Najstarsze wizerunki Jana Długosza
The oldest images of Jan Długosz

Summary/Abstract: The following article attempts to describe the appearance of Jan Długosz referring to the three images contemporary with the chronicler: a miniature (or rather its copy) coming from Vita Beatae Kunegundis of Stary Sącz, a polychrome discovered in the so-called Długosz House in Wiślica, and a low relief placed in the foundation plaque of the Psalter House in Krakow. Thanks to the analysis of the surviving images of the 15th century, it was possible to establish the most characteristic features of the chronicler’s face. The medieval portraits of Długosz differ markedly from his images created in later centuries. Thus, it can be argued that the depictions of the chronicler (an artistic interpretation) provided by Jan Ligber, Michał Stachowicz, and especially Jan Matejko – the one which a number of drawings, paintings, sculptures and medals were modelled on (Bronisław Puc, Walery Gadomski, Wacław Głowacki, Aleksander Szyndler, Florian Cynk) – bear little resemblance to Długosz’s real physical appearance.

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