Stanisław JAKUBOWSKI (1885–1964), The Gods of the Slavs—Simargl, 1933

woodcut, cardboard; 15 x 15 cm (inside the mat). From the portfolio *Bogowie Słowian* – *The Gods of the Slavs* – *Le Dieux des Slaves*. Kraków, 1933: Prowe, Veles, Stryboh, Mokosh, Simargl, Pereplut, Dazboh, Radgost, Porenut, Perun, and Arkona. Marzanna, Marzana, Marena, Morana, Morena, Mora, Śmierć, Śmiercicha, Śmiertka.
Simargł is a god from Slavic mythology whose domain is presumably the home, protection, and grain. There is a version in which we are dealing with two gods—Sim (god of the home) and Rgiełc (god of grain). Some consider him the protector of plants.
Arkona—a city and religious center of the Baltic Slavs, located on the island of Rügen, destroyed by the Danes in 1169. It was a religious center that brought together many Slavic tribes. It was ruled by the high priest of the god Światowit.
Stanisław JAKUBOWSKI (April 14, 1885, Kosów – June 9, 1964, Kraków) was a graphic artist and painter. He initially studied at the School of Woodworking in Stanisławów (sculpture department), and from 1907 to 1912 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków under Teodor Axentowicz, Stanisław Dębicki, and Leon Wyczółkowski; from 1912, he taught in secondary schools; from 1946, he was a lecturer and later an associate professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. From around 1914, he focused primarily on artistic printmaking. A master of woodcut, he also practiced metal engraving techniques; he created approximately one thousand prints and was, moreover, a prolific commercial graphic artist and an expert on ornamentation and Slavic themes (see: “Dictionary of Polish Artists …,” vol. 3, pp. 185–187). Bibliography: Maria Grońska, *Graphic Art in Books, Portfolios, and Albums: Polish Art and Bibliophile Publications*, Wrocław–Warsaw–Kraków 1994, p. 241, entry 282.