Kristupas Radvila (1585-1640) - tapybos užsakovas
Christopher Radvila (1585-1640) - a patron of painting

Summary/Abstract: This article evaluates Christopher Radvila's, grand hetman of Lithuania, demands for painting as well as names the painters who worked for this nobleman and their works of art, and describes the relation of masters to patron and institution of manor. The article refers to the sources of Christopher Radvila's manor on which no research has been made before: the correspondence, directions for manor officials and other economic-legal documents. As a nobleman who sought influence, Christopher Radvila took representation into great account, therefore, he intensively ordered paintings to decorate the residences, to gather and propagate the information about the rank of his family. Paintings, mainly portraits, adorned Vilnius, Orla, Biržai, Lubčia and other residences of the hetman. Christopher Radvila constantly controlled the activity of the masters directly or through his representatives. The painters Jakub, Ferdynand, Jan Moczulski, Piekarski, Jan, who worked for Christopher Radvila, were mentioned in the documents. Painters from Vilnius, Sluckas and Koidanovas also worked for the nobleman. During the selection of the masters the following pragmatic criteria prevailed in the manor: the hetman was constantly looking for skilful painters, however he also sought for the masters who had already settled down in his owned territory and who were not hard to talk into working for him. The painters travelled from one residence of the nobleman to another in order to carry out the orders. Often, the masters were called for signing short-termed contracts of a concrete project. Christopher Radvila also had manor painters (Molcher Funhaken), whom he supported for a longer period of time and provided to them their annual payment. There was a group of Christopher Radvila's painters (Ferdynand, Jan) that used to received repeated orders from the nobleman and intensify their practice at the time of decorating the nobleman's residences. Christopher Radvila was one of the most important patrons of painting in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania the first half of the 17th century.

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