Leseprobe

q 160 Franciszek Skibiński dynamics of artistic exchange and transformation. 4 The emphasis will be placed on mobility, as it is argued that mobility is essential in building and sustaining the above-mentioned webs of relations. As many scholars have articulated, art and architec- ture in the lands surrounding the Baltic Sea display a range of features specific to this area. 5 Nonetheless, the Baltic region was in fact a conglomerate of numerous smaller regions, each with its own centres and peri­ pheries, different patterns of exchange and dynamics of artistic transformation. A thorough analysis of these sub-regions which at the same time acknowledges inter- action and continuity between them may increase our understanding of art in the entire Baltic area and its links with other parts of the continent. Therefore, in what fol- lows I intend to examine artistic relations in one such sub-region: Prussia. Extending over the territory of the former monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, it was divided into Royal and Ducal Prussia in 1525. Royal Prus- sia, created at the end of the Thirteen Years’ War in 1466 and comprising Gdańsk (Danzig), Elbląg (Elbing), and Toruń (Thorn) remained a province of the Kingdom of Poland until 1793. The Duchy of Prussia, with Kalinin- grad (Königsberg) as its capital, was a fief to the King of Poland between 1525 and 1657, thereafter coming under the sovereign rule of the Dukes of Brandenburg (Pl. VIII). It is of course impossible in short compass to give a com- prehensive picture of the arts over such a vast and com- plex territory. In this paper I shall therefore present a collection of case studies whichmay help tomake a step from the idiosyncratic to the more general, hopefully without straying into superficial generalisation. Moving to Prussia In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Prussia was a major artistic centre in North-Eastern Europe that attracted artists and architects from various places. 6 They settledmainly in Kaliningrad, Gdańsk, and Elbląg, major cities that were leading artistic centres in the re- gion. Having access to various assets necessary for their work, artists and architects established there could eas- ily supply various patrons. Despite their proximity as well as ethnic, cultural, and socio-political similarities, the cities differed considerably in terms of artistic pa- tronage and patterns of artistic production. Unlike other urban centres in Prussia, Kaliningrad was a court-oriented city, where artistic patronage was centred around the ducal court, first that of Albrecht Hohenzollern (* 1490, reign 1511–1568), then Albrecht II Friedrich (* 1553, reign 1568–1618), and finally Georg Friedrich of Brandenburg-Ansbach (* 1539), a regent in Prussia between 1578 and 1603. The dukes carried out the most ambitious projects, such as refurbishing me- dieval castles of the Teutonic Knights into modern res- idences and transforming the local cathedral into a ducal mausoleum, which were followed albeit on a much lesser scale by the local nobility and patrician elite. 7 The ducal court played a pivotal role in encouraging artist mobility, either by actively seeking skilled profes- sionals, or by starting major projects that attracted art- ists and architects fromabroad. As early as in 1533, Duke Albrecht sent his court builder to the Low Countries to study architecture, thus establishing a longstanding tra- dition of artistic ties between the two regions. 8 Soon after, the first Netherlanders arrived in Kaliningrad, among them the builder Jacob called “Hollander” and the sculptor Bernt from Utrecht. 9 Albrecht’s successors continued to employ artists fromabroad. Arriving in the duchy in the late 1570s Duke Georg Friedrich brought with him artists and architects who previously served him in Ansbach. One of themwas Blasius Berwart who worked at castle Plassenburg as well as in Stuttgart and Tübingen. In Kaliningrad, he supervised various architectural projects carried out by the duke, most importantly the refurbishing of hismain residence. 10 Upon his arrival Georg Friedrich continued to search for architects, engineers, sculptors and deco- rators capable of creating a décor befitting a prince. In the 1580s he recruited Wilhelm Zacharias, a building master who was present in Szczecin (Stettin) and carried out some major works for the ducal court there. 11 Zach- arias, whomay have been recommended to Georg Fried­ rich by Duke Johann Friedrich of Pomerania (* 1522, reign 1569–1600), travelled to Kaliningrad to refurbish the ducal residence and to create a typical Lutheran cas- tle chapel. 12 There, he was still called a “buildingmaster from Szczecin”, where he returned thereafter. 13 Other artists, for instance a sculptor who worked in the Prus- sian capital as early as 1562, also travelled fromSzczecin to Kaliningrad. 14 Another notable figure employed by the duke was HansWindrauch, a stuccoist who previously worked for the Danish court at Kronborg, the residence and fortress of the Danish king guarding the Sund which was one of themost important 16th-century buildings in the Baltic