Jewelry and pearls

Head coverings were an essential element of Renaissance royal attire, symbolizing status and, in the case of women, also indicating marital status. According to custom, married women concealed their hair beneath coifs and rańtuchy—long veils—and covered their necks with a strip of white fabric known as a podwika. Jewelry completed the Renaissance ensemble: chains, rings, necklaces, pendants made of precious metals and gemstones, bracelets, belts, as well as fine ornamental pieces that were sewn onto gowns and head coverings.

The richness of Renaissance jewelry was a direct reflection of the flourishing trade in precious stones during the 16th century. The Age of Exploration brought a significant influx of gemstones into Europe. Sapphires, emeralds, and rubies were the most coveted. Following the discovery of the New World, the Spanish and Portuguese also began importing large quantities of gold and silver into Europe. The Renaissance thus marked a true revolution in the world of jewelry. Precious stones were admired not only for their beauty but were also believed to possess various powers—they were thought to protect against poison, strengthen love, and ensure good health.

Pearls were also associated with wealth and high social standing. They became a symbol of Barbara Radziwiłł, as immortalized in her portraits.

Barbara’s fondness for pearls emerged even before she met Sigismund II Augustus. Her dowry inventory lists pearl collars, ornamental borders edged with pearls or cloth of gold), coifs, and necklaces. Thus, even in the Radziwiłł household, Barbara was surrounded by luxury and splendor. She owned a considerable number of valuables and sumptuous garments, and entered Wawel Castle already a seasoned connoisseur of fashion.

Keen to uphold his wife’s prestige and ensure her dignified presentation, Sigismund Augustus instructed his agents—who procured jewels for the royal treasury—to acquire the finest pearls available on the Dutch market, many of which came directly from India.

The fate of Barbara Radziwiłł’s legendary pearls remains a mystery. Despite extensive research, scholars have been unable to determine what became of them. Enthusiasts of more sensational theories claim that, following her death, the pearls were acquired by Queen Elizabeth I of England, a passionate admirer of such jewels. According to this account, she dispatched her agents to obtain the famed pearls of the Polish queen—already renowned across Europe. The transaction is said to have taken place shortly after the death of Sigismund Augustus in Knyszyn, during the spectacular looting of his estate by Jerzy and Mikołaj Mniszech, who allegedly sold the pearls to foreign buyers. Through this route, the pearls are believed to have entered the English royal treasury, and, over time, passed into the possession of the Hanoverian court through inheritance. Queen Victoria is said to have pursued a legal claim to reclaim them—unsuccessfully.

However, the more plausible theory holds that the pearls were inherited by Anna Jagiellon and later, in 1673, were sold—along with other Crown Treasury jewels—to fund military campaigns.

 

 

Portrait of Barbara Radziwiłł

Artist unknown

1733–1737

Collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, MP 4774 MNW

 

This painting is one of a group of 165 Radziwiłł family portraits, commonly referred to as the "in a laurel wreath" commissioned by Anna Radziwiłł née Sanguszko (1676–1746). Until 1939, it was housed in the castle at Nieśwież.

 

In the display case with pearls:

Renaissance-style casket

Early 19th century

Collection of the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia, NB 1974 MNW

 

Reconstruction of a mid-16th-century gown

based on the portrait of Queen Barbara Radziwiłł

Black satin

Atelier: Nomina Rosae

Design: Maria Molenda

Construction and tailoring: Elżbieta Mężyk