Prussian Homage 1525-2025

 Salvete Omnes,

today we could celebrate the 500 years anniversary of the Prussian Homage, when the treasonous and poisonous Teutonic Order State was dissolved and its Grand Master, Albert of Prussia, left the Holy Mother Church for the heretical new Protestant denomination of Lutheranism, was allowed to secularize  his state as the first Protestant state in Europe, and  became a vassal to the Polish king, Sigismund I (the Elder).

Prior to the Homage Grand Master Albert fought the last Polish-Teutonic war 1519-1521AD against the Polish Crown, allied with the Grand Duchy Muscovy and Holy Roman Emperor. Nota bene the pesky Grand Duchy of Lithuanian did not come to aid Polish realm, supposedly busy with the Muscovite onslaught. 

IMHO this treaty of Krakow finalized with the Homage was the gravest error of Polish Jagellon dynasts. One could say that to allow for this viperous state, the arch enemy of Polish kingdom since at least 1309AD,  to continue in its secular form carried not only the promise of treachery and duplicity, but prevented Polish realm from taking complete control over the Baltic shores from  the Gdansk Pomerania to the Lithuanian Zmudz coast.  The Teutonic State should have been incorporated into the  Polish realm, and Polish king made the Order's titular head. The subsequent decisions of Polish monarchs, from Sigismund II to Sigismund III and his son Wladyslaw IV just borught more treachery and promises of doom. In 1772 the ruler of Prussia , archvillain Frederick, instigated the First Partition of Poland.

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Archbishop and Crown Chancellor  Jan Łaski (1456-1531) was the proponent of liquidation of the Prussian state, along with queen Bona Sforza, but His Royal Majesty Sigismund I, one could say  the very master of many bad political decisions, refused to heed his own wife's and his own chancellor's counsel and advice. 

'Stupid is as stupid does' - said our American fictional hero, Forrest Gump.  

Jan Matejko painted this huge (388cm by 785cm) canvas, started in 1880 and finished in 1882,when Poland was just an idea  in the heads and hearts of the Poles partitioned between Russian Empire, Prussian state known as German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Jan Matejko, with his inspiring paintings, fought back, along with many Polish cultural giants of the era, the doom of Partitions and for the restitution of Polish state. 
Ave Jan Matejko

ps 

currently the Polish culture is in retreat and in a dismal state of nothingness, sadly. 

enjoy
Valete

Jan Matejko & horses

 Salvete Omnes,

Jan Matejko's son on horseback

a short entry on text an rich in imagery .

Jan Matejko is one of the most preeminent Polish painters of all times. Famous for his historical paintings, and allegories in art and history, portrait paintings and numerous works on the history of costume and  architecture of his times - 1838-1893. 

horse details from his painting - Grunwald 1410

horses from his Jan III after the Victory at Vienna 1683

 horse studies

..

horses from Kosciuszko at Raclawice 1794

. some of the  medieval  dukes of Kingdom of Poland on horseback

prince Boleslaw I the Tall

prince Boleslaw the Bold Rogatka

prince Trojden I of Masovia

and two very infamous personages in Polish history -   Bohdan Chmielnicki and Tuhay Bey

...

Valete

Hans Memling, horses and riders & Madonnas

Salve friends and visitors,
Hans Memling was one of the many amazing painters of the Northern Renaissance - XV century prolific painter of astonishing imagination and  skill. 

Two Horses and a Monkey - a  portrayal of the medieval horse ideal, its allegory nicely explained here

Turin altarpiece 

 

Saint John triptych

Seven Joys of the Virgin 

 

Greveradenaltar

 

Resurrection (of Budapest) 

and for its beauty - the Portinaris - husband and wife

 

and some samples of his Madonnas - nota bene several of his Madonnas contain magnificent oriental (Turkish and Persian?) carpets

 

and Adam and Eve

Valete!

Giuseppe Rava - painter of the soldier and warrior

Salvete Omnes,
I have been an admirer of maestro Giuseppe Rava art and talent for quite a long time now; I think it started with the Italeri miniature soldier box art back in the 1990s.  Signore Rava, through his prodigious talent with a brush and hard work,  has become one of the most preeminent military illustrators of our XXI century.
 Painter masterfully uses oils, watercolor, inks, gouache and other traditional media.

Today, with Mr. Rava's permission I have a pleasure to share with you some, out of thousands of plates, of maestro Giuseppe's art.
The Egyptian chariots, Alexander, Carthaginians, Romans, Longobards, medieval warriors and heroines, Crusaders, Napoleonic subjects et many others - a feast for the eyes and amazing proficiency with historic subjects and horses in action.

I especially love those in progress examples -
Alexander Nevsky at the battle of lake Peipus

French Cuirassier

Confederate cavalryman

Finally, there is a book, published by Winged Hussar Publishing (WHP) LLC  in the US, aptly titled The Art of Giuseppe Rava - in the US can be had from Amazon.

WHP LLC published another book with Mr Rava art - on the late Roman armies and wars

Valete!

ps
all images @ Giuseppe Rava