Średniowieczne pieczęcie konwentu z klasztoru cysterskiego w Lubiążu – chronologia, ikonografia i kwestia autorstwa typariuszy

Abstract

In the first half of the fourteenth century, in the Cistercian monastery at Lubiąż, there was an exchange of seals after a short time. The first seal is attested in use in 1341, and the next one already in 1343. In both cases, the image on the seal was modelled on, in my opinion, the miniatures from a gradual produced at the local scriptorium in the first half of the fourteenth century. The first seal of the convent depicts a representation of the enthroned Madonna, popular at that time. On the other seal, the monks from Lubiąż put a representation of the Mater Misericordiae. I think that the replacement of the seal was a result of the monastery’s decision to use the best possible image (the representation of monks headed by the abbot in connection with the figure of Mary) that would contribute to the construction of their identity and – in a broader sense – the Cistercian identity, one of the chief pillars of which was the Marian cult. Attractive in terms of meaning, the Mater Misericordiae type was just gaining a position on various media in Europe, including the Cistercian seals. This testifies to a well-thought-out decision of the Lubiąż monks and the creation of their desired image through seals. It is also possible to put forward a thesis that, as a repeatable medium, the Lubiąż seal was one of the primary sources of propagating the Mater Misericordiae type of representation in the Polish lands. Based on iconography and formal and stylistic features of the seals of the Lubiąż monastery, it has also been established that they were made in Lower Silesia. The scarcity of sources does not make it possible to indicate a particular goldsmith’s workshop or author. Still, the probable place seems to be the monastery or towns with which the Lubiąż monks were associated, like Wrocław or Legnica.