Saint Casimir
| Author: |
Antoni Oleszczyński (1794–1879) |
| Created: | mid-19th century |
| Material: | paper |
| Technique: | steel engraving |
| Dimensions: | 32 × 25 cm |
| Signature: | inscription: „S. CASIMIRUS“; „DEDIEE. A MR LE PRINCE CONSTANTIN CZARTORYSKI PROTECTEUR DES SCIENCES ET DES BEAUX ARTS PAR ANTO OLESZCZYNSKI“ |
St. Casimir is the heavenly patron of Lithuania, the prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. He is a historically existing person. In our collective consciousness, a very clear and individualized image of him has been formed – a young man with long wavy brown hair, dressed in a sable fur coat, often with a crown on his head, holding a white lily in his hand. Looking at the image created by Antonio Oleszczynski in the middle of the 19th century – we really see a prince who is not our own. This image of St. Casimir is a copy of the image of another saint already existing – st. Louis. The actual similarity between them is quite direct – both of them are saints from royal families. Charles Lebrun, the painter of the royal court of the Sun King – Louis XIV, created such a praying St. in the 17th century. The image of Louis, a copy of which later adorned the Trinitarian Church in Lutsk, and before us today, only with the name of St. Casimir, a copy transferred in Oleszczynski's engraving, allows us to believe in a falsified image of our holy king.
Text author Emilija Vanagaitė
Expositions: "Solely Saints", 6 June 2024 – 1 May 2025, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Skaidrė Urbonienė and Emilija Vanagaitė.
