Iš valstybingumo simbolių istorijos. Lietuvių tautos tarybos Vytis

LTVyčio vaizdavimas - vienas labiausiai tautą jaudinančių istorinių klausimų. Kaip parodė karštos diskusijos dėl Vyčio paminklo Lukiškių aikštėje, kažin ar kada nors bus nustatytas vienas visoms kartoms, visame pasaulyje gyvenantiems lietuviams priimtinas Vyčio pavidalas. 2025-ųjų rudenį Nacionaliniame M. K. Čiurlionio dailės muziejuje duris atvers Vlado Daumanto (kitaip - Vladislovo Dzimidavičiaus) asmenybę ir jo išsklaidytas kolekcijas pristatanti paroda „Prisiekęs“. Tad šiame straipsnyje apie iki šiol visuomenei labai mažai žinomą kunigą, vėliau - valstybininką, bibliofilą, kolekcininką ir vertėją pasakojama kaip apie vieno iš anksčiausiai sukurtų pirmosios Lietuvos Respublikos valstybingumo simbolių - Vyčio - autorių. 1916 m. Šveicarijoje konspiracijos sąlygomis veikusiai Lietuvių tautos tarybos nuolatinei delegacijai buvo sukurtas antspaudas su Vyčiu, o 1917 m. - du valstybės herbo variantai, kurie reprezentavo Lietuvą, tuo metu dar tik kovojančią dėl vietos naujosios Europos politiniame žemėlapyje. Šis tyrimas, pirmą kartą sutelkęs pabiras rašytines žinias ir vaizduojamuosius kūrinius, yra paremtas turinio analize ir atskleidžia, kad kelyje į Lietuvos nepriklausomybę, be užsienyje naudoto V. Daumanto, Lietuvoje plačiausiai buvo paplitę T. Daugirdo ir A. Žmuidzinavičiaus sukurti Vyčiai. Tačiau visus juos vienijo bendras atspirties taškas - Vyčio vaizdavimas ant Žygimanto Augusto valdymo metų (1548-1572) monetų. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Vytis, Lietuvių informacijos biuras, Lietuvių tautos tarybos delegacija, Vladas Daumantas (Vladislovas Dzimidavičius), Tadas Daugirdas, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius.

ENThe article examines the Vytis created by Vladas Daumantas (also known as Vladislovas Dzimidavičius), a member of the permanent delegation of the Lithuanian National Council, a political organisation of Lithuanians operating in Switzerland 90 years ago, and the history of its depiction. Daumantas Vytis is also compared to works created in the same period in Lithuania by professional artists Tadas Daugirdas and Antanas Žmuidzinavičius. Originally from Kražiai, Daumantas seems to have been raised at the Plūsčiai estate with the Pšeciševskiai family, he chose the priesthood and, after graduating from the Samogitian Theological Seminary in Kaunas, left in 1912 to study at the Catholic University of Fribourg in Switzerland. There, he soon became involved in the cultural and political activities of Lithuanian students. From 31 May to 4 June 1916, participants at a conference in Lausanne decided to establish a secretly operated permanent delegation of the Lithuanian National Council, whose members would work at the Lithuanian Information Bureau led by Juozas Gabrys-Paršaitis. It was Daumantas, with his artistic skills and already immersed in art history, who took on the task of creating a Vytis needed for the work of both the Delegation and the Bureau. Daumantas followed the tradition common in the second half of the 16th century of depicting a horseman with a sword raised to head height, a sword scabbard, spur rowel, and as on Sigismund Augustuss half-groat minted from 1561 he carefully copied the curve of the lowered horses tail and, similarly, the position of the hind legs. The distinctiveness of Daumantas Vytis lies in the Gothic-style riders shield featuring the [agiellonian cross and an elongated lower part.At the turn of 1916-1917, a second version of Daumantas Vytis was created, which varied significantly from the Delegations seal: the horse appeared more like a rearing horse, and the rider was shown not raising his sword but preparing to strike with it. Additionally, his helmet was decorated with feathers, the three tassels on the caparison were minimised, and only one of the two saddle straps remained; instead of a crown above the 15th-century-style coat of arms shield, there was a ducal cap. The Vytis on the map of Lithuania (Carte de la Lituanie), printed at the end of 1917 and widely circulated, became easily recognisable in many countries. It occupies a position between the Delegations seal and the first crowned Vytis by Daumantas. This particular Vytis, which served as the standard for Lithuanian politicians in Switzerland, is distinctive because it appears to be making a high leap, with the rider ready to strike with his sword. His helmet lacks feathers, the saddle is secured by two straps, and the tail's angle has been slightly altered. A consistent feature across all three of Daumantas Vytis designs is the riders shield, which bears the Jagiellonian cross and has an elongated lower part. Two other Vytis designs from the same period, created before 16 February 1918, were drawn in Lithuania by Tadas Daugirdas and Antanas Žmuidzinavičius and used there. The common feature linking all three designs of the state coat of arms is the Renaissance tradition of depicting the Vytis on coins during the reign of Sigismund Augustus, which served as the basis for creating new Vytis designs for an independent Lithuania.