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Krakowski ołtarz Wita Stwosza i jego losy

100%

Walczy Ł.

Ochrona Zabytków

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1983

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issue 3-4

193-210

EN

In nearly five hundred years of its history the main altar in St Mary’s Church in Cracow, completed in 1489, the work of Wit Stwosz, an outstanding sculptor, painter and constructor, underwent a number of conservations and renovations. Scarce source materials from the 1st half of the 16th century inform that already at that time a fine ornamental sculpture was seriously damaged; however, we do not know if they were repaired. The first major restoration of the altar took place in summer of 1643. The gilding was then made up and a new layer of oil or distemper paint (parts of the colour) was put on flesh tints, robes and on some other relief parts. Because of that, a general tone of the altar got darker. In the 18th century the Rev Jacek Łopacki (1723—61), archipresbyter in St Mary’s Church, planned to replace Stwosz’s polyptych with a baroque altar but did not manage to collect money for this investment. The deteriorating condition of the altar was subject to an emergency restoration in 1795, which consisted in putting a new layer of oil paint on parts painted in the 17th century and parts most heavily eaten by deathwatch (pinnacles over the coping’s canopies and branches of the Jess Tree). The most extensive restoration of the altar was carried out in 1866—71 under a supervision of professors from Cracow School of Fine Arts: Władysław Luszczakiewicz and Jan Matejko. During the' restoration all constructional parts of the altar were exchanged (except for side framework and sliding wings) and therefore it was necessary to paint anew two views of the interiors in the Annunciation and the Descent of the Holy Ghost. Following the principle to bring the altar to the condition worthy of the church interior all missing details were complemented; in some places even those which had not been there originally were put (pinnacle in the key of a semicircular arch in the cabinet). Reconstruction of pinnacles over canopies of the crown was never done because of objections on part of the conservator (Paweł Popiel). All gildings were renewed (on outside bas reliefs as matt); parts painted during earlier renovations were repainted (Łuszczkiewicz, well aware of inability to have it done properly, excluded the attempts to uncover the original polychromy from Stwosz’s days). The next renovation of the altar began in summer 1946 after its return fron Nurnberg, where it had been taken by the Germans, and lasted till summer of 1949 (for some reasons tie altar could return to St Mary’s Curch only in 19f7). The work was done under a supervision of Marian Slonecki, later professor at Conservation Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. As far as poljchromy is concerned, the renovation was just a contnuation of the earlier one, which allowed to uncover in full, an original coloured robe from Stwosz’s days. Tie gilding and missing elements of the sculpture were supplemented. The wood was protected against noxious insects by its impregnation with a solution of arsenic in alcohol and minium coating of unpolychromed xnd ungilded parts. Apart from that, figures of predella were impregnated in carbon dioxide. However, the problem of stabilizing the cabinet damaged during its dsmantling by a Nurnberg group in 1940 has not beer as yet successfully solved.

2

"Aresztowanie" ołtarza Wita Stwosza : wystawa na Wawelu 1949-1957

100%

Walczy Ł.

Ochrona Zabytków

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1992

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issue 4

283-295

EN

The magnificent world-renown poliptych sculptured in the years 1477-1489 for St Mary's Church in Cracow by Wit Stwosz was dismantled and and transported to Nuremberg by Nazi invaders during World War II. In 1945 it was secured by the American army, and in 1945- 1946 prepared to repatriation transport by Prof. Karol Estreicher, who was delegated by Polish authorities to revindicate the cultural treasures seized during the war. On May 30th, 1946, the transport reached Cracow. When the sculptures of the altar were in the country it turned out that they needed thorough conservation. The State Workshop for Conservation of Paintings, headed by Prof. Marian Słonecki, was charged with this task. The team not only carried out a complete restoration of wood structure (including poisoning wood-eaters and impregnation against their new invasion), but also, in the process of paint layers conservation, removed the repaintings from the 19th, 18th and 17th centuries, discovering Stwosz's original polychromy. This painstaking work was finished in the late summer of 1949. Thanks to warm sunny Indian summer the altar's main framework was reinstalled in the presbytery of St Mary's basilica. The sculptures were to be set out in October, November and December, and the whole retable was to be consecrated at Christmas 1949. Polish communist authorities did not allow this schedule to be realised. They ordered to leave the sculptures in the Conservation Workshop in former Royal Kitchen in Wawel, arranging an exhibition from fragments of the altar. The exhibition, planned as a close of the conservation, was held between June 10th and July 10th 1949 as a part of „The Days of Cracow" and attracted lots of visitors. This last fact, „public demand", was a perfect excuse to continue the exhibition and delay the return of the sculptures to St Mary's church. On the 2nd of October 1950 the exhibition was reopened without any negotiations with Church authorities and without stating the termination time, which actually meant that the altar was „interned" or „arrested" in Wawel. The exact circumstances in which this decision was taken may remain unknown, but its genera motivation can be guessed. The delay in the return of the poliptych to the basilica was probably an indirect repression against the Archbishop of Cracow, Cardinal Adam Sapieha, in the situation when the communist authorities which since 1949 tightened up their policy towards the Church, but refrained from attacking the Cardinal directly due to his age and authority. This indirect repression achieved its aim as the Cardinal did not live to see the altar re-consecrated - he died on the 23rd of July 1951. The archpresbyter of St Mary's church. Rev Dr Ferdynand Machay returned to the problem of the altar in nearly every sermon and interceded for the case with the authorities at various levels, but until the Polish October in 1956 the government decided about Stwosz's masterpiece as if it was their property; for example in 1953 some of the sculptures were sent to Warsow for the exhibition „The Renaissance in Poland". Not earlier than on the 13th of April 1957 was the monument returned to the rightful owner - St Mary's parish. It is worth noting that it was the second act of that kind in the history of the altar - the first one took place 11 years earlier, on the 30th of April 1946. In April 1957 it was possible to resume the work where it was interrupted in 1949. The conservation was completed very quickly. On the 15th August 1957, the day of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, the Archbishop of Lvov and Cracow, Eugeniusz Baziak, consecrated the altar restoring it to the Holy Service. That was the end of the war exile of Wit Stwosz's masterpiece continued by its eight-year-long „arrest” in Wawel.

3

W trzydziestolecie powojennej opieki nad zabytkami

72%

Czerner O.

Ochrona Zabytków

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1974

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issue 3

171-179

EN

The first conservations started in this country already within the early period of the newly formed political and social system. On August 30, 1945 an extensive programme of activities in this field has been formally approved; as a consequence of unprecedented losses suffered by cultural heritage in Poland the necessity emerged to rebuild the key elements of the country’s culture. In the 1960’s the interest of practicizing Conservators' and restorers Was chiefly focused on protection of historical monuments that have survived and only in recent years may foe observed some signes o f return to practices from the early years after the country's liberation. No doubt, however, that a good deal of experience gathered during the thirty years of activities greatly contributed to development of both theoretical and practical knowledge of those dealing with conservation and restoration. In 1972 once again was established the post of Chief Conservator to make the skilled care of architectural and townplanming monuments more effective. The ranks of conservators and restorers undertaking their work in 1944—1945 were extremely scarce, however, they were growing systematically with the passing time and now some deficits are to be noted only in the government conservation services. Unlike in early post-war years, when the restoration and conservation were carried out by various working teams and companies, at present they are realized by a state-owned company known as The Ateliers for Conservation of Cultural Property entrusted with almost monopolistic rights and active not only in this country but also abroad. Contributions made by that Company to restoration of entire urban centres and especially of ancient palaces, castles and sacred buildings were quite enormous. Acting since January 1962, being the date of its establishment, the Historical Monuments Documentation Centre, Warsaw is responsible for specialized publications, collecting of information and giving as extensive as possible aid to conservators and restorers. An undisputable merit of Polish conservators consists in publication, since 1948, of a quarterly “Protection of Historical Monuments” and of a series known as the “Library of Museums and Historical Monuments Protection”. Both popularity and interest in conservation were most vivid in 1945—1955 but in the 1960’s some stagnation prevailed; at present the situation improved which the fact may be evidenced by appearance of numerous publications, organization of an all- country action called „The Monuments are awaiting their owners” and the establishing of the Society for Preservation of Cultural Property. As is well known fact the foreign professional circles are highly appreciating our achievements in art of conservation and the Polish conservators have deserved a wide reputation.

4

Między ideą a konstrukcją. Projekty ołtarzy Jana Matejki

61%

Ciciora B.

Roczniki Humanistyczne

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2020

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vol. 68

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issue 4

79-124

EN

The article concerns the reception of medieval altarpieces by the most significant Polish history painter, Jan Matejko. That was used for a creation of new works of art based upon historical forms (but not stylistic) that were derived from real historical monuments. Matejko was interested neither in contemporary pattern books for architects nor in reconstructions done according to imagined vision of style, mainly Gothic, which was proposed by restorers like Carl Heideloff or Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. He gained his knowledge about real, existing medieval altarpieces during his journeys in Poland and abroad, which he took in his youth, and also through his participation in restorations of medieval monuments in Kraków, first of all – the Gothic altarpiece by Wit Stwosz in Mariacki church. Thanks to these experience he got to know a construction of altarpieces and details such as the types of medieval figures, their costumes, weapons, crafts, but also stylistic features that were not well recognized by restorers’ environment in Kraków. Additionally, that verified two types of the reception of the Middle Ages. One, philosophical and emotional, characteristic for Romanticism and propagated by the philosopher and art lover Józef Kremer and the second, characteristic for the artist, restorer and one of the first historians of art, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz that criticized artistic realisations done ages ago from the contemporary point of view. Repairing old and designing new altarpieces was a difficult task for Matejko as very often he was confronted by different points of view on restoration. The most discouraging was a dispute between followers of the unity of style (Józef Łepkowski, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz) and their opponents who appreciated the original form of the monument, including later elements from different epochs (Piotr Michałowski, Paweł Popiel, Stanisław Tomkowicz). Then Matejko’s work was located between verification of ideas of restoration, models of writing about art, opinions about style of monuments on one side and the analytical research on an external appearance and features of construction of local objects on the other side. Neither his knowledge, experience trained thanks to deep and critical observations and comparisons of historic works of art – but, unfortunately, without a support in an authority of restoration theories done by western historians of art and architecture – nor his designs, did not gained respect in Krakow among people concentrated on theoretical opinions on restoration and on ideas concerning forms and meaning of the monuments in Krakow.

PL

Artykuł poświęcony jest specyficznym uwarunkowaniom i wielostronnej recepcji średniowiecznych retabulów ołtarzowych przez najwybitniejszego polskiego malarza historycznego Jana Matejkę. Recepcja polegała na kreowaniu nowych dzieł w oparciu o formy historyczne (ale nie stylowe), czerpane z realnych zabytków, nie zaś ze współczesnych wzorników architektonicznych lub rekonstrukcji dokonywanych według imaginowanej wizji stylu, co proponowali konserwatorzy tacy, jak Carl Heideloff lub Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Matejce pomocna była wiedza o wyglądzie realnych ołtarzy nabyta w czasie podróży krajowych i zagranicznych, odbywanych w latach młodości, oraz udział w restauracji średniowiecznych zabytków, przede wszystkim ołtarza Wita Stwosza w kościele Mariackim w Krakowie, który umożliwił mu poznanie budowy i konstrukcyjnych zagadnień związanych z budową ołtarza, szczegółów wyglądu średniowiecznych typów postaci, ich strojów, narzędzi, broni, rzemiosła, a także cech stylistycznych, zagadnienia słabo znanego środowisku dokonującemu konserwacji krakowskich zabytków. Doświadczenia te weryfikowały typ filozoficznej i emocjonalnej recepcji średniowiecza, charakterystycznej dla epoki romantyzmu, propagowany przez krakowskiego filozofa i miłośnika sztuki Józefa Kremera oraz typ oceny krytycznej względem plastyki i zagadnień typowo artystycznych, który prezentował artysta, konserwator i jeden z pierwszych historyków sztuki Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. Matejce projektowanie utrudniały niespójne poglądy konserwatorskie krakowskiego środowiska, przede wszystkim spór toczony między zwolennikami przywracania jedności stylowej zabytków (Józef Łepkowski, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz), a ich przeciwnikami, twierdzącymi, iż kryterium rozstrzygającym o poprawności restauracji jest substancja pierwotna obiektu, włącznie z nawarstwieniami stylowymi różnych epok (Piotr Michałowski, Paweł Popiel, Stanisław Tomkowicz). Twórczość Matejki lokowała się zatem pomiędzy weryfikacją idei konserwatorskich, modeli pisania o sztuce i poglądów na stylistykę zabytków minionych epok, a szczegółowymi badaniami wyglądu i cech konstrukcyjnych lokalnych obiektów. Jego wiedza i doświadczenie zdobyte na podstawie wnikliwych i krytycznych obserwacji i porównań dawnych dzieł sztuki i rzemiosła, ale pozbawione oparcia w autorytecie teorii konserwatorskiej wypracowanej przez zagranicznych historyków sztuki i architektury – podobnie jak tworzone na tej podstawie projekty – nie zdobyły uznania środowiska skoncentrowanego na teoretycznym poznawaniu postaw konserwatorskich oraz idei dotyczących rozpoznania form i znaczenia krakowskich zabytków, za to wykorzystującego koniunkturalnie autorytet Matejki, jako artysty.

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Krakowski ołtarz Wita Stwosza i jego losy

"Aresztowanie" ołtarza Wita Stwosza : wystawa na Wawelu 1949-1957

W trzydziestolecie powojennej opieki nad zabytkami

Między ideą a konstrukcją. Projekty ołtarzy Jana Matejki