions), so it is difficult to say which of them were directly involved in the foundation of the painting and the frame. However, Johannes Balthasar Sommerfeld, the then mayor of Świdnica (probably died in 1725), had a lot to say in this matter. We know a lot about him: from 1688 until his death, he held offices at various levels in the City Council and the City Council, of which he was the secretary at the beginning of his career. It follows that he must have had a proper education, perhaps university. He was also certainly a devout Catholic, as evidenced not only by his participation in the foundation of the painting and the frame with the painting of St. Wenceslaus before the emperor but also by independent donations for the implementation of elements of the Baroque equipment of the Jesuit temple, the current cathedral. Among other things, in 1709 Sommerfeld, then a city councilor, allocated the sum of 20 florins for the execution of the statue of his patron, St. John the Baptist, part of a series of figures discussed separately in this guide.