Wit Stwosz (c. 1448–1533)

German sculptor, printmaker and painter, an eminent representative of mature Gothic style. Hailed from Nuremberg, yet rescinded his citizenship on arrival in Kraków. The first written mention of the artist did not come until 1477, when he reached Kraków. To the commission of the Municipal Council, he made the famous High Altar at St Mary’s Church. Other important works dating back to the time of the artist’s stay in Kraków include: the crucifix commissioned by the royal minter, Henryk Slacker (also situated in St Mary’s), and the tomb of King Casimir the Jagiellonian (Kazimierz Jagiellończyk, 1492) in the Cathedral Church. Stwosz also designed the bronze headstone of Filippo Buonaccorsi, known as Callimachus, situated in the Dominican Church. Works from his atelier include the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Grybów (currently in the National Museum in Kraków) and the sculpture of St Anne with the Twine from Czchów. Stwosz left Kraków for Nuremberg in 1496. There, much as in Kraków, the great master dabbled with financial speculations in his free time, which brought about his bankruptcy. Double-crossed by two merchants, he forged the signature and seal on a bill of exchange. Only thanks to the assistance from his son-in-law did he manage to avoid the death penalty (or at least blinding), but he was publicly branded with a hot iron on the cheeks.



Wit Stwosz on a postcard, Salon Malarzy Polskich, 1920s