Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great and Grand Duchess of Lithuania Ona

A 16th-century watercolour by an anonymous German artist depicting the full-length figures of Vytautas the Great and his wife Anna most probably comes from a manuscript book that contained images of many European rulers.
Even though Vytautas the Great was a prominent figure whose influence was felt for a long time in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and his status was acknowledged by Europe's rulers, very few early images of him exist.
This watercolour, one of the earlier images of the ruler, is also valuable for the fact that alongside Vytautas we see his first wife Anna. She showed a keen interest in political life and was known in European society at the time. It has been mentioned that in 1400, she visited Brandenburg, Aldenburg and Marienwerder. Grand receptions were held wherever she stayed, and she was given precious gifts.
The collections of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania contain another seven similar watercolours that depict the ruling couples of Bavaria, Austria, Saxony and Wittenberg, the ruler of Milan and his wife, and Philip VI of France. All these figures lived and reigned in the 13th–15th centuries.
The page numbering that is still visible near some of the watercolours suggests that there would have been more images. The greatest number is 29, thus there would have been at least 30 images found at its website.