XVIII amžiaus studijos / The Eighteenth Century Studies

The 3 May 1791 Constitution, adopted by the Sejm of the Commonwealth of Both Nations, was welcomed by a significant part of society, therefore the year of the ‘soft revolution’ passed in an atmosphere of elation and patriotism. However, there was some opposition within the country and the geopolitical situation was unfavourable to the Republic, so it was very important for the King and the reformist camp to demonstrate unity and secure the widest possible support for their programme. Celebrations were used as one of their means of action. The article discusses the visual occasional works for the celebrations of the adoption of the Constitution. The aim is to analyse what values were actualized and what images were created in the epoch of the ‚gentle revolution‘. The study is based on the descriptions of festivals published in the periodical press and in occasional works. The importance of the text used in the decorations of such festivals was highlighted: various inscriptions amplified the imagery and at the same time served as a foundation for these images. In addition, the text in the descriptions of those festivals had a double power: in addition to the text used in the decorations, there was also the text of the person describing the festivities, in which they gave a verbal interpretation of the image.