Wizerunek Matki Boskiej Trockiej z warszawskiego klasztoru Wizytek – domniemana fundacja królowej Ludwiki Marii Gonzagi
The Image of Our Lady of Trakai from the Warsaw Convent of the Visitation Sisters: A Presumed Foundation of Queen Louise Marie Gonzaga

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns the painting of Our Lady of Trakai (Polish: Troki) from the Warsaw convent of the Visitation Sisters, a high quality artwork most probably created between 1664 and 1667 on commission from Queen Louise Marie Gonzaga, the foundress and resident of the convent, where several of her gifts and mementoes of her have been preserved to this day. The painting held in Trakai may have held much meaning for the queen, as according to legend it had been a gift from Emperor Manuel II of the Palaiologos dynasty, to which she was related. The Warsaw image replicates the forms of the miraculous painting very closely, and the alterations may be linked to the political ambitions of the queen, who wished to place a French candidate on the Polish throne. The crown featuring the Bourbon lilies, which are also featured in the coat of arms of Louise Marie, imitates the form of the Bourbon crowns of the kings of France, Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The authorship of the canvas remains unknown; the involvement of painters working for the court at the time, Daniel Schultz and Claude Callot, has been ruled out.

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