XVIII amžiaus studijos / The Eighteenth Century Studies

Heraldry and its research have deep traditions in Europe. In Lithuania, interest in this field is a more recent phenomenon. The late beginning of heraldry research was partly influenced by the loss of Lithuania’s independence. At present, researchers’ attention is focused mainly on the periods of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, also looking at Lithuanian heraldry of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries, and conducting thorough research into the coats of arms of the state, its cities, and towns. Research on the heraldry of the nobility, such as the heraldry of the political elite in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the families of Goštautas, Pacas, Radvila, Sapiega, and others – is also conducted. The heraldry of the noblewomen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has received less attention. This article focuses on the heraldry of the noblewomen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It also aims to discuss the significance of the coat of arms in the noblewoman’s life in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during that period and to introduce the traditions of heraldry, the formation and use of noblewomen’s coats of arms in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Analysis of the heraldic sources related to noblewomen revealed that the coats of arms of the noblewomen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania appeared in seals, literature, portraits, tombstones, etc. The coats of arms were often oval or traditional shield-shaped. Also, very often the noblewomen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania used shields with a crest. In various cases, compared to men’s coats of arms, women’s coats of arms are more decorative, embellished with plant and floral motifs. Over the course of time, the noblewomen’s coats of arms became a unique means of representation and an important part of identity.

The article deals with the patronage of art by the Radvila women of the Nesvizh-Olyka branch of the family. It is seen as a complex organisational process that involved not only clients but also intermediaries. The aim is to reveal the typical roles of female patrons, identify the areas of art they supported the most, and assess the individual contribution of women. Research into the women’s activities during the Wettin period helps to reveal an important and still underestimated aspect of the social history of art in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: the importance of family ties and cooperation in art commissions. The women often acted as intermediaries for their spouses and mother, Ona Sanguškaitė-Radvilienė. Compared to Western European countries, in the eighteenth century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had a poorly developed network of art agents and specialised art dealers. Therefore family ties and women’s mediation were crucial both in the hiring of artists and in the control of their work.

Artykuł przedstawia analizę życia codziennego trzech żon senatorów „nowej kreacji” w czasach stanisławowskich: Petroneli Jeleńskiej z Kościałkowskich kasztelanowej nowogródzkiej, Marianny Chmarowej z Woynów-Orańskich wojewodziny mińskiej i Izabeli Świeykowskiej z Dunin-Karwickich wojewodziny podolskiej. Na podstawie nowych źródeł archiwalnych pokazano, że życie żon nowych senatorów, pierwszych w rodzie, było tak samo trudne, jak ich mężów, a w pewnych okolicznościach nawet smutniejsze, jakby pozbawione bezpośredniej radości z udanych politycznych i ekonomicznych przedsięwzięć ich mężów. Zaangażowanie świadome w życie męża i uznanie jego celów za swoje – to chyba najważniejsze cechy żon senatorów, pierwszych w swych rodzinach, w czasach stanisławowskich.

The article discusses the system of children’s education presented in Proiekt nieuskuteczniony prozą i wierszem (1788; The Unfulfilled Project in Prose and Verse) by Wincenty Ignacy Marewicz (1755–1822). The article examines how the writer, who came from the petty nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, adapted the new ideas of pedagogy that were spreading in Europe in the second half of the eighteenth century. An attempt is made to discern what was typical in W. I. Marewicz’s work and what individual nuances were given to it by a particular personality. In the work discussed, the author’s pedagogical views are presented in the chapter “Systema Edukacyi dla Płci oboiey” (A System of Education for Both Sexes). The writer sets out his system like a narrative to his future wife about

Po utworzeniu Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w 1773 roku nauczyciele zakonni, w tym jezuici, przechodzili pod zwierzchność świeckiej władzy oświatowej. W miarę upływu czasu stopniowo zastępowani byli przez nauczycieli świeckich, wykształconych w szkołach głównych, Koronnej w Krakowie oraz Litewskiej w Wilnie. Przedmiotem rozważań w niniejszym artykule jest praca pochodzących z Litwy nauczycieli szkół średnich na terenie Wydziałów Wołyńskiego i Ukraińskiego. Byli to bracia: eksjezuita Marcin Ancypa i nauczyciel świecki, Feliks Ancypa. W artykule ukazano przede wszystkim postrzeganie obu braci w środowisku zawodowym, a także ocenę ich pracy zarówno przez współpracowników, jak i przez zwierzchników. Praca obydwu braci wywoływała cały szereg konfliktów i napięć w szkołach. Brak akceptacji dla nauczycieli świeckich ze strony ks. Marcina Ancypy powodował zatargi, dla których załagodzenia stosowano kolejne przeniesienia go do innych szkół. Fakt zaś pozostawania w związku małżeńskim jego brata Feliksa Ancypy był powodem, dla którego władze sugerowały jego odejście ze stanu akademickiego.

The article presents an analysis of the inventories of property that belonged to the women residing in Vilnius from 1658 to 1798: the reasons for their compilation, their patterns, the prevailing categories of property, and the issue of the reliability of these inventories. It also dwells upon on the participation of urban women in the economic life of the city: their engagement in small trade, possession of shops and craft workshops, and their involvement in the realisation of the manufactured commodities. Research found that inventories were most often compiled upon the death of the property owner (69%). However, there are inventories that were drawn up before death in order to avoid future disagreements among the heirs or to resolve an ongoing conflict. Two inventories were compiled due to illness or malaise, and one due to an unexpected departure from the city of Vilnius. The study shows that women residing in Vilnius used to take care not only of their homes, households, and children. They were quite active in the economic life of the city. Sixteen (33.3%) of the inventories mention grocery, cloth, iron, haberdashery, and salt shops in their possession, while five contain information about the craft workshops they owned (bookbinding, goldsmithery, and tanning). Six inventories mention equipment for beer and vodka production, such as breweries, vats, and other vessels for brewing beer and distilling vodka, and describe the different types of beverages: beer, mead, vodka, and wine. Three women residing in Vilnius kept taverns where they sold the beverages they produced.