Art and commerce: on labour and remuneration of artists in the 18th century

Straipsnyje aptariama XVIII a. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės dailininkų veikla iš socialinės ir ekonominės perspektyvos. Nagrinėjama, kaip buvo užsakomi dailės kūriniai ir kaip apmokamas dailininkų darbas. Tiriant šiuos Mausimus siekiama įžvelgti, kokia buvo Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės dailininkų darbo specifika ir įvertinimas.The article discusses the life of artists in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 18th century using social and economic perspectives, analysing the process of commissioning the works of art and the subsequent remuneration. In researching these questions has been tried to reveal the aspects of appreciation of artists in society. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania did not have a developed market for art, the artists did not create on their own volition but rather after being commissioned. Trie size of remuneration was often conditioned by the quantitative criteria (size of the object, number of figures depicted, etc.), though professional qualifications, status of the artist and links with influential individuals also played role in their financial appreciation. These links with a patron could be long-standing, such as holding position of a painter in a nobleman's house. Such position ensured stable remuneration and legal protection. However, artists in the manors of the noblemen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania not always fancied long standing employments because of significant lifestyle and work limitations. More common was the retainer of services of artists for singular jobs. Most likely such commission based jobs were sufficient for the artists. We can assume that, because artists did not form any professional organizations (except for the woodcarvers of Vilnius) and did not seek protection of town authorities from their competitors. The regular form of engagement of services was through a contract between a client and the artist. These contracts regularly carried a wide spectrum of control measurements of the artists work, covering such aspects as iconography, composition, colour or some details. The artist was required to follow the indicated examples. Size of remuneration was contingent on the time spent, which depended on the scope of the art work, number of painted figures, etc. Other criteria that are important in evaluating the work of a modern artist, such as creativity, were not obvious. It is noteworthy that artists were paid for a job and not for the working days as it was customary with craftsmen employed in long-term jobs of a lower rank. One additional indication in the assessment of artist's work was that more known artists were remunerated with more stable currency - red zlotys or thalers