“John III has closed his eyes for ever. Our hero and benefactor”

The fame and authority of the Polish king, whose legacy was particularly celebrated following the Victory of Vienna in 1683, meant that the news of his passing resonated widely throughout Christian Europe. It was in Rome, however, that the ceremonies took on the most solemn character. The Cardinal Protector of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Carlo Barberini (1630–1704), undertook extensive efforts to ensure the Polish monarch was duly honoured and commemorated, whilst at the same time demonstrating his devotion to the royal family and the nation over which he held patronage. The first commemorative ceremonies were organised on Cardinal Barberini’s initiative in the Cappella Paolina of the Quirinal Palace (5 December 1696). A Mass for the repose of the deceased’s soul was celebrated there.

Relatione della Pompa Funebre

Five days later, the most significant ceremonies took place at the Polish church of St Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr. Three accounts describing the ceremonies of 10 December have survived: two in Italian and one in Latin. There is also an iconographic record – an engraving by Pietro and Francesco Santi Bartoli, based on a drawing by Sebastian Cipriani, the designer of the ‘apparatus funebris’. The engraving depicts the interior of the church and its décor, specially prepared for the solemn funeral service. According to Cipriani’s concept, the small church was transformed into a veritable theatre. In the centre of the interior stood a monumental catafalque on a high rectangular plinth adorned with a winged skull and two cartouches bearing the Sobieski–Janina coat of arms.

Above this, an urn was placed against a backdrop of intersecting coats of arms. The upper part of the catafalque, shaped like an obelisk draped in fabric, was crowned with the royal insignia resting on cushions. These were flanked by palm and laurel branches. The entire church was lit by numerous candles in tall candelabra. Panels of fabric were hung from the vaulted ceiling and fastened to the cornice; the passages to the side chapels were similarly draped. The most interesting element of the décor, however, was the six oval medallions depicting important episodes from the life of the late king. These were situated above the entrances to the four side chapels; one crowned the space above the high altar, and the last adorned the opposite wall, above the exit from the church. All were set within decorative, painted frames featuring an illusionist design resembling a carved frame. Below each painting were explanatory inscriptions in Latin.

A priceless memento of King John III’s Roman funeral rites

Accounts held in the Barberini Archives in Rome show that Carlo Barberini spared no expense in preparing a fitting setting for the ‘sine corpore’ funeral Mass. He began preparations even before the secretary arrived in Rome with the official news of the Polish king’s death. Among the works commissioned earlier were, amongst others, the large-format paintings visible in Cipriani’s engraving.

The print depicts five of the six medallions, as the sixth was situated in the very spot from which the scene is viewed. The medallions were painted ‘en grisaille’, using the tempera technique on canvas. They were created by Philipp Jakob Wörndle (1652–1722), an artist of Austrian origin working in Rome. In the accounts, his name is recorded in an Italianised form – Giacomo Wernele.

Four medallions have survived to this day and are held in the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica at the Palazzo Barberini. These are the canvases that once adorned the nave. Given the ephemeral nature of such decorations, their survival to this day can be regarded as a rarity. The medallion placed above the altar, as well as the one intended for the opposite wall of the church, have either been lost or are stored in a location unknown today.

A painted chronicle of the life of John III

The iconography of the paintings adorning the funeral chapel was devised by Cardinal Carlo Barberini.

The painting above the altar depicted the marriage of John III to Maria Kazimiera in the chapel of the Royal Castle in Warsaw on 5 July 1665. We can only judge the appearance of the medallion on the basis of Cipriani’s engraving, although even here it is partially obscured by the crown adorning the catafalque. The accompanying inscription explained that the blessing was bestowed upon the couple by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Monsignor Antonio Pignatelli, who ascended to the papal throne in 1696 as Pope Innocent XII.

The next four medallions adorning the nave depicted scenes in chronological order. The first depicts the victory of John III and the troops under his command at the Battle of Chocim against the Turks in 1673. The painting shows the king mounted on a rearing horse against the backdrop of the battlefield. Above the king, the winged figure of Fame approaches, seeking to place a crown upon his head.

The second medallion depicts King John III’s act of obedience to Pope Innocent XI, carried out through the royal ambassador Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł. The painting features two scenes from different points in time, documenting this important diplomatic event: the act of homage, in which the Pope sits on a throne beneath a canopy, with the Polish ambassador kneeling before him; in the background, we see the ambassador’s ceremonial entry into the Eternal City.

The third canvas commemorated the victory of John III and the anti-Turkish coalition forces under his command at Vienna in 1683. In the scene, John III is depicted in the heat of battle, on horseback, with the battlefield in the background. In his left hand he holds the captured standard, which was later presented as a trophy to the Vatican. Above the scene, a winged Fame, holding a trumpet and palm branches, proclaims the victory.

The fourth scene documents the founding of two new religious orders in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by the royal couple, as well as their respective monasteries. These are the monastery of the Capuchin Fathers and that of the Benedictine Sacramentine Sisters in Warsaw.

The final medallion was placed on the church wall facing the façade and depicted John III as a warrior. The portrait was adorned with a festoon and supported by a winged skeleton. This composition – as with the other medallions – was also painted in ‘en grisaille’. The iconography of the depiction was complemented by an inscription, the text of which we know from a printed account describing the ceremonies. It was a eulogy (a text of praise) addressed to the deceased.