Kontrakty między ks. Janem Ewertowskim a toruńskim złotnikiem Jacobem Weintraubem na wykonanie sreber do kościoła św. Tomasza Apostoła w Nowym Mieście Lubawskim z lat 1711-1728
Contracts between Father Jan Ewertowski and the Torun Goldsmith Jacob Weintraub to Execute Silver Items for the Church of St Thomas the Apostle in Nowe Miasto Lubawskie in 1711-28

Summary/Abstract: The article provides full texts of the contracts and bills related to the silver items founded for the Church of St Thomas the Apostle in Nowe Miasto Lubawskie by the local Dean and Parish Priest Jan Ewertowski. Almost all the pieces were executed by the goldsmith Jacob Weintraub (1660-1724). Member of the Torun Guild from 1692, Weintraub also represented craftsmen in the Town Chamber of Commons. Weintraub completed Ewertowski’s first commission in 1711-13, within the time providing a large monstrance, a thurrible, a navicula, a chalice meant for nearby Szwarcenowo, an application for the painting of St Joseph, and a smaller monstrance funded by the burgher Michael Freywald. Furthermore, he repaired and gilded some cruets, making a little tray to match. The second lot of items were created in 1727-28, when Weintraub was commissioned to execute two chalices, a reliquary cross, and four sumptuous candle holders. Following Weintraub’s death another goldsmith, most likely currently unidentified Toruń master, made two figures of angels. The total value of all the above silver items amounted to almost 3,600 Polish zlotys. The presented documents, previously unknown, have allowed for new ascertainment as for the foundation’s circumstances. The contracts show that the Nowe Miasto Parish Priest precisely defined the appearance of the commissioned works, attaching appropriate sketches, and specifying their dimensions or weight. Ewertowski must have been pleased with the Toruń master’s output, since regardless of the delays with the delivery of the works, he would only commissions him to execute new orders.The literature on the subject has previously only presented the preserved works, or the ones lost in the 1980s, but recorded photographically. The application on the painting of St Joseph was not associated with Jacob Weintraub. He was, however, erroneously attributed the pair of cruets which he actually only repaired and gilded. The analyzed documents also allow to reconstruct the pricelist at Weintraub’s workshop. 12-lot fine silver was 20 Polish zlotys a grzywna, while the workmanship was additionally valued at 6 Polish zlotys a grzywna., Such prices did not differ from those requested by other Toruń masters active in the 18th century. Worth mentioning is the fact that the presented contracts and bills are currently the only known such records related to the craft of the Toruń goldsmiths.

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