Lietuvos ir Latvijos XVI-XVIII a. bronzinių sietynų dekoro motyvai: tipologija, paplitimas, simbolika

LTStraipsnyje analizuojami XVI–XVIII a. Lietuvoje ir Latvijoje išlikusių bronzinių sietynų puošybos elementai: aptariama simbolika ir kultūriniai veiksniai, lėmę jų paplitimą vienu ar kitu laikotarpiu. Renesanso ir baroko stiliaus sietynų Lietuvoje išliko gerokai mažiau nei kaimyninėje Latvijoje. Išaiškinus dažniausius ir tipiškiausius Latvijos bronzinių sietynų dekoro elementus, daromos prielaidos apie Lietuvos interjeruose kabėjusias, bet neišlikusias apšvietimo priemones. Reikšminiai žodžiai: sietynai, bronza, Lietuva, Latvija, renesansas, barokas. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe paper analyses, for the first time, the motifs of the décor of bronze chandeliers in Lithuania and Latvia from the 16th to 18th century. It uses the more abundant examples in Latvia to reconstruct the lost heritage of chandeliers in Lithuania and examines the variety, origin, and symbolism of the decorative motifs. Latvia, which shares a border with Lithuania, was chosen for the study because of the abundant heritage of bronze chandeliers from the 16th to 18th century and close political and economic trade relations between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Livonia. The study revealed two groups of décor elements: some of them came from the Gothic period and were still used during the Renaissance, while completely different motifs came into use when the promotion of the Classical Antiquity culture began in the 16th century. Based on the surviving examples in Poland, it can be stated that Mariological chandeliers may have still existed in Lithuania and Latvia in the Renaissance. Some of the most archaic zoomorphic motifs of a deer and a lion’s head were already used in the Gothic era. Not a few chandeliers containing the latter element have survived in Latvia; therefore, it is probable that they also existed in Lithuania. A dolphin frequently found in the décor of chandeliers from the 16th and 17th centuries was considered a symbol of Christ the Saviour in the art of early Christianity. Chandeliers with serpent arms that are relatively rare in Europe have survived in Lithuania. This polysemantic symbolism of décor has originated from the Netherlands. Lithuanian museums store four chandeliers with this décor from the 16th and 17th centuries. A large number of chandeliers with a double-headed eagle have survived in Lithuania and Latvia. They were widespread throughout Europe and could express sympathies for or dynastic, administrative relations with any empire.The abundant heritage of chandeliers with this motif in Christian sacral buildings also suggests a broader, i. e. sacral meaning of the double-headed eagle. During the Renaissance and later in the Baroque period, allegorical motifs of the Classical mythology started appearing in the décor of chandeliers. One of the most popular gods of ancient Rome was Jupiter. He was associated with the element of fire and Heavenly Light. Sirens were also a popular element of décor in chandeliers. In the 16th to 18th century, the tops of the chandeliers were sometimes decorated with sculptures of soldiers of various periods, which can be interpreted as symbolising the doers of justice and the maintainers of the Divine Order on earth. From the 16th to 18th century, the decorations of bronze chandeliers in Lithuania and Latvia included figurative décor elements and floral motifs that complemented the composition: shoots, buds or flower blossoms. The study revealed that the motifs used to decorate the tops of the chandeliers were not random but rather important elements with a symbolic meaning relevant for that period. These could be allegorical motifs of décor symbolising fire/Heavenly Light, motifs symbolising the Divine Order on earth or Divine Patronage, as well as heraldic décor elements denoting political relationships or sympathies. Keywords: chandeliers, bronze, Lithuania, Latvia, Renaissance, Baroque. [From the publication]