Sposób zawieszania i łączenia brytów "Panoramy Racławickiej"

• Authors: Ilkosz Jerzy

Title variants

EN

THE METHOD OF SUSPENSION AND JOINING THE RACŁAWICE PANORAMA SEGMENTS

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The suspension of the segments, partially restored and reinforced in a horizontal position, constituted a specific problem in the conservation of the Racławice Panorama. The suspension level of a panorama is determined by technical parametres of the presentation of this kind and it also depends on the height and diameter of the viewing platform and on the ’’umbrella” confining the field of viewing. This interdependence results from the panorama painting method and the use of panoramic perspective. Hence the suspension level of the painting is conditioned by the level of the painted horizon. Thus it is essential to locate the line of the horizon in the picture before the preparation for the segment suspension can begin. This proved to be particularly important in case of the Racławice Panorama due to the circumstances in which the Panorama had been diismantelled in Lvov (the war period) and the absence of the measurements of its original display. A survey of the archival material yielded only two parametres of the Lvovfiian Rotunda, the viewing distance — ca 11 m and the level of the canvas suspension — 14,99 m. The designer of the Wrocław Rotunda set the height of the viewing platform at 4,67 m. With reference to the archival evidence and other structures of this type, the conservation team assumed that the viewing platform should be lower by, at least, 0,5 m. Thus the suspension level of the Racławice Panorama had to be reconciled wfith the technical requirements imposed by the Wrocław Rotunda. This problem could only be solved by the correct location of the horizon in the picture. This became a controversial issue among the specialists due to the incomprehension of principles that govern the panoramic perspective. Eventually, on 22 May 1982, a consensus view was agreed to assume that the horizon of the Racławice Panorama ran along the chimney top of the cottage depicted in segment No. 1. The horizon being established, it was necessary to fix the line of suspension on the segments and the true vertical of the segments. It was impossible to fix the true vertical with a theodolite because the actual gravitation vertical did not correspond to the mean of the vertical axes of the deformed segments. The mean value of the half of the segment’s widths measured every 1 metre along its length was taken as the vertical axis of the segment. When the aforementioned axes had thus been calculated it was reckoned that the measuring error might be big enough to make correct suspension impossible. Therefore, every three segments were juxtaposed in turn, facing upwards, so that the horizon geometrically delineated on the reverse was in line and only then joined edges of the segments were examined for the correctness of the picture detail. The Racławice Panorama had to be suspended in such a fashion as to preserve the natural hyperboloidal shape. The method applied in the 19th century could not be considered because it involved joining of segments in a horizontal position. The suspension system used by G. A. Berger in Atlanta seemed to be the most appropriate and it served, in some respects, as a model for the Panorama. The suspension support structure consisted of two circular- shaped rails upon which mobile trolleys were installed, equipped with an eccentric (facilitating the correction of the panorama perimeter) and with Roman screws (enabling the vertical correction). Each segment received a metal ’’cornice” — a circular-shaped clamping device consisting of two channel bars lined with oak and fitted out with three grips for the suspension on the Roman screws. The canvas, together with the doubling and reinforcing fabrics, was fed inbetween the two parts of the channel bars which were then screwed together along the preassdgned line on the reverse of the segments. The assembly of the carrier rail and juxtapositkming of the segments before suspension were carried out on the inclined convex former, so called ’’start” former-designed and made by the Ateliers for the Conservation of the Racławice Panorama. In result the segments acquired a concave shape when they were hauled up. The hauling up system was very simple and it comprised two pulling devices, anchored on the upper gallery (encircling the top edge of the canvas), which released steel cables through pulleys to the grips on the ’’cornice”. A canvas ’’apron” was stretched between the gallery and the ’’start” former alongside which the segments were pulled up. The ’’apron” prevented the original canvas from taking folds and gave support during the suspending operation when considerable tensionR could occur. The next stage involved joining the panorama segments into a complete picture. Because of the hyperboloidal shape of the painting, consecutive joining of the successive segments was impossible; it was necessary to bring the edges of all the segments together 'Simultaneously. Around the supporting rail, 5 cm away from the picture’s back, elastic metal strips (15 m long) were attached every two metres (later on they were to support fire protection facilities). At the bottom they were enclosed in a steel hoop, and where the segments were at their narrowest, the strips were fitted with ’’ears” through which a steel cable was pulled. The ends of the cable were fed into the hand-operated pulling device by means of which the perimeter of thus installed cable could be reduced. The resulting structure of hyperboloidal ribs forced the canvas into the same shape making the edges of the se gments come together. The permanent joint was obtained by stitching the edges of the contacting segments; the seams were additionally reinforced with ’’fizelina” pasted on with Arcylkleber 498 HV. Afterwards the contracting cable was released and a hoop wias installed at the bottom of the picture to give the Panorama a circular shape and to weight it. This hoop was attached with a rope to the steel wire running through the fold at the bottom edge of the canvas so that the canvas could be pulled up and down. The perimeter of the hoop was increased to give the canvas the maximum tightness.

Keywords

PL

Panorama Racławicka; konserwacja Panoramy Racławickiej; ekspozycja Panoramy Racławickiej

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1984
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 276-285

Dates

published

1984

Contributors

author

Ilkosz Jerzy

• mgr, Pracownia Konserwacji Panoramy Racławickiej PP PKZ — Oddział we Wrocławiu

References

• S. O e t t e rma n n , Das Panorama. Die Geschichte e ines M a s senm ed ium s , Frankfurt aim Mein 1980,, s. 41— 42.
• J. N a t u s i e w i с z, S tu d ium h is to ry c zn e Panoram y R a c ław ic k ie j, PKZ, Wrocław 1970
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• K. B a r t e l , P e r sp e k tyw a m a la rska , t. I, Warszawa 1955, s. 41—49 oraz t. II, Warszawa 1958, s. 196—201.
• W. J. N i t k i e w i c z , T r e a tm e n t of th e G e tty s burg Cyclorama, „Studies in Conservation”, 10, 1964, s. 91—118.
• R. Wo j t o w i c z , K o n se rw a c ja Pa n o ram y Racław ic k ie j i je j p ro b lem y , „Ochrona Zabytkow”, nr 1—2, 1983, s. 46
• G. A. Be r g e r , N ew Approaches for Special Problems: T h e Conservation o f th e A tla n ta Cyclorama (w:) P re p rin ts o f Papers Pre sen ted a t th e N in th A n n u al Meeting o f AIC„ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1981, s. 31— 34
• G. A. Be r g e r, Massive P a in tin g is Hung from Circular Monoraill fo r Resto ra tio n , „Accomation— Current Trends in Material Handling”, Nr 1, 1981, s. 13
• G. A. Be r g e r, Th e Cyclorama o f th e B a ttle o f A tla n ta — C o n se rva tio n R e port, 1982, s. 3, 8 i 11 (maszynopis)
• G. A. Be r g e r , Sp raw o zd a n ie z dn. 23 p a źd z ie rn ika 1981 r. n a tem a t k o n s e rw a c ji,p a n o ram y R a c ław ic k ie j”.
• G. A. Be r g e r , T h e Role o f Ten sio n in th e Pre se r v a tio n o f Canvas Painting: A S tu d y o f Panoramas, (w:) P rep rin ts o f C o n trib u tio n to th e S ix th Trien n ia l Meeting o f ICOM, Ottawa 1981, 81/2/3, s. 1—12.

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247