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Przyczynki do historii ściennych malowideł bizantyjsko-ruskich w Polsce : technika i konserwacja

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Stawicki S.

Ochrona Zabytków

1994

issue 1

3-21

The Byzantine-Rus’ murals which were created in the Crown and Lithuania between the turn of the fourteenth century and the mid-sixteenth century hold a special place in Polish history and art. They remain fascinating not only from the ideological-artistic point of view but also as regards their technical-technological and conservation aspects. This article presents a review of knowledge concerning the technique of the murals’ execution and the problems connected with their conservation which are available in accessible source material and literature published prior to the second world war. The article discusses studies on the non-extant painted decorations of the Benedictine Holy Cross church in Łysieć and the royal bed chamber in Wawel Castle (commissioned by Władysław Jagiełło from Rus’ artists), the surviving fragments of murals from the Uniate church in Supraśl (middle of the sixteenth century), the murals in the Sandomierz collegiate, founded by Władysław Jagiełło, the murals in the castle in Troki (fifteenth century?) of which only fragments of the original plaster have survived, murals in the Holy Trinity church in Lublin castle and the Basilian church in Supraśl, the decorations of the Holy Cross chapel in Wawel cathedral, paintings in the cathedral in Sandomierz, fragments of decorations in the Armenian cathedral in Lvov and the collegiate church in Wiślica. Sources mention high quality material which testify to the rank of the commissions and the rank of the wall decorations in question. The material included gold leaf (hammered gold) applied probably in all Byzantine-Rus’ paintings produced in the former Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania; the so-called rubrica — red clay, understood broadly as natural combinations of silicates and iron oxides; vermilion — a red pigment in the form of a natural mineral or prepared artificially; a group of pigments indispensable for the production of paints used for completing the paintings by stages by placing consecutive patches of light hues and dark emphasis; vessels (most probably non-absorbent) for storing liquid paint — the number of such vessels corresponded more or less to the number of colours required for the execution of a given painting. As a rule, the technique of the murals was determined „by intuition” which often led to serious misunderstandings. Certain scholars (M. Sokołowski, J. Rokoszny) revealed, however, apart from considerable intution also a correct comprehension of the Byzantine-Rus’ treatises on painting technique. Attempts were also made to draw conclusions upon the basis of chemical analyses which, in accordance with existing laboratory facilities, were modest but thorough (W. Peszczański, P. Cholodny). In the domain of conservation, the classification of the technique of the Byzantine-Rus’ paintings by J. Makarewicz to the tempera group (accepted also by Matusiak, Rutkowski and others) influenced the reinforcement (not always desireable and rather harmful) of the paint layer with diluted distemper, probably egg. Acetic acid was used for the removal of calcareous residues of plaster. The painting was disclosed with the aid of a thin layer of gypsum introduced onto the surface of later layers and then chipped off together with them. Disclosure was also accomplished by a more direct method based on the use of knives, hammers and spatulas. Blistered plaster was fastened onto the wall with nails as well as liquid gypsum which filled the spaces between the plaster and the wall. Artistic-aesthetic solutions reveal a tendency towards obtain ting proper artistic expression i.e. one which would take into consideration both the authenticity of the work of art and the state of its preservation. So-called neutral patches are employed, and recommended in those parts of the painting which are totally ruined and provide no bases for reconstruction. The reflections of A. Riegel show distinct beginnings of conservation critique which can be discerned also in the remarks and directives of the Russian Imperial Archeological Commission concerning the Supraśl murals. It must be stressed that regardless of the discrepancies between the emerging professional ethics and conservation work which in many instances was unsatisfactory, one simply must notice the permanent progress of conservation thought in Poland. A brief survey of source material and various studies proves that our contemporary technical-technological and conservation knowledge — if only as regards Byzantine-Rus’ murals — has a rich tradition and deserves our attention.

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1 Ochrona Zabytków

1 Stawicki S.

1 1994

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Przyczynki do historii ściennych malowideł bizantyjsko-ruskich w Polsce : technika i konserwacja