Poland's main religious centers were also important hubs of religious craftsmanship. Kraków, by virtue of its status as a coronation city and its position as the largest city in the south of the country, enjoyed a distinct advantage over other localities, concentrating a large number of goldsmiths. A diploma issued in 1478 by Jan Rzeszowski, Bishop of Kraków, Jakub Dembiński, castellan and starost of Kraków, Zejfreth, mayor of Kraków, Karniowski and Jan Theschnar, councilors of Kraków, to Jan Gloger, son of Mikołaj Gloger, a goldsmith of Kraków, attests to Jan's reputation and skill, making him worthy of joining the goldsmiths' guild (after "Encyklopedja staropolska ilustrowana" by Zygmunt Gloger, p. 504). This document confirms the profound influence of the Church on the development of this craft in the country.

The splendor of the preserved religious objects gives an impression of the magnificence of the secular treasures of Sarmatia, of which very few have survived. 

​Reliquary cross of Andrzej Nosek of Rawicz coat of arms, Abbot of the Tyniec Abbey, Kraków, ca. 1480, Cathedral Treasury in Tarnów. 

Fragment of a golden reliquary for the head of St. Stanislaus with a scene of the sale of a village by Marcin Marciniec, 1504, Cathedral Museum at Wawel Hill in Kraków.

​Silver crosier of Bishop Andrzej Krzycki (1482-1537), Kraków, ca. 1527-1535, Płock Cathedral. 

​Gold and rock crystal reliquary of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Poland, after 1601 or 1618, Sacred Museum of Zamość Cathedral. Commissioned by Tomasz Zamoyski (1594-1638), who was the executor of his father's will. In last will of Jan Zamoyski (1542-1605) from 1601 there is an instruction to the inheritors to fund reliquaries for the relics of Saint Thomas and fragment of dress of the Virgin Mary (Velum Peplum) obtained from Rome. 

​Gold and rock crystal reliquary of fragment of dress of the Virgin Mary (Velum Peplum), Armenian workshop, after 1601 or 1618, Sacred Museum of Zamość Cathedral. 

Portrait of Primate Bernard Maciejowski (1548-1608), ca. 1606, Franciscan Monastery in Kraków. The primate was depicted holding a silver legate's cross in front of a silver altar set he had commissioned before 1601 in Italy and a 15th-century gem-encrusted mitre that had belonged to Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503). 

Reliquary of Saint Stanislaus founded by Bishop Marcin Szyszkowski (1554-1630), Poland, ca. 1616-1621, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

​​Silver altar cross offered by Primate Wacław Leszczyński (1605-1666) to the Gniezno Cathedral, Poland, first quarter of the 17th century, Archdiocesan Museum in Gniezno. 

Brass baptismal font by French workshop, 1627, Sacred Museum of Zamość Cathedral. The font was founded by Tomasz Zamoyski (1594-1638) for the baptism of his heir Jan (1627-1665), later known as Sobiepan.This is related to the French bell founders who worked in Zamość from 1626 to 1627 and cast bells for the collegiate church. 

Gold chalice founded by Anna Alojza Chodkiewicz (1600-1654), Poland, ca. 1633, Treasury of the Lublin Archcathedral. 

​Fragment of a monstrance adorned with jewels from private donations, Lublin, ca. 1650, Dominican Monastery in Lublin. 

​Fragment of monstrance adorned with enamel, Poland, 1670s, ​Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery. 

Monstrance with figurines of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica from Tyniec Abbey, Lesser Poland, 1679, Treasury of Tarnów Cathedral. 

​​Ciborium adorned with nacre founded by guardian Stefan Opatkowski, Kraków, 1700, Franciscan Monastery in Kraków. 

​Silver filigree basket by Hil Jakubowicz, ca. 1785-1787, National Museum in Warsaw. ​

The inventory was drawn up by a special commission appointed by King John III Sobieski (1629-1696) and formed in 1681 on the basis of a decision of Parliament of the same year.

(Extract)

Casket IV.

14. Diamond pendant with monogram S.A. [of Sigismund Augustus, Stephen Bathory and Anna Jagiellon or Sigismund III and Anna of Austria], under a crown set with rubies, with three additional rubies and a large pear-shaped pearl.

17. Clasp with diamond Saint Michael, set with a large ruby [?], an emerald, 6 smaller rubies, 3 pearls.

18. Diamond cross, 6 rubies, 3 emeralds.

19. Cross with 10 diamonds, 3 pearls.

21. Medallion with Venus and Mars with 2 sharp diamonds, 12 smaller diamonds, 10 rubies.

28. Pendant with letter A [of Queen Anna Jagiellon?] made from 4 rubies, round pearl.

36. Whistle in the form of a owl, 2 rubies, 2 diamonds, 2 diamond roses, 5 pearls.

37. Medallion with Leda and the swan, 8 diamonds, 3 rubies, emerald.

39. Cameo with bust of Charles V on yellow stone.

41. Medallion with the Judgement of Paris, diamonds, rubies.

50. Medallion with the Gigantomachy with a ruby in the center, 6 other rubies, 7 diamonds.

52. Clasp with King David, 2 rubies, smaller diamond, 25 diamonds, rubies, emeralds.

53. Large clasp with diamond Saint George, pearl dragon, 6 pearls, 24 other stones.

55. Gold lion, 6 rubies, 4 diamonds, emerald.

Casket V.

2. Medallion with god Vulcan, 13 diamonds, small ruby, emerald.

4. Medallion with Gaius Mucius Scaevola, 5 diamonds, 4 rubies.

5. Clasp with diamond Saint George or Saint Michael with different tablets and diamond lilies.

7. Gold effigy of Charles V on stone.

9. Clasp with diamond Saint George without a horse.

11. Pendant with diamond Christogram IHS, a ruby at the top and a tablet with diamonds, 2 pearls.

13. Clasp with diamond King David, 6 emeralds, 18 rubies, 4 diamonds.

14. Gold dragon pipe with two large diamonds, smaller diamonds, rubies, emeralds, turquoises, 2 pearls.

15. Large clasp with diamond Saint Michael, 3 Indian pearls.

24. Diamond Saint George with emeralds and diamonds, 3 stones missing.

31. Whistle in the form of a Melusine with diamonds and rubies, 1 stone missing, 2 pearls.

33. Medallion with Mars and Venus, 3 rubies, 3 diamonds.

34. Medallion with Judgement of Solomon, emerald rows, 11 rubies, 8 emeralds.

35. Medallion with Deborah and Sisera, 6 diamonds, 4 rubies.

37. Medallion with Marcus Curtius, 3 diamonds, 2 rubies.

38. Medallion with Orpheus, 5 stones.

Casket VI.

3. Agate medallion with a Roman face, diamond frame, 3 rubies.

4. Clasp with diamond Saint George, 3 rubies, 3 emeralds, pearls.

5. Medallion with Venus with a mirror, 7 diamonds, small ruby and a small pearl.

7. Pendant with a folded diamond rose, two ruby figures, 3 emeralds, large pearl, 43 tablets of diamonds.

Casket VII.

7. Gold fan handle with 5 diamonds, 4 emeralds, 2 turquoises, 11 pearls.

8. Another fan handle, 12 diamonds, 8 rubies, 1 emerald, 16 pearls.

Casket X.

3. Large pendant with elongated diamond of 22 1/4 carates, small pearl 12.

14. Largest diamond with a pearl of 27,5 carates weight, valued at 20.000 aureos, pearl 2.500 aureos.

Summary of the Jewel Commission
presented to the Lord Treasurer of the Crown, Year 1683
Value of all jewels of the Commonwealth in red zlotys ... 101.670 (after "Inventarium omnium singulorum privilegiorum, litterarum, diplomatum, scripturarum et monumentorum quaecunque in Archivo Regni in Arce Cracoviensi continentur ..." by Erazm Rykaczewski, p. 467, 474-478, 480). 

The turbulent times that followed the Deluge (1655-1660) stripped the Crown Treasury at Wawel Castle of the majority of its valuables by the mid-18th century, as the monarchs used its contents to finance wars. The last inspection of the Treasury was ordered by the Diet (lower house of Parliament) on April 18, 1792. The historical artifacts it contained were displayed to the public for four days. In 1795, Prussian forces, led by King Frederick William II (1744-1797), looted the Kraków Royal Treasury after the Third Partition. State associates General Leopold von Reuts and Ludwig von Hoym stole priceless, centuries-old royal regalia, much of which was later melted down to recover the gold and precious stones and thus repay the Prussian state's debts (after "Treasures Lost & Found: Poland's Royal Regalia" by Marek Kępa). 

Since regaining independence, an attempt to reconstitute the treasury at Wawel Castle was undertaken in the early 20th century. Many valuable items were acquired from private collections, both domestically and internationally, for this purpose. The richest collection of Sarmatian memorabilia in the country, which gives an idea of ​​the wealth of the original royal treasury, is housed at Jasna Góra Monastery, which contains numerous objects donated by Polish monarchs and nobles. Abroad, there is the Green Vault in Dresden (objects appropriated by the rules of the Wettin dynasty, as well as those created for them), the Treasury of the Munich Residence (objects from the dowries of Polish princesses), the Royal Armoury and the Royal Palace in Stockholm (objects looted during the Deluge and the Great Northern War), the Kremlin Armoury (objects presented to the tsars) and the Hermitage Museum (objects transferred to Russia by Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski and other aristocrats).

​Hypothetical reconstruction of the Byzantine-style crown, Ruthenia (?), 13th century, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery. Sometimes associated with Lithuanian rulers, it was most likely part of the Ruthenian treasury inherited by Casimir the Great (1310-1370), which included regalia of Kievan Rus'. In the 16th or 17th century, fragments of the crown were placed on the chasuble presented by Queen Bona Maria Sforza d'Aragona (1494-1557). © Marcin Latka

Agate and gold rosary with diamond cross of Queen Bona Maria Sforza d'Aragona (1494-1557), Italy (?), first quarter of 16th century, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

Gold medallion with Sacrifice of Isaac, France (?), mid-16th century, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

​​Gold pendant with Annunciation to Mary, Antwerp (?), second half of the 16th century, Treasury of the Norbertines Convent in Kraków. A similar scene appears on the pendant in the British Museum (inv. WB.153). 

​​Gold pendant with Annunciation to Mary, Antwerp (?), second half of the 16th century, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

​Hypothetical reconstruction of a gold earring set with diamonds and adorned with the intertwined monogram SA (Sigismundus and Anna) that belonged to Queen Anna of Austria (1573-1598), ca. 1592-1595, lost. Based on the portrait of the queen in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich (inv. 6992). © Marcin Latka

Fragment of a chain bearing the Order of the Golden Fleece belonging to King Ladislaus IV Vasa (1595-1648), Warsaw (?), before 1633, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

Gold statuette of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception set with precious stones, offered by King Ladislaus IV Vasa (1595-1648), Warsaw (?), 1630s, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

Gold plaque depicting the Veil of St. Veronica, Warsaw (?), ca. 1635, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery. Fragment of decoration from the crown of the painting of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, offered by King Ladislaus IV Vasa (1595-1648).

Winged heart-shaped pendant with a Cupid, Warsaw (?), before 1642, Jasna Góra Monastery. From the Black Madonna's Diamond Robe. A spiritual analogy of God as a lover wounding his beloved to prepare them for union with him. Likely a gift from Princess-Infanta Anna Catherine Constance Vasa (1619-1651). In 1642, the princess visited Jasna Góra Monastery with her fiancé, the Count Palatine of Neuburg. It is known that among Anna Catherine Constance's possessions were a pendant set with 48 diamonds, two heart-shaped pendants, a ruby ​​heart, and a necklace with a heart-shaped Conterfet (effigy), a gift from the Duke of Brandenburg.

​Ceremonial staff adorned with tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, gold, rubies, turquoise, agate and enamel, Poland or Turkey (?), mid-17th century, National Museum in Warsaw (inv. 4379 MNW). The staff bears the coat of arms of Lis beneath a ducal mitre and the engraved date 1632. It is possible that it was made for Jan Stanisław Sapieha (1589-1635), of Lis coat of arms, Grand Marshal of Lithuania from 1621, although its style is closer to the craftsmanship of the second half of the 17th century. Another member of the Sapieha family to hold the office of Marshal was Aleksander Paweł Sapieha (1672-1734), Grand Marshal of Lithuania from 1699.

The richly decorated 17th-century monstrance from the foundation of Bishop Stanisław Kazimierz Dąmbski (ca. 1638-1700), is used exclusively to expose the Blessed Sacrament on Good Friday and during the solemn Resurrection procession on Holy Saturday. It was created between around 1680 and 1699 by the Silesian silversmith Christian Schrötter in Kamienna Góra (height 94 cm, foot 22.4 x 26.6 cm, width of the glory 35.8 cm; municipal hallmark of Kamienna Góra: LH in an oval, goldsmith's hallmark: CS in an oval, after "Wawel 1000-2000 ...", Volume 1, p. 229-230). Made of silver and adorned with glass, it depicts Christ in the form of a consecrated host, accompanied by figures from the Old Testament (Abraham, Melchizedek) and the New Testament (the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and Saint Peter). It was bequeathed to Wawel Cathedral by the founder in place of the gold chalice and silver sacred lamp traditionally presented by bishops upon their inauguration.

​Monstrance of Bishop Stanisław Dąmbski by Christian Schrötter, ca. 1680-1699, Cathedral Museum at Wawel Hill in Kraków.

The monstrance, a remarkable example of 17th-century Polish goldsmithing, was commissioned by Augustyn Kordecki (1603-1673), abbot of Jasna Góra Monastery and later provincial of the Pauline Fathers, as a votive offering for the defense of the monastery during the invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by neighboring countries in 1655, known as the Deluge. It was crafted in Warsaw in 1672 by the royal goldsmith Wacław Grotko, originally from Prague (also known as Grottke or Grottkau, active in Warsaw between 1665 and 1675), who was paid 30,000 zlotys in gold.

The work was created using jewelry donated to the monastery by pilgrims. This monstrance, over one meter tall (103 cm) and weighing over 13 kg, was adorned with 2,366 diamonds, 2,208 rubies, 30 sapphires, 81 emeralds, 215 pearls, and enamel (after "Klejnoty Jasnej Góry" by Jan Samek, ‎Janusz Zbudniewek, p. 19). A large diamond set in the crown at the top was bequeathed to the monastery by Zygmunt Przerembski, Voivode of Sieradz, in 1668. The prophet Aaron and King David, kneeling on either side of the glory, hold sheaves of wheat, a Eucharistic symbol. The scenes at the base of the monstrance relate to two themes: the sacrifice of Christ (the sacrifice of Abraham and Passover) and the Eucharist (Elijah in the desert and the Last Supper).

According to the inscription on the base of the monstrance, Father Augustyn Kordecki was provincial, Father Stanisław Ligęza was abbot of the Jasna Góra monastery and Father Romuald Dymalski was sacristan of the monastery at the time of its creation.

​Monstrance of Abbot Augustyn Kordecki by Wacław Grotko, 1672, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

At the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, a period dominated by late Renaissance artistic forms in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the main craft centers were large cities such as Gdańsk, Poznań, Vilnius, Lviv, and Kraków. Although considered a former German territory today, Königsberg, known in Polish as Królewiec, was then the capital of the Duchy of Prussia, a fief of the Polish Crown (legally bound to Poland, requiring the Prussian Homage, i.e. tribute to the Polish king), and thus an integral part of Poland-Lithuania-Ruthenia (Sarmatia) and one of the country's main centers of production and trade. The amber craft that developed there can therefore be considered an integral part of Sarmatian production (until 1660). Mannerist forms in the applied arts prevailed until the mid-17th century.

​​Cartouche with coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Gdańsk, 1612, Artus Court in Gdańsk. Modified in 1690 to honour King John III Sobieski (1629-1696).

​Amber tankard in silver frame, Królewiec, ca. 1610, Czartoryski Museum.

​​Rock crystal reliquary in silver frame, Kraków, beginning of the 17th century, Mogiła Abbey.

​Silver votive plaque with velvet background of Jan Wolski, Poland, 1631, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

​​Polish Eagle, fragment of silver goblet with Saint Catherine, Kraków, first quarter of the 17th century, Kremlin Museum.

​Vera Icon of Queen Constance of Austria (1588-1631) in a silver-gilt frame founded by Primate Jan Wężyk (1575-1638), Poland, 1630s, Diocesan Museum in Łowicz.

Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731-1767) visited the Jasna Góra monastery with her sister Maria Anna Sophia (1728-1797) on May 23, 1744. The daughters of Augustus III (1696-1763), elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Prince-Elector of Saxony, offered two gold hearts bearing their names to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa as a votive offering. In 1747, the princess married Louis (1729-1765), Dauphin of France, and some time later, in 1756, through Duchess Jabłonowska, she sent a votive offering from Paris to Jasna Góra for the healing of her husband. This oil painting on canvas, by an anonymous French painter, probably from the workshop of Jean-Marc Nattier (1685-1766), judging by its style, is framed in a rich bronze frame, cast, chased and gilded, decorated with rocaille motifs and cartouches bearing the coat of arms of Maria Josepha (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Kingdom of France). The inscription on the frame reveals the intentions of the Dauphine of France (Serenissima Delphina Maria / Joseph Uxor amantissima, vovebat / Pro famitate Delphini gravissime / aegrotantis, feliciter recuperata. / Anno Domini M.DCC.LIII., after "U tronu Królowej Polski ...", ed. Daniela Galas, p. 226). Both the painting and the frame were created by a French workshop.

A comparable example of craftsmanship, both in the choice of materials and in the precision of execution, is that of a late Baroque strongbox with the monogram of Dauphine's grandfather, King Augustus II (1670-1733), made in Berlin by the French goldsmith Pierre Fromery (1659-1738), as evidenced by the signature under the lid: FROMERY A BERLIN. The strongbox is made of steel, while its body is decorated with cast and then gilded brass (Czartoryski Museum, 19.2 x 20.2 x 29.5 cm, inv. MNK XIII-1400/1-2). This box was probably used to store valuable objects or private correspondence, as indicated by the concealed lock, inaccessible to anyone other than its owner.

​Votive painting of Maria Josepha of Saxony, France, ca. 1753, Treasury of the Jasna Góra Monastery.

​Strongbox with monogram of Augustus II the Strong by Pierre Fromery, 1720s, Czartoryski Museum.

The so-called Grunwald Cross, now housed in the Diocesan Museum of Sandomierz (silver, gilt, enamel, coral, 86 x 44 cm), a work of great artistic value, is a trophy from the Great War against the Teutonic Order (1409-1411). It is probably identical to the cross that Mikołaj Wolwelini (also Volvelini), also known as Mikołaj of Sandomierz, founder and parish priest of the church in Brodnica, donated to his parish along with a fragment of a relic of the True Cross (Nicolaus de Sandomiria quondam plebanus in Strassburg, after "O ludności polskiej w Prusiech niegdyś krzyżackich" by Wojciech Kętrzyński, p. 176). On March 12, 1343, the Brodnica council and the mayor approved Mikołaj Wolwelini's will, in which he bequeathed to the church crucem ex auro et argento fabricatam gemmisque preciosis adornatam (after "Architektura gotycka na Ziemi Chełmińskiej" by Teresa Mroczko, p. 250). As reported by the chronicler Jan Długosz (1415-1480), the cross was captured by Polish forces after the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and presented in 1411 by King Ladislaus Jagiello (Jogaila of Lithuania) to the Collegiate Church of Sandomierz, as one of three royal gifts for the second most important church in the Diocese of Kraków (after "Polska Jana Długosza" by Henryk Samsonowicz, p. 248).

The cross is considered to be a work of the Upper Rhine workshop, made before 1343. The octagonal base, engraved with the coats of arms of Poland, Lithuania, the Jagiellonian dynasty, and the Sandomierz region, as well as two smaller escutcheons bearing the coat of arms of Dębno, was probably added in the 1470s in Kraków, by order of the lords of the coat of arms of Dębno. It is also worth noting that similar crosses, dating from approximately the same period and held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. 17.190.497 and 17.190.498) and the British Museum (inv. 1913.1220.95), are attributed to Italian workshops.

The history of the reliquary diptych of Thile von Lorich presents some similarities. It was created for the commander of Elbląg, Thile Dagister von Lorich. This diptych, a portable altar containing relics, was taken by the monks of Elbląg Monastery to the Battle of Grunwald, where it fell into Polish hands on July 15, 1410. King Ladislaus Jagiello donated it to Gniezno Cathedral with the approval of Pope John XXIII (after "Gniezno mater ecclesiarum Poloniae ...", ed. Stanisław Pasiciel, p. 89). In June 1823, the Gniezno chapter presented the reliquary to Frederick William IV, heir to the Prussian throne. Later that year, it was moved to Malbork Castle (after "Z dziejów złotnictwa elblągskiego" by Leonard Lepszy, p. 12-13). In May 1946, it was incorporated into the collection of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw (silver, gilt and enamel, 17.8 x 21 cm, inv. MWP 129).

The figurative representation of the Crucifixion on the left panel is accompanied, on the right panel, by figures arranged in two rows representing the adoration of the Virgin and Child by the founder, with Saint Barbara, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, the apostles Peter and Paul and Saint Dorothy (inner side). A Gothic minuscule inscription, in a southern German dialect, on the outer face of the reliquary, provides information about the founder, also depicted on the left panel as a donor before the Virgin, as well as the date of its creation (thvcvnt : drihvndirt : ior : vnde : ach : vnde : achzic : ior : do : lis : machen : brvder : thile : dagicter : von : lorich : hvckvmpthvr). The outer face of the right panel depicts the Man of Sorrows amidst the instruments of the Passion (Arma Christi). The work was most likely crafted by a goldsmith active in Elbląg, William (or Wilhelm) vom Ryne, frequently mentioned in the records of Malbork Castle between 1399 and 1409.

​Reliquary Cross of Mikołaj Wolwelini of Sandomierz, Upper Rhine or Italy (cross) and Kraków (base), before 1343 and 1470s, Diocesan Museum in Sandomierz. 

Reliquary diptych of Thile Dagister von Lorich by William vom Ryne in Elbląg, 1388, Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503), son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon (1427-1492) and Elizabeth of Austria (1436-1505), was the founder of several exquisite examples of late Gothic goldsmithing, many of which have fortunately survived to this day.

On April 13, 1488, at the age of 20, Frederick was elected Bishop of Kraków by the Kraków Chapter. More than five years later, on September 20, 1493, Pope Alexander VI Borgia (1431-1503) created him Cardinal-Priest of the titular church of St. Lucy (Sanctae Luciae).

The so-called "smaller" reliquary cross, one of the finest examples of Kraków goldsmithing, was commissioned by the cardinal and crafted after 1493. It is now housed in the Archdiocesan Museum in Gniezno (silver, gilt, and enamel, height 53 cm, base 22.7 x 19.7 cm, inv. MAG-273). This cross, along with the so-called "larger" cross (silver, gilt, height 76.5 cm, base 30 x 25 cm, inv. MAG-274), was given to Gniezno Cathedral in 1503 by the cardinal, then Archbishop of Gniezno. The piece is decorated with a pelican feeding its young with its own blood, a Christian symbol of sacrifice, at the top, and with floral motifs and the cardinal's enameled coat of arms at the bottom. During World War II, it was confiscated by the Nazis, transported to Germany, and returned by the ecclesiastical authorities in 1958. The larger cross is currently attributed to the Kraków goldsmith Marcin Marciniec (d. 1518), the most prominent goldsmith of the late Gothic period in Poland, who produced numerous pieces in gold and silver, both for secular clients and for churches. His best-known work is the gold reliquary for the head of Saint Stanislaus, commissioned in 1504 by Frederick's mother, Queen Elizabeth of Austria, and bearing the inscription engraved inside: MARTINUS MARCZINECZ AUTHOR HUIUS OPERIS (after "Studia renesansowe" by Michał Walicki, Volume 1, p. 217). A similar reliquary cross, belonging to the Wieliczka bearers' brotherhood and dating from around 1500, kept in the Church of St. Clement in Wieliczka, could also be the work of Marciniec.

Marcin, known in later sources as Martin the Goldsmith (Martinus aurifaber), is probably also the maker of the silver-gilt scepter of Cardinal Frederick, given to the Kraków Academy (Jagiellonian University). He may also have been the maker of cardinal's silver crozier, bequeathed in 1503 by Queen Elizabeth of Austria to the treasury of Wawel Cathedral. This late Gothic crozier was likely reproduced in a painting from the first quarter of the 17th century, attributed to the circle of Tommaso Dolabella, depicting Saint Stanislaus (Wawel Cathedral). The crozier is described in the cathedral's 1563 inventory as being decorated with the image of Saint Stanislaus and the royal coat of arms on one side, and the coat of arms of the House of Austria (Habsburg) on the other. In the painting mentioned, the coat of arms is that of Prus I (Turzyma), traditionally associated with Saint Stanislaus (after "Przyczynek do działalności fundatorskiej kardynała Fryderyka Jagiellończyka" by Krzysztof J. Czyżewski, p. 116-118, 120-121). The aforementioned "smaller" reliquary cross in Gniezno is also decorated with coats of arms, including those of Poland (eagle on a red background), Lithuania (knight on a blue background), the House of Austria (with dark blue stripes instead of red), and a cross identical to the one seen in the painting mentioned, but on a dark blue background (probably the coat of arms of the House of Jagiellon).

Cardinal Frederick's crozier was melted down in 1655 during the invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by neighboring countries, an event known as the Deulge (1655-1660) pro cudenda pecunia in usum Reipublicae ("for minting coins for the benefit of the Commonwealth"). Since an authentic crozier from the late 15th century is depicted in the painting, it is also likely that the effigy itself represents the real person of the time in the guise of Saint Stanislaus.

Scepter of the rector of the Kraków Academy founded by Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503) by Marcin Marciniec, ca. 1493-1495, Jagiellonian University Museum.

​​Reliquary cross of Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503), so-called "smaller", by Kraków's goldsmith, ca. 1493-1503, Archdiocesan Museum in Gniezno.

​​Reliquary cross of Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503), so-called "larger", by Marcin Marciniec, ca. 1493-1503, Archdiocesan Museum in Gniezno.

​Hypothetical reconstruction of the silver crozier of Cardinal Frederick Jagiellon (1468-1503) by Marcin Marciniec, ca. 1493-1503, lost. © Marcin Latka

​Saint Stanislaus by circle of Tommaso Dolabella, first quarter of the 17th century, Wawel Cathedral.

The late Baroque gilt-bronze altarpiece was presented in 1772 to King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski (1732-1798) by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Giuseppe Garampi (1725-1792), on behalf of Pope Clement XIV (1705-1774). Made around 1772 in Rome, it is adorned with the royal coat of arms in its lower section and a relief depicting the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist in the center. The central tondo is probably an earlier work, dating from around 1688-1689, attributed to Urbano Bertesi after a drawing by Ciro Ferri (1634-1689), or it may be based on a 17th-century model. A similar bronze relief, commissioned in 1688 by Gregorio Carafa (1615-1690), Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, is fixed to the front of the altar of the oratory of St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta.

The altar as a whole could very likely have been made after an earlier model by Ferri or Francesco Giardoni (1692-1757), who in 1744 produced a fairly similar anconetta, presented by Pope Benedict XIV to the Bologna Cathedral (Museo di San Pietro - Tesoro della Cattedrale). It has virtually identical dimensions to the Warsaw altarpiece (148 x 82 cm), similar proportions, and a comparable repertoire of architectural forms and ornamentation (after "Brązowy ołtarz Ciro Ferriego ..." by Anna Saratowicz-Dudyńska, Danuta Szewczyk-Prokurat Danuta and Raisa Raszkowa, p. 409-413, 416-417, 420-421, 429, 431, 436-437).

In 1777, the altar was installed in the new chapel of the Warsaw Royal Castle, known as the Saxon Chapel (now a concert hall), and remained there until 1832. At that time, all the precious furnishings were transferred to Saint Petersburg, probably at the request of Joanna Grudzińska (1791-1831), Princess of Lovich (Łowicz), morganatic wife of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia (1779-1831), who died at Tsarskoye Selo. After the November Uprising against the Russian Empire, all the furnishings of the Warsaw Royal Castle were confiscated on the orders of Tsar Nicholas I (1796-1855), and some were destroyed, such as the ceiling paintings and the inscription on the frieze of the Knights' Hall, as well as the marble ornaments from the Marble Hall, which were reused during the conversion of the Piarist Church in Warsaw into a Russian Orthodox church.

The Poniatowski altar was installed in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Tsarskoye Selo. In 1938, the temple was closed by the Soviets and the altar was transferred to the Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad (gilded bronze, 150 x 80 cm, inv. Б-8497-Ш).

​Altar of King Stanislaus Augustus with Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Rome, ca. 1772, Museum of the History of Religion in Saint Petersburg.

​​Tondo with Beheading of St. John the Baptist by Urbano Bertesi after Ciro Ferri, 1688, Oratory of the Saint John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta.