Coronation medals
-
The exhibitions at the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace present outstanding works of early religious art, including numerous testimonies to the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so deeply rooted in Polish religiosity. These predominantly include paintings and sculptures, although visitors may also come across some unusual exhibits which come from the collection of the Numismatics Room – namely the coronation medals. They are exhibited in the gallery 'Art of Old Poland. The 12th - 18th Century' as they constitute unusual souvenirs from the baroque festivities celebrating the coronations of miraculous images of the Virgin Mary. This custom originated in Italy, and the first image crowned on Polish soil was Our Lady of Częstochowa, which in 1717 was decorated with crowns imported from Rome, consecrated by Pope Clement XI.
Until the late eighteenth century, dozens of images of the Virgin Mary were crowned during celebrations across Poland – in all major churches, both in Latin and Eastern Rite (e.g. the Orthodox Pochaiv). The celebrations were organized in incredibly grand style, using ephemeral decorations, illuminating the churches with thousands of candles, and firing cannons. The coronations frequently attracted large groups of gentry and clergy, as well as crowds of people from faraway places, among whom the commemorative medals minted for the occasion were widely distributed.
Some of the most interesting examples of coronation medals from the collections of the National Museum are on display in an inconspicuous display cabinet located in Room V (The Baroque Room) in the gallery on the first floor of the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace (ul. Kanonicza 17).
Text by Tomasz Zaucha – art historian, head of the Old Art Department at the NMK, curator of the collection of Polish Renaissance and Baroque art. -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
