Search results for: uniwersytet śląski in All Content

Under the Sign of Scorpio – Andrzej Busza’s Prose

Pod znakiem Skorpiona – O prozie Andrzeja Buszy

Author(s): Magdalena Rabizo-Birek / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Kontynenty; Polish literaure in the world; bilingual authors; Middle East; Conradian inspirations;

The article is devoted to the less prolific and so far less well‑known area of Busza’s work: his prose fiction. The author outlines the circumstances of the writing of the stories, discusses their themes and autobiographical contexts, as well as considers their genre and stylistic features. She singles out the prevalence of the realistic mode, occasionally supplemented by grotesque and absurdist elements; the presence of biblical and Middle Eastern motifs; echoes of Conrad and Said; striving for brevity and succinctness; and a predilection for metaphoric and parabolic narrative tropes.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF BUSINESS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

EWOLUCJA KONCEPCJI SPOŁECZNEJ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCI BIZNESU – ANALIZA RETROSPEKTYWNA

Author(s): Karolina Łudzińska / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility; CSR development; CSR milestones

In the theoretical aspect, Corporate Social Responsibility remains a set of independent and often competing ideas and concepts. By following the sources of interest in the concept of CSR, as well as by examining its development in chronological terms – including the way of understanding, the practice of application, and the methods of implementation in organizations – the evolutionary nature of developing the concept of corporate social responsibility can be observed by focusing on four main approaches: normative, constructive, strategic and holistic. As a part of retrospective research in the literature within the subject, the above approaches distinguish their characteristics and milestones in the development of the key concepts of corporate social responsibility.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

OCENA CYKLU ŻYCIA W TEORII I PRAKTYCE

Author(s): Katarzyna Rozenkowska / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: LCA; life cycle assessment; environmental impact; modelling

This chapter presents the method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from two perspectives: a theoretical and a practical one. In the first part of the chapter basic concepts of LCA are presented and explained with the aid of: information which is included in the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards; and the existing literature on LCA. Apart from defining what LCA is, the first part of the chapter also presents the chronology on how LCA changed and evolved over the years. The second part of the chapter presents information from an LCA study report which was carried out by a UK-based WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) charity, which examined six packaging systems (designed for pasteurized milk) in 2010. This means that every theoretical part presented in the first part has a corresponding example in the practical part of the chapter. The main objective of this chapter was to present the usefulness of LCA and to make it as clear as possible, especially for those who are new to this methodology.

Borani of Zosimus, the Bosporan Kingdom and the Raid against Trebizond/Trapezous

Бораны Зосима, Боспорское царство и поход на Трапезунд

Author(s): Kyrylo V. Myzgin,Serghei V. Didenko / Language(s): English,Russian / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: coins; Trebizond/Trapezous; Gothic wars; Zosimus; Pharsanzes; amphorae; Boromlia horizon

There is a fragment in Zosimus’ New History (Zos. I.32–33) about two naval raids of barbarians to the south-eastern and southern coasts of the Black Sea, which calls the Borani the organizers and principal participants. Ethnic identity and origin of this people remains unclear, being a subject of discussion among the experts. According to the account by Zosimus, the Borani together with other barbarians came to the Bosporan kingdom from the Danube area, and they appeared when Pharsanzes usurped the power 253/254 AD. The Borani used the Bosporan fleet to start their first naval raid from the Bosporan territory, against the city of Pituous. However, their attack was repelled by the vexillatio of legio XV Apollinaris stationed in the city under the commandment of Valerianus Successianus. In course of their second raid in 257/258 AD, which was also organized with support from the Bosporan fleet, the Borani succeeded in plundering Pituous and Trebizond/Trapezous. According to Zosimus, the barbarians took from Trebizond/Trapezous a great deal of money. Later on, the Borani disappeared from the pages of the New History, so their future remained unknown. From the most recent archaeological finds from the Roman period documented in the Eastern Barbaricum area, there are good reasons to suppose that, after the naval raids, the Borani settled in the region between the Dnieper and the Sivers’kyi Donets’ rivers. All the bronze coins minted in Trebizond/Trapezous and discovered to the north of the Black Sea so far originate from this place. Moreover, the finds of staters of King Pharsanzes, also concentrated in the area of interest, supply another argument for the relation to the events in the Bosporan kingdom in the 250s AD. Finally, the accumulation of the finds of amphorae of the type Shelov D in the said area suggests its stable commercial relations with the Black Sea emporia. Archaeological development of the forest-steppe zone between the Dnieper and the Sivers’kyi Donets’ in the middle and the second half of the third century AD is related to the sites of the Boromlia horizon discovered there. However, it would be still too early to attribute these sites to Zosimus’ Borani without any doubts.

“Master Thaddeus” from Onikshty? „Master Thaddeus” from Jeżew?

„Pan Tadeusz” z Onikszt? „Pan Tadeusz” z Jeżewa?

Author(s): Jarosław Mariusz Ławski / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

The author of this essay reflects on the extraordinary reception of the Poles’ national epic, Master Thaddeus by Adam Mickiewicz. Published in Paris, the poem has lived to see numerous imitations and sequels of both parodic and serious nature. Its echoes in Polish literature are collected in an anthology edited by Professor Andrzej Zakrzewski, entitled The Offspring of "Master Thaddeus". The author of the essay engages in a polemic with the presentation of the history of reception of the epic presented in the anthology. He shows that an important role in it was played by works referring to the cultural tradition of the Republic of Poland, consisting of the Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Two 19th-century poems serve as examples: Anykščių šilelis (Thicket in Onikshty, 1861-1862) by the Bishop of Sejny Antoni Baranowski (in Lithuanian: Antanas Baranauskas), written in Lithuanian under the influence of Pan Tadeusz (Baranowski was a Polish poet as much as a Lithuanian one), and The Dream of a Loner. A Manorial Poem from 1887 by Zygmunt Gloger, in which the poet combines a dream of restoring the Old Polish universe with positivist postulates of reforming, renewing this world. On the example of both works, the author shows the political manipulation to which the heritage of the Republic of Poland has been subjected, inscribed in the nationalist narrative, in the ideology of the state, or re-created as part of trans- and post-national utopias created by scholars of regional literature.

The conduct and behaviour of prison staff towards life-term prisoners – a voice in the discussion

Postępowanie i postawy personelu więziennego wobec skazanych na karę dożywotniego pozbawienia wolności – głos w dyskusji

Author(s): Robert Poklek / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: life sentence imprisonment; prison staff; attitudes towards prisoners; training of prison staff

Life imprisonment for crimes that deserve special condemnation is in line with social needs and the populist narrative of politicians with extreme views. It should be remembered, however, that the execution of this most severe punishment is within the competence of the Prison Service and thus burdens officers who have direct contact with this category of inmates. Its effectiveness - understood here as the development of a plan for the optimal functioning of a convict in isolation (in terms of employment, education, organization of free time, participation in readaptation programs etc.), the implementation of which will favour his internal transformation and create conditions enabling him to apply for conditional release - depends, inter alia, on the attitudes and treatment of life prisoners presented by the officers. Attitudes towards other people are shaped, inter alia, through appropriate education, which is why this study attempts to verify the education of prison staff and the attitudes towards prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment represented by Prison Service officers.

Free will and week weel in Donald Davidson

Wolność i słabość woli u Donalda Davidsona

Author(s): Janusz Maciaszek / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: action;anomaly;freedom;intention;practical syllogism;propositional attitude;reason to act;theory of truth;weak will

In the paper I present Donald Davidson’s solution of the problem of freedom against the background of his complex philosophical system. In spite of the fact that freedom understood as anomality was justified by Davidson by means of his philosophy of language I argue that it can be fully appreciated against the background of his philosophy of action. I argue also that the phenomenon of will explained by Davidson in terms of prima facie judgements and sans-phrase judgement is a necessary condition of freedom conceived as anomality. In the end I indicate that in spite of superficial analogies suggested by Davidson his solution of the problem of freedom is incomparable with the Kantian one.

The Jew as a Fetish. On anti-Semitism in Roman Dmowski’s novels and political writings

Żyd jako fetysz. O antysemityzmie w powieściach i pismach politycznych Romana Dmowskiego

Author(s): Dezydery Barłowski / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: anti-Semitism; Jew; nationalism; fetish; Roman Dmowski

The author of the article focuses on the issue of anti-Semitism in Roman Dmowski’s publications, with particular attention paid to his novel Legacy. In the following steps of the analysis, the author describes the National Democracy ideologist’s attitude towards Jews in his official political writings and long prose pieces published under a pseudonym, showing the interdependencies between these two spheres of activity (political and artistic). The research uses mainly the tools of psychoanalysis and gender studies.

Foreign Direct Investment in the Process of the Sustainable Development of the European Union: Ecological Aspects

Bezpośrednie inwestycje zagraniczne a równoważenie rozwoju Unii Europejskiej: aspekty ekologiczne

Author(s): Janina Witkowska / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: European Union; foreign direct investment (FDI); sustainable development; green business; investment policy

This chapter aims to examine the role of foreign direct investment in the process of sustainable development of the EU and to answer two questions: (1) to what degree could international business contribute to the development of a “green economy” under uncertainty caused by pandemic COVID-19?; (2) in which way could host countries attract “green” and socially responsible foreign direct investment (FDI)? The statistical analysis of international business involvement in the EU economy in environmentally harmful sectors/industries indicates that the share of such investments in most member states did not exceed 20% of the total FDI stocks in 2015–2020. The structure of investments changed in the case of half of the analyzed countries towards sectors/industries that were less harmful to the environment. These changes allow concluding that international business contributed to the ecological transformation of the EU. On the other hand, changes in the structure of FDI stocks located abroad by the EU Member States in 2015–2020 in environmentally harmful sectors/industries were multidirectional. The involvement of foreign direct investors in the new EU Member States in sectors important for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs of the 2030 Agenda was not very high. It was characterized by high volatility and did not play a significant role in their economies. Attracting “green FDI” and socially responsible investments requires changes in the policy towards foreign investors. These should include facilitating foreign investment aimed at sustainable development, incentives for investors to engage in “green investments”, and making investment agreements more flexible to combat climate change.

Sustainable Development of Tourism in the Time of the Covid-19 Pandemic - The Example of Western Balkan Countries Candidate to the European Union

Zrównoważony rozwój turystyki w dobie pandemii COVID-19 – przykład państw Bałkanów Zachodnich kandydujących do Unii Europejskiej

Author(s): Radosław Dziuba / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: economics; sustainable development; regional specializations; european integration; Covid19 pandemic; Western Balkans

The economic crisis in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that many integrating countries experienced a number of economic disturbances. The implementation of strategic actions taken in the aspect of integration and development of the European Union has become highly endangered. One of the new strategic activities in the last financial perspective in 2014-2020 was the reform of the EU cohesion policy, the main pillar of which is the development of S3 smart specializations. The fundamental aspect of the adopted strategy has become the necessity to seek economic specialization of regions, thus increasing the chance of increasing competitiveness and deepening regional innovations in the international arena. A particularly important aspect in the context of the implementation of smart specialization strategies is stimulating regions with coherent economic growth potential, e.g. development of the tourism sector in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. At the same time, the tourism sector has become one of the sectors of the economy that suffered significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was particularly felt in countries with a high share of income from the tourism sector in GDP. Such countries are the coastal countries of the Western Balkans involved in the implementation of the European Union's S3 smart specialization strategy in the tourism area. Montenegro is a country that stands out in this respect, which has been consistently implementing the process of accession to the European Union in recent years. The purpose of the following chapter is to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourist sector of the Western Balkan countries on the example of Montenegro and the resulting recommendations for the development of innovation in accordance with the principles of sustainable tourism development in the context of the European Union's S3 smart specialization strategy.

On Historical and Legal Sources for the History of the Western Governorates of the Russian Empire (until 1840) – a Glance from the Perspective of the Habet and Debet of Editing

O źródłach historyczno-prawnych do dziejów guberni zachodnich Cesarstwa Rosyjskiego (do 1840 r.) – rzut oka z perspektywy habet i debet edytorstwa

Author(s): Sławomir Godek / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Polish-Lithuanian law; sources; Russian law; partitions of Poland; publications of sources of law

After the partitions of Poland, the Statute of Lithuania (1588) remained the basic source of law in the territories incorporated into Russia. The statute, albeit with the provisions on the state system and criminal law removed, retained quite far-reaching application in the field of civil law until its eventual repeal (1840). In addition to the statute, the Sejm constitutions, the resolutions of the Permanent Council and customary law remained in force. Yet Russian legislation began to influence Polish-Lithuanian law and slowly transformed it. To research this phenomenon, it is important to analyse the ukases issued for the“Polish governorates”. The printed sources include numerous materials of this kind. However, it would be desirable to pay more attention to lower-order acts, which are close to the practice of governing. It would be necessary to find and publish regulations and instructions of the High Courts and the ukases of the provincial governments (and even extracts from the minutes of their sessions). As a prelude to these activities, ukases, governors’ ordinances, resolutions, orders and instructions published in the governorate journals could be reprinted. From Kurier Litewski [The Lithuanian Courier], one could draw Polish translations of the Tsar’s and the Senate’s ukases, manifestos, governor’s decrees, notices of tax chambers, ministers’ recommendations, announcements of governorate marshals and courts. It could be useful to issue in print manuscript legal compendiums, which illustrate the practical application of the provisions of the statute, and other sources – both domestic and Russian. The Western Code, published in print a long time ago, as well as the codification project for the Belostok (Białystok) Oblast from 1811, issued a few years ago, offer great potential for research on the law of the “Polish governorates”. A digitalization of selected court records would also be very useful.

Socio-political and cultural conditions of the national life of Belarusians in Latgale during the German occupation (1941–1944)

Uwarunkowania społeczno-polityczne i kulturowe życia narodowego Białorusinów w Łatgalii podczas okupacji niemieckiej (1941–1944)

Author(s): Jerzy Grzybowski / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: World War II; German occupation; Latvia; Latgale; Belarusians

Belarusians were one of the largest ethnic groups in Latvia in the interwar period. The main clusters of the Belarusian population were located in the south-eastern part of the country – in Latgale (former Polish Livonia). In the summer of 1941, Latvia was seized by the Wehrmacht and the occupation regime was established. The German occupying authorities, using the principle of “divide et impera”, were willing to give the Belarusians a certain degree of cultural and educational autonomy. In 1941 the Belarusian National Committee (since the spring of 1942: the Belarusian Association) was established in Riga and Dyneburg. The organization of Belarusian education under the German occupation was its priority. In the school years 1941/42 and 1942/43 thirty-five primary schools, two high schools and one agricultural secondary school were opened. Moreover, attempts were made to stimulate artistic and publishing activities. The activities of Belarusians aroused antipathy among local Latvians, who were afraid of an increase in the Belarusian national consciousness in Latgale.

The Polish field of power in the 20th century as a generator of meanings

POLSKIE POLE WŁADZY W XX WIEKU JAKO GENERATOR ZNACZEŃ

Author(s): Tomasz Zarycki / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: field of power; intelligentsia; homology; revolution; October 1956; March 1968

The first aim of the chapter is to outline a broader perspective on the concept of field of power and the accompanying theoretical apparatus associated with Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology. This is followed by a general attempt to relate the concept to the Polish context. It includes considerations on the application of the concept to synthesize the structures of Polish elites in particular historical periods starting from the second half of the 19th century. In relation to this period, the possibility of introducing the concept of proto-field of power has been suggested, which refers to the organization of Polish elites within imperial political systems. Then the transformations of the field of power in subsequent periods until modern times are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the turning points in which the geometry of the field of power changed fundamentally. These included the revolutionary situations of 1919, 1945, 1956, 1968 and 1989. The chapter also indicates how the field of power can be seen as a generator of social meanings.

Monitoring and evaluation of urban regeneration processes

Monitoring i ewaluacja procesów rewitalizacji miast

Author(s): Ewa M. Boryczka / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: urban regeneration; monitoring; evaluation; urban regeneration programme; cities; indicators

Cities, however, are in a constant state of flux and today - in a period of intense, dynamic geopolitical and socio-economic change - face many problems. Local authorities, reborn during the period of political transformation, found themselves in a situation in which it was in the interest of the inhabitants to take comprehensive measures for city development, urban regeneration. Urban regeneration is an integrated process, combining spatial, environmental and technical measures with programmes for the economic and social revitalisation of degraded urban spaces. Local authorities have a wide range of instruments at their disposal for urban regeneration policy and can actively shape the urban regeneration process. However, a system of monitoring and evaluation is particularly important for the planning and coordination of urban regeneration activities. Monitoring and evaluation are key instruments in the management of r urban regeneration processes. The aim of the chapter is to present monitoring and evaluation as one of the key instruments at the disposal of local government units for planning and stimulating r urban regeneration processes in Polish cities. The chapter presents both the principles and criteria for building monitoring and evaluation systems in urban regeneration programmes, together with their practical application.

Public procurement law in the revitalisation process

Prawo zamówień publicznych w procesie rewitalizacji

Author(s): Magdalena Maria Michalak / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: public procurement; revitalization; tasks of the commune

Although the regulations in force indicate a whole range of the revitalization stakeholders, the commune plays a key role in this process, and it is responsible for the preparation, coordination and creation of conditions for revitalization. In practice, this task is most often carried out on the basis of the Public Procurement Law, which is associated with the need of following extremely formalized procedures, which sometimes constitutes a significant obstacle for municipalities. However, the Public Procurement Law provides for the possibility of excluding the application of its provisions, provided that the revitalization projects meet the conditions indicated therein. The presented text describes and analyzes the revitalization issues in the above-mentioned context, in particular focusing on the specific rules of public procurement in the Special Revitalization Zone.

Abolishing myths, paradigms and dogmas

Obalić mity, paradygmaty i dogmaty

Author(s): Joanna Getka / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: myths; stereotypes; Russian-Ukrainian war; 24/02/2022; propaganda; soft power

The article addresses the issue of myths that have been repeated in the Russian political discourse for years, which, according to the thesis presented in the text, constitute an ideological weapon and justify Russia’s military attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022. These myths exist on many levels, including the scientific one. The mythologized approach denies Ukrainians their own national identity, denies the existence of a separate cultural development of ‘two Ukrainian languages’ – eastern and western – and proclaims the thesis about the supposedly short history of the country and nation, which was allegedly created only thanks to Lenin, a theory not supported by the facts. Relying on source data on the development of the Ukrainian language and culture, the author argues against selected myths that have been used in Russian propaganda for years. These myths are established both in the West and in Ukraine, which makes it difficult to understand the continuity and distinctiveness of the development of Ukrainian culture. Access to knowledge makes the Russian policy of ‘gathering the Russian lands’ by soft (disinformation, propaganda) and ‘hard’ methods ineffective and unproductive. Hence the need to verify the circulating findings and versions of events, as well as scientific findings.

A contribution to the phenomenology of the mask

Przyczynek do fenomenologii maski

Author(s): Mirosław Karwat / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: self-presentation; mask; simulation; identity; image

The phenomenon of the mask is entangled in the relationships and differences between the subject’s identity, their self-definition, their moral and ideological character, and their image (how they are perceived, how they present themselves to others). The mask is not the same as the identity of a person or group, its real nature, but neither is it simply its negation or mere appearance. Paradoxically, the mask can emanate authenticity in the attitudes of individuals or groups – as an expression of their aspirations and beliefs. It can be both a personal and free choice of an individual strategy of self-presentation and self-promotion, as well as a manifestation of conformism forced by the pressure of a group or community. From an instrumental point of view, the mask is considered in terms of hiding and, at the same time, pretending something, simulation. The mask is then a mystification – as self-illusion or as an instrument of an intended game of appearances, a form of deceiving the surroundings. In times of significant changes and historical breakthroughs, the initiators of experiments and political innovations often adopt a retrospective costume or a substitute banner by referring to ideas, symbols and figures from the past. The new, as yet undefined, appears in a mask borrowed from celebrated tradition. The mask not only masks politicians but also unmasks them contrary to their calculations. Not only can it deceive or subjugate others, but it can also prove to be a corset and a trap. When we govern others with the help of a mask, we may notice, with some surprise and delay, that our mask… governs us.

Funerary Pieces in Memory of Queen Elizabeth of Austria – Bibliographical and Historical-Literary Comments

Poetyckie funeralia żegnające królową Elżbietę Habsburżankę – uwagi bibliograficzne i historycznoliterackie

Author(s): Bartłomiej Czarski / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Elizabeth of Austria; Sigismund II Augustus; funerary poetry; elegy; epicedium; epitaph

The text discusses the publications in verse issued in connection with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth of Austria, the first wife of Sigismund II Augustus. These works are presented both from the bibliographic and historical-literary point of view. The article takes into account not only the preserved materials, but also those unknown today and considered lost, knowledge about which can currently only be derived from archival sources. The article offers a comparison of individual texts with each other on the one hand, and the assessment of the entirety of the works bidding farewell to Queen Elizabeth, published in the Jagiellonian and Habsburg states, on the other. They represent different genres and forms: from the epitaph, through the mourning elegy, to the epicedium. The collected funerary poems are a good illustration of the changes taking place in Polish culture and literature in the mid-16th century. They show the existence of various Renaissance traditions, as well as new elements heralding the growing popularity of mannerism.

Exemplum from the Song by Mikołaj Rej "The Likeness of a Christian Man’s Life" ["Podobieństwo życia chrześcijańskiego człowieka"] alias "The Exhortation Addressed to This Christian Knight" ["Ku temuż to krześcijańskiemu rycerzowi napominanie"]

Egzemplum z pieśni Mikołaja Reja "Podobieństwo żywota człowieka krześcijańskiego" alias "Ku temuż to krześcijańskiemu rycerzowi napominanie"

Author(s): Radosław Grześkowiak / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: parable of the young man on the precipice; Mikołaj Rej; Benedykt Herbest; Stanisław Kołakowski

The full text of the song by Mikołaj Rej with the incipit: “What do you want to do, my dear man” [“Cóż chcesz czynić, mój miły człowiecze”] had as many as nine editions in the years 1556–1600, all of which are briefly discussed here. The article contains a critical edition of the song (the three existing contemporary editions do not meet the criteria for a critical edition) and a discussion, but it focuses primarily on the exemplum presented in the initial part of the poem. This exemplum tells the story of a young man who was chased by a lion to the edge of a precipice and saved himself from the fall by grabbing a branch of a tree growing out of the rock wall. Ignoring the lion above him, the dragon at the bottom of the precipice, and the mice that were gnawing on the branch, the young man focused his attention on apples growing on the branch. The parable is meant to illustrate the stupidity of people who are hunted by death (the lion), lurked by the devil (the dragon), whose time passes quickly (the white and black mice symbolising day and night represent the passage of time), and who, oblivious to the dangers, focus on worldly goods. The article points to the Old Indian source of this parable, discusses the way it reached Europe, and mentions the editors Rej may have used. It also shows the reception of the parable from Rej’s song in the sixteenth century, both textual (Benedykt Herbest, 1566) and visual (Stanisław Kołakowski, 1584).

Sigismund Augustus and his Kunstkammer

Zygmunt August i jego kunstkamera

Author(s): Mateusz Grzęda / Language(s): Polish / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Sigismund Augustus; Kunstkammer; cabinet of curiosities; collection; Renaissance; artistic patronage

The article discusses the collecting practices of King Sigismund Augustus and attempts to interpret them against the background of the early modern phenomenon of "Kunstkammer" or cabinet of curiosities, as described by early modern theoreticians of collecting, such as Samuel Quiccheberg and Francis Bacon. Although most of the precious items that belonged to Sigismund Augustus are now lost, his artistic preferences can be reconstructed based on written testimonies and the few extant works of art that were produced for the king. In light of these sources there emerges an image of a large and sumptuous collection which was built by the monarch fastidiously and advisedly throughout his whole lifetime. From the written sources (especially the account left by the apostolic nuncio to Poland, Berardo Bongiovanni, who described a cabinet of curiosities in the palace of the grand dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, presented to him by the king in 1560) and the analysis of extant artifacts we can deduce that Sigismund Augustus developed an aesthetic sensibility and, to some extent, even an expertise in artistic matters. He is well known as a passionate collector of precious objects made of silver and gold, jewels, plates, precious and semi-precious stones, and tapestries. The king may have considered collecting and presenting these ‘artificialia’ to various audiences to be his privilege or even obligation, justified by the theory of magnificence coined by Aristotle and further developed in the humanistic writings of the fifteenth and sixteenth century. However, Sigismund Augustus’ collection also had a scholarly dimension. Alongside an imposing library he acquired portraits of famous figures, maps, and scientific and musical instruments. In addition, many artworks produced for the king were decorated with naturalistic zoological and botanical motifs which introduced knowledge of the natural world to his cabinet. All these objects, together with a custom of turning, of which Sigismund Augustus was a known practitioner and which was one of the most favored amusements of Renaissance rulers, reveal a curious mind in the king, an asset that he shared with many other European rulers.