The article presents a series of five cultural renaissances which took place in the Western World from the 3rd century BC to the 15th–16th centuries AD. One feature which all these renaissances had in common was a type of technological turn which either triggered or helped to spread renewed interest in literature. The end of the 20th century and especially the beginning of the 21st century has been witness to a major technological revolution. Some signs of literary and philological renewal can also be observed, especially in the field of classical studies. All this has led some scholars to believe that we are currently heading for the sixth Renaissance.
The main goal of the paper is an attempt to find specific models for Stephen Báthory’s medals with the reverse LIVON(ia) POLOT(ia)Q(ue) RECEPTA and to precise the general opinion, repeated from early 17th century, that the engraver borrowed the appearance of his specimen from a Roman coin of emperors Vespasian and /or Titus. An analysis of the iconography and the inscriptions layout suggests that there were Vespasian’s sestertii RIC II2 161–162 with the mirror-reversed picture or figures from Titus’ sestertii RIC II2 150–153 which had an impact on the reverse of the Polish king’s medal. The paper presents also the medal as a part of propaganda actions of the Polish court after the Truce of Jam Zapolski in 1582, because at the same time panegyrics Gratulationum triumphalium ex Moscoviticis orationes III by Andreas Patricius Nidecki and De bello Moscovitico commentariorum libri sex by Reinhold Heideinstein were published.
The article deals with two issues: (1) the research method of father Georges Florovsky used in his study entitled The Ways of Russian Theology (1937), which is regarded a classic in its genre, and (2) the practice of scientific research conducted with the use of this method. The article is supplemented with Florovsky’s opinions, expressed in letters to his brother Anton, a professor at the Charles University in Prague, concerning the scientific achievements of the authors and scholars whom he met with or whom he came to work with after his departure to the USA (1948). The content of this correspondence has remained hitherto unpublished.
After moving to Italy in 1856, Teofil Lenartowicz, inspired by the great Italian art and supported by the best Florentine artists of the time Giovanni Dupré and Enrico Pazzi, began studying sculpture. Lenartowicz’s sculptures were always connected with literature: his work shows howone influenced the other. It is no accident that his style as a sculptor has been called ‘poetic’ by the critics. The Polish immigrant was fascinated by the Italian Renaissance, and especially by the art of Lorenzo Ghiberti. At the same time, he never forgot about Polish folklore, which played a significant role in his artistic vision. One of the most impressive examples of this intersection of influences is the bas-relief The Holy Workers, complemented by a poem bearing the same name.