DOI issue:
Nr. 1
DOI article:Miziołek, Jerzy: "Rodzina Centaurów" Louis de Silvestre'a w Pałacach Prezydenckim i w Wilanowie: o recepcji ekphrasis Lukiana w polskiej kulturze artystycznej
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49349#0062
56
Jerzy Miziolek
centaurs relates accurately to Lucian. One innovation
is the arm outstretched towards her husband, while
he does, indeed, stand 'over them' and in his
countenance there is a certain amount of savagery.
The artist, however, depicted him in full length, thus
including the horse's half of his body. Apart from
that, he holds in two hands, and not one, not a Tion
cub' but a fully grown whelp which bears its teeth
threateningly at the female centaur. There can be no
doubt that the centaur is not being held back by his
wife from 'twisitng the lion-cub's neck', as stated in
the catalogue of the Silvestre exhibition held at
Wilanow as quoted above, but rather, as Lucian wrote,
'he holds aloft in his right hand a lion's whelp,
suspending it above his head to frighten the children
in jest'.
The author of this text expresses the supposition
that the court poet to Augustus II, Antoni Poniński,
who was inspired by Lucian's Samartides seu satirae
cuiusdam equitis Poloni, published shortly after the
monarch's death, might have played a direct part in
the selecting of this unusual theme for the Wilanów
cycle.
The rest of the article is devoted to the question
of earlier and later variations on the same theme,
including the Botticelli composition placed in the
famous Calumny, preserved in Florence's Galeria
degli Uffizi (ill. 5), illustrations based on etchings in
French publications of Lucian's works from 1582 (ill.
6) and 1613 (il. 10) - the second ofthese being carried
out by the Polish etcher, Jan Ziarnko, who had settled
in France, being signed J. Ziarnko Polo. fec. -a print
to Philostratus's Les Centaurelles (ill. 7), a drawing
by Bonaventura Genelli housed in the Boymans van
Beuningen museum in Rotterdam (ill. 9). Also
mentioned is a painting by Sebastiano Ricci from
1717, whose present whereabouts are unknown (ill.
8). In the context of the comparative materiał
presented, the aitthor comes to the conclusion that
the painting by Louis de Silvestre at Wilanów is one
of the most interesting portrayals of a theme
undertaken comparatively rarely in European art.
Furthermore, it is his opinion that this is the most
beautiful painterly 'reconstruction' ofZuexis's work.
Unfortunately, it has been impossible to establish if
the canvas depicting Struggle between the Centaurs
and Leopards was based on a specific literary text or
if it was purely the result of the artist's imagination
and attempt to create a pendant for the visual
expression of Lucian's ekphrasis.
By way of conclusion, comments on attempts to
depict by painting in artistic culture of the
Commonwealth of Two Nations other ekphrases by
Lucian are presented. Here the portrayal of Calumny,
painted for Arthur's House of Danzig (Gdańsk) by
Antoni Móller at the end of the 16th century and
destroyed at the end of World War Two, is referred
to, as well as Jan Ziarnko's frontispiece from the 1613
Paris publication of Lucian's works. This latter
workalso includes, apart from The Family of
Centaurs, scenes titled Calumny and Hercules of
Galilee.
Translated by Peter Martyn
1. Louis de Silvestre, The Family of Centaurs, oil on
canvas, ca. 1732. Wilanów Palace Museum, photo.
Museum
2. Version of Louis de Silvestre's The Family of
Centaurs, oil on canvas, 2nd quarter ofthe 18th cent.
National Museum in Warsaw, photo. Museum
3. Version of Louis de Silvestre's Struggle between
Centaurs and Leopards, oil on canvas, 2nd quarter
of 18th cent. National Museum in Warsaw, photo.
Museum
4. Louis de Silvestre, Struggle between Centaurs and
Leopards, oil on canvas, ca. 1732, Wialnów Palace
Museum, photo. Museum
5. Sandro Botticelli, The Family of Centaurs, detail
of the painting Calumny, tempera on wood panel,
1494. Galeria degli Uffizi, Florence, photo. Institute
of Archaeology, Warsaw University
6. The Family of Centaurs, engraving from Les
oeuvres de Lucian de Samosate, traduites du grec
par Filbert Bretin, Paris 1582, photo. Institute of
Archaeology, Warsaw University
7. The Family of Centaurs, print in a French edition
of Eikones by Philostratus the elder and younger,
Ist half of 17th cent., photo. Jagiellonian Library
8. Sebastiano Ricci, The family of Centaurs, oil on
canvas, current whereabouts unknown, photo. from
Daniels 1976
9. Bonaventura Genelli, The Family of Centaurs,
drawing, Museum Boymans van Beuningen in
Rotterdam, photo. after Faedo, Le immagini dal testo.
Commento....
10. Jan Ziarnko, Frontispiece to the Parisian edition
of Lucians'works from 1613, photo. after Sawicka,
Jan Ziarnko, peinteur, graveur...
Jerzy Miziolek
centaurs relates accurately to Lucian. One innovation
is the arm outstretched towards her husband, while
he does, indeed, stand 'over them' and in his
countenance there is a certain amount of savagery.
The artist, however, depicted him in full length, thus
including the horse's half of his body. Apart from
that, he holds in two hands, and not one, not a Tion
cub' but a fully grown whelp which bears its teeth
threateningly at the female centaur. There can be no
doubt that the centaur is not being held back by his
wife from 'twisitng the lion-cub's neck', as stated in
the catalogue of the Silvestre exhibition held at
Wilanow as quoted above, but rather, as Lucian wrote,
'he holds aloft in his right hand a lion's whelp,
suspending it above his head to frighten the children
in jest'.
The author of this text expresses the supposition
that the court poet to Augustus II, Antoni Poniński,
who was inspired by Lucian's Samartides seu satirae
cuiusdam equitis Poloni, published shortly after the
monarch's death, might have played a direct part in
the selecting of this unusual theme for the Wilanów
cycle.
The rest of the article is devoted to the question
of earlier and later variations on the same theme,
including the Botticelli composition placed in the
famous Calumny, preserved in Florence's Galeria
degli Uffizi (ill. 5), illustrations based on etchings in
French publications of Lucian's works from 1582 (ill.
6) and 1613 (il. 10) - the second ofthese being carried
out by the Polish etcher, Jan Ziarnko, who had settled
in France, being signed J. Ziarnko Polo. fec. -a print
to Philostratus's Les Centaurelles (ill. 7), a drawing
by Bonaventura Genelli housed in the Boymans van
Beuningen museum in Rotterdam (ill. 9). Also
mentioned is a painting by Sebastiano Ricci from
1717, whose present whereabouts are unknown (ill.
8). In the context of the comparative materiał
presented, the aitthor comes to the conclusion that
the painting by Louis de Silvestre at Wilanów is one
of the most interesting portrayals of a theme
undertaken comparatively rarely in European art.
Furthermore, it is his opinion that this is the most
beautiful painterly 'reconstruction' ofZuexis's work.
Unfortunately, it has been impossible to establish if
the canvas depicting Struggle between the Centaurs
and Leopards was based on a specific literary text or
if it was purely the result of the artist's imagination
and attempt to create a pendant for the visual
expression of Lucian's ekphrasis.
By way of conclusion, comments on attempts to
depict by painting in artistic culture of the
Commonwealth of Two Nations other ekphrases by
Lucian are presented. Here the portrayal of Calumny,
painted for Arthur's House of Danzig (Gdańsk) by
Antoni Móller at the end of the 16th century and
destroyed at the end of World War Two, is referred
to, as well as Jan Ziarnko's frontispiece from the 1613
Paris publication of Lucian's works. This latter
workalso includes, apart from The Family of
Centaurs, scenes titled Calumny and Hercules of
Galilee.
Translated by Peter Martyn
1. Louis de Silvestre, The Family of Centaurs, oil on
canvas, ca. 1732. Wilanów Palace Museum, photo.
Museum
2. Version of Louis de Silvestre's The Family of
Centaurs, oil on canvas, 2nd quarter ofthe 18th cent.
National Museum in Warsaw, photo. Museum
3. Version of Louis de Silvestre's Struggle between
Centaurs and Leopards, oil on canvas, 2nd quarter
of 18th cent. National Museum in Warsaw, photo.
Museum
4. Louis de Silvestre, Struggle between Centaurs and
Leopards, oil on canvas, ca. 1732, Wialnów Palace
Museum, photo. Museum
5. Sandro Botticelli, The Family of Centaurs, detail
of the painting Calumny, tempera on wood panel,
1494. Galeria degli Uffizi, Florence, photo. Institute
of Archaeology, Warsaw University
6. The Family of Centaurs, engraving from Les
oeuvres de Lucian de Samosate, traduites du grec
par Filbert Bretin, Paris 1582, photo. Institute of
Archaeology, Warsaw University
7. The Family of Centaurs, print in a French edition
of Eikones by Philostratus the elder and younger,
Ist half of 17th cent., photo. Jagiellonian Library
8. Sebastiano Ricci, The family of Centaurs, oil on
canvas, current whereabouts unknown, photo. from
Daniels 1976
9. Bonaventura Genelli, The Family of Centaurs,
drawing, Museum Boymans van Beuningen in
Rotterdam, photo. after Faedo, Le immagini dal testo.
Commento....
10. Jan Ziarnko, Frontispiece to the Parisian edition
of Lucians'works from 1613, photo. after Sawicka,
Jan Ziarnko, peinteur, graveur...