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Badania weksylologiczne oraz problematyka konserwatorska XX-wiecznego sztandaru kombatanckiego powstańców wielkopolskich pochodzącego ze zbiorów Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy

100%

Popiołek D.

Studia Lednickie

2023

9-57

Last year, on the initiative of the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica in Dziekanowice, the preservation works of the banner of the veterans’ of Insurgents and Warriors Society of Zdziechowa were conducted. The artefact found its way into the museum’s collection in 2017 after it was purchased in a Gniezno antique shop. It survived the time of occupation in hiding. Its later fate remains unknown. The review of the literature on the subject, analyses of the inscriptions (foundation, commemorative and motto), the content of the engraved nails, as well as archival verifications and scientific consultations, made it possible to accurately date the object. They pointed to 1919 as the date of the end of the Wielkopolska Uprising, 1924 as the founding date of TPiW and 1926 – as the date of the banner’s creation. Due to the lack of available research materials, the questions regarding the foundation and the maker of the banner (the factory responsible for it) remain open. The subject of interest and analysis of the present work was a banner derived from the old combat-recognition signs constituting a symbol of the association and an element of the functioning of the state organization, originally belonging to the former insurgents of Wielkopolska. The veteran banner of the Insurgents and Warriors Society represents an intermediate form (a period of transition) between the new design typical of the TPiW (1924-1927) and the old, traditional layout, dating back to the time of the national uprisings (the Wielkopolska Army in 1918-1919). The front side is a clear reference to the regulation pattern of the society’s signs (the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the emblem of the four-cornered cap), while the reverse side breaks with the layout of the time, returning to the image of the White Eagle in the royal crown, modelled on the national emblem of Independent Poland of 1919-1927. The banner, with a vertical suspension of the patch, is made up of two double panels of cream and amaranth silk damask with fl oral ornamentation with heraldic markings, coming from one factory and originally (probably) intended for church paraments (rather than state insignia). The construction of the banner is single-layer, without a stabilizing layer, the so-called “soul”. Patches of parallel pattern are decorated with embroidered applications of iconic and heraldic content, as well as the sign of the association: Our Lady of Częstochowa, an insurgent’s cap against a background of crossed swords (the main side) and a crowned White Eagle (the reverse side). All the appliqués were made ex situ using various embroidery techniques. The image of the Queen of Poland and the four-cornered cap were embroidered with cotton threads, and shaded satin stitch, while the figure of the White Eagle and the sword were embroidered with metal threads of various thicknesses with an “S” braid twist, laid stitch. XRF elemental composition studies of the thread braids confi rmed the presence of Ag elements (the figure of the White Eagle, the sword’s head, the reverse side inscription) and Cu and Zn elements (the eagle’s crown, the knuckle bows, the main side inscriptions), indicating a brass alloy. Around the decorative appliqués the inscriptions of ownership, foundation, commemorative and motto were made in situ, embroidered in laid stitch. The method of making the inscriptions of both banner panels is analogous, which clearly indicates a single craft smanship workshop. The ornately finished shape of the letters “T” with split ends seems to refer stylistically to the lettering characteristic of the embroidery workshop of Jadwiga Gramlewicz from Poznań. The edges of the banner were decorated with two types of haberdashery that serve aesthetic functions, i.e. a brass tassel (caterpillar type) and a gallon. The decomposed shaft s at the present time consist of an upper structural shaft , turned out of hardwood (probably ash), along with suspension elements, upholstered at the ends with a casing and centre fitting (originally connecting the two parts of the spar). The shaft of the spar was decorated with four engraved nails made of silver and silver-plated sheet metal, commemorating the blessing of the banner. The preservation and restoration works carried out on them made it possible to identify the godparents of the analysed banner. This function was assumed by those of merit to Wielkopolska and the country: Alexandra Dr. Rabska and Leon Barciszewski, holding positions of activists and organizers of state life. In addition, in the course of the creation of this work, it was possible to identify the veterans of the Zdziechowa uprising and to find and formally confirm the original finial of the spar (the figure of the White Eagle). This element, as a local memento of the Wielkopolska Uprising and pride of the local community, was acquired for the collection of the Wielkopolska Uprising Tradition and Remembrance Hall in Zdziechowa, created by the Gniezno municipality. Unfortunately, the historical research undertaken on the Insurgents and Warriors Society of Zdziechowa, highlighted considerable gaps in the literature on the subject. The exceptionally incomplete state of preservation of the object became the main factor determining the complex preservation issue. The degree and scale of destruction of the object was evidently caused by the human factor – inadequate storage (hiding) conditions. As a result of the above-mentioned impacts, the banner was exposed to a number of damages: biological (rodent and insect activity), mechanical, microbiological and physical-chemical (photo-oxidation and corrosion processes). The fundamental preservation problem was the scope of specialized treatments. Due to the complex nature of the object, its individual elements required a variety of preservation and restoration works of a multidisciplinary nature. As a result of scientific consultations and formal analyses undertaken, it was decided to subject the banner to conservation treatments (stopping the processes of destruction with simultaneous strengthening) with elements of restoration processes (reconstruction), consisting in the restoration of the original historic substance. The above programme contributed to enhancing the aesthetic and functional value of the artefact.

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1 Studia Lednickie

1 Popiołek D.

1 2023

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Badania weksylologiczne oraz problematyka konserwatorska XX-wiecznego sztandaru kombatanckiego powstańców wielkopolskich pochodzącego ze zbiorów Muzeum Pierwszych Piastów na Lednicy