Folia historica 24

II. Közlemények - Ewa Letkiewicz: The Jewels of Queen Isabella of Hungary

ones. Their open work decoration is enriched with colourful (black, white and blue) enamels and with pearls. A larger, spindle-shaped link consists of volutes tied with rosettes at their ends. Its middle part is filled with stylized flowers with little pearls placed centrally. Small links are built of two slender, open work, little domes made of coloured enamel stripes and tiny pearls fastened on separables. The domes link with each other by means of convex tapes, among which there are larger pearls, set on separables. The elements of the chain are connected by an elliptic link, made of characteristic wire with a specific T-shaped section. The closest analogy to Isabella's chain is the chain that had been excavated from the grave of Queen Constance, the Austrian, the second wife of King Sigismundus III Vasa. The chain was explored by Tadeusz Czacki in 1791. As it can be concludcd from his information, varied in detail, the chain consisted of 26 links, later separated. The first fragment (9 links) landed in the collection of the Lubomirski dukes in Kruszyna, and from there it was bought and taken to the Wawel Castle, (photo 6) One link, from 1840 owned by Kazimiera Kozarska, neé Pulawska, was offered to the Archaeological Cabinet of Jagiellonian University in 1883. The third fragment (16 links) was given by Tadeusz Czacki to the collection of Duchess Isabella Czartoryska in Pulawy. She included it into the so-called „Royal Jewel Case" placed inside Ihe Temple of Sybil. In September 1939 it was robbed by the Germans, together with Ihe most precious valuables of the collection from the Czartoryski Palace in Sieniawa, where the collection was hidden for the war period.

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7 Therefore, at the moment 10 links are kept in the contents of called „Royal Jewel Case" taken probably in the year 1939, before the jewels were taken to Sieniawa.

18 (photo 7) The chain from Queen Constance's grave consist of two kinds of open work (two kinds of links) decorated with 17 Piskorz, A.—Nowacki, Dariusz: Lancuch z grobu Konstancji Austriaczki - fragments. In: Wawel 1000-2000. Katalog wystawyjubileuszowej. vol. 1-3. Krakow, 2000. vol. 1. 121-122.; vol. 3. photos 106, 107. 18 Czepielowa, Ewa-Zigiitski jr., Zdzislaw: Losy Szkatuly Królewskiej z pulawskiej Swi^tyni Sybil 1 i

. Cenne, bezcenne, utracone 1984. no. 4. 16-17., and Katalog Utraconych Dziel Sztuki. Ed. by Public Collections Protection Centre (Osrodek Ochrony Zbiorów Publicznych). Warsaw, 2000. 130. photo 183. 6. photo Chain from the grave of Queen Constance, Krakow, Wawel Royal Castle (photo: Stanislaw Michla) 200 7. photo Photograph of the chain of Queen Constance, 1939. Krakow, Museum Czartoryskich.