The article focuses on the first Polish film in which the figure of Bona Sforza appeared, namely Barbara Radziwiłłówna, created by Józef Lejtes, a well-known director, in 1936. Moreover, it discusses the circumstances in which the film was made, and the image of the queen presented therein. Numerous comments which appeared in the press, both contemporary and of a later period, have been recalled.
In this article, the history of Bona Sforza is examined in the context of the relations between the European states of the first half of the 16th century, that is, the Empire of Charles V and the Catholic Monarchy and of Philip II in particular. The Queen of Poland and Duchess of Bari attempted to play a leading role in the international relations of the epoch, but she had to succumb to the wishes of the two Habsburgs, interested in regaining control over the Duchy of Bari and forming anti-Turkish alliances with Sigismondo II of Poland, a son of Bona.
The main goal of the article is to examine how queen Bona Sforza’s taste and interest in fashion has been influenced by her nearest milieu – including her mother, Isabella of Aragon – since her childhood in Italy and until her arrival in Poland. In the first part of the text, the author seeks to obtain an answer to the question of how the Renaissance fashion could influence Bona’s look and garments. The author proposes her own translations of several sources which shed new light on the subject. The description of wedding celebrations written by Giuliano Passero, Giuliano Passero cittadino napoletano o sia prima pubblicazione in istampa, delle Storie in forma di Giornali (Napoli, 1785) is especially important for this article. The new translation of this text differs occasionally from that published by Władysław Pociecha several years ago. In the second part of this article, the author analyses ceremonial dress and jewellery which we can see on the earliest preserved portrait of Bona, painted most likely in Italy, around 1518. The woodcut, included in Jost Ludwik Decjusz’s De Sigismundi regis temporibus liber III in 1521, could not precisely depict the facial features and details of the young queen’s apparel.
The author of the article draws a literary portrait of Jan Grotkowski (a forgotten poet of the Baroque period) based on four poetic works by Jan Andrzej Morsztyn. Consequently, an interesting figure of a writer, diplomat, and influential participant in international politics emerges from the darkness of oblivion. He is connected with the figure of Queen Bona only by a mysterious death. Thus, he is included in the list of people who, as Kantecki claims, “fell victims to the matter haunted somewhat by the curse of Queen Bona”. Trying to solve the issue of “Neapolitan sums,” Grotkowski, like Reszka, Mąkowski and others, died in unexplained circumstances.
There are two modes of establishing a relationship with space. One is, partly general and partly idiosyncratic, manner in which the past makes itself manifest in the present of the life of the human individual. The other is a most profound and intimate connection with a place which is possible when we begin to feel situated in a given space, i.e. when standard historical and aesthetic lines of connecting prove inadequate.