Karol Soczynski and the Polyptych of Lusina

• Authors: Walanus Wojciech

Title variants

PL

Karol Soczyński i poliptyk z Lusiny

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The paper discusses a hitherto unknown source referring to a late Gothic retable, in history of art known as the polyptych of Lusina (now at the National Museum in Cracow). This is a handwritten note made by Karol Teodor Soczynski (1781-1862), physician, senator of the Free City of Cracow, publicist, collector, and student of antiquities. In 1850 he presented the polyptych to the Cracow Scientific Society, probably acting on behalf of the Sroczynski family, owners of the village of Lusina near Cracow. In the above-mentioned note Soczynski attributed the retable to Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss) and provided invented data about the origin of the work from the supposed family chapel of the Stwoszes at Swoszowice. This fact can be explained by Soczynski's fascination with Stwosz and his tendency to confabulate, this appearing in all his writings on antiquities. Soczynski's dilettante studies in the field of fine arts were many-sided in character. The senator is known to have been an advocate of the reconstruction of the Cloth Hall in the spirit of classicism and of arranging a museum in it. In addition, he translated a medieval treatise by the monk Theophilus (Diversarium Artium Schedula), whom he believed to have been a Pole. Among Soczynski's works of particular interest is an extensive guide to Paris, which contains various opinions on contemporary art, including caustic criticism of Nazarene painting. In conclusion, it is worth adding that Soczynski had quite a large library and art collection known to us from manuscript inventories.

Keywords

EN

POLYPTYCH OF LUSINA

Discipline

• ARTS_&_ARCHITECTURE: ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

• Publisher: Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Institute of History of Art
• Journal: Modus. Prace z historii sztuki
• Year: 2003
• Volume: 4
• Pages: 67-75
• Document type: ARTICLE

Dates

published

2003

Contributors

author

Walanus Wojciech

• Instytut Historii Sztuki UJ

• W. Walanus, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Instytut Historii Sztuki, ul. Grodzka 53, 31-003 Kraków, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

06PLAAAA01553406