Royal Angst: The Last Aurochs Habitat and Its Artistic Reanimations

• In Event: Fear and Angst in Early Modern East Central Europe

Abstract

Since the latter half of the sixteenth century, Jaktorów Forest has remained the sole
surviving habitat for the aurochs in Poland. Numerous documents from the royal
archives underscore the Polish kings' commitment to protecting this species, with their
deep concern and angst for the aurochs emerging as a recurring theme. Although the
last aurochs died in 1627, the forest persisted in visual and material culture, becoming
a spectral, virtual representation of a now-lost ecosystem. This paper explores how
artistic representations intertwine poiesis with politics, proposing an ecocritical approach
to early modern art history that considers the history of emotions as its starting point.

Author

• Tom Grusiecki, Boise State U