DOI issue:
Nr. 2
DOI article:Artykuły
DOI article:Getka-Kenig, Mikołaj: Trzy pałace Hilarego Szpilowskiego: klasycyzm a problem elitarnoś¬ci w¬śród szlachty na Mazowszu końca XVIII w.*
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.71007#0309
Trzy pałace Hilarego Szpilowskiego
303
Three country houses by Hilary Szpilowski
- classicism and the problem of elite identity of Mazovian
nobility in late 18th century
The article deals with the socio-cultural genesis of
classicism in country house architecture in late 18th
century Mazovia (an integral part of the pre-partition
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). It focuses on the
example of the three earliest known (neo)classical
'palaces' (a 'palace' was a common Polish term
describing grand palatial mansions in the countryside)
at Walewice near Łowicz, Mała Wieś near Grójec as
well as Słubice near Gostynin. They were all built in
the 1780s and designed by the same early-career
architect Hilary Szpilowski (1753-1827) who was
commissioned by the affluent local landowners and
active politicians Anastazy Walewski of Walewice
(ca. 1733-1815), Bazyli Walicki of Mała Wieś (1728-
1802) and Józef Mikorski of Słubice (died 1799),
supporters of the enlightened reform-oriented agenda
ofthe king Stanislaus Augustus (reg. 1764-1795). The
argument of this article is that their locally
unprecedented choice of classicism as an idiom in
which their houses were designed was expressive of
their specific political sympathies and ambitions.
The Duchy of Mazovia was this region of Poland-
Lithuania where stately homes were practically
unknown in the second half of the 18th century with
the exception of Nieborów near Łowicz, Stary
Otwock near Warsaw, Nowe Miasto near Grójec as
well as the Roman-Catholic primate's residence at
Skierniewice, all of them built in earlier periods. In
terms of its agricultural conditions, the local landed
class of hereditary nobles was not especially
prosperous when we compare it with those from
other areas of the state, and although there were
some rich individuals among Mazovian Lanfowners,
they customarily tended to refrain from emphasizing
their elevated position in relations with their local
compatriots on whose support their political
ambitions were contingent.
The group of palaces by Szpilowski can be then
seen as a watershed in the architectural history ofthe
region - at least three grand houses were erected in
only one decade and others followed soon. This
notable change was apparently motivated by the
contemporary political situation. The 1780s is the
period when the political activity of the royal court,
directed at a comprehensive reform of the declining
state (marred by the long-standing corruption of its
parliamentary system) in accordance with the
paradigms of Enlightenment, was very intensive and
Mazovia was this place on the map of Poland-
Lithuania where the king enjoyed a good deal of
support from local noble politicians. The ideas of
progress, civilization, rationality as well as national
power based on these principles found their visual
and spatial expression in the classical idiom that was
endorsed by the king himself and consequently
disseminated among those who shared this reformist
viewpoint. The houses of Walewice, Mała Wieś and
Słubice directly engaged in a local public sphere
serving as venues for political gatherings hosted by
their owners.
However, by stressing the clear-cut division
between the ideas of progress and regression,
civilization and barbarism, objectivity and sub-
jectivity, mental enlightenment and darkness, these
houses also contributed to the contemporary
discourse of elite identity. The Polish-Lithuanian
nobility was traditionally democratic when it comes
to its inner hierarchy - all nobles were legally equal
to each other. However, throughout the 18th century
the richest representatives of the noble 'nation' (so-
called magnates) exerted great influence on noble
masses, practically taking over control of national
politics and negatively disposing lesser nobles
towards the king, seen as a potential autocrat. This
situation motivated Stanislaus Augustus to
counteract the dominance and bad influence of the
magnates by forming a new elite - closely connected
with the royal court - and composed of industrious
individuals of middle noble standing who were
expected to support him in his endeavor to
implement the reform programme. It seems then
quite probable that members of this pro-king elite
such as Walewski, Walicki and Mikorski referred
thus to classicism in order to express their claims to
the status of a new elite, the one that spearhead the
national movement towards modernity.
303
Three country houses by Hilary Szpilowski
- classicism and the problem of elite identity of Mazovian
nobility in late 18th century
The article deals with the socio-cultural genesis of
classicism in country house architecture in late 18th
century Mazovia (an integral part of the pre-partition
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). It focuses on the
example of the three earliest known (neo)classical
'palaces' (a 'palace' was a common Polish term
describing grand palatial mansions in the countryside)
at Walewice near Łowicz, Mała Wieś near Grójec as
well as Słubice near Gostynin. They were all built in
the 1780s and designed by the same early-career
architect Hilary Szpilowski (1753-1827) who was
commissioned by the affluent local landowners and
active politicians Anastazy Walewski of Walewice
(ca. 1733-1815), Bazyli Walicki of Mała Wieś (1728-
1802) and Józef Mikorski of Słubice (died 1799),
supporters of the enlightened reform-oriented agenda
ofthe king Stanislaus Augustus (reg. 1764-1795). The
argument of this article is that their locally
unprecedented choice of classicism as an idiom in
which their houses were designed was expressive of
their specific political sympathies and ambitions.
The Duchy of Mazovia was this region of Poland-
Lithuania where stately homes were practically
unknown in the second half of the 18th century with
the exception of Nieborów near Łowicz, Stary
Otwock near Warsaw, Nowe Miasto near Grójec as
well as the Roman-Catholic primate's residence at
Skierniewice, all of them built in earlier periods. In
terms of its agricultural conditions, the local landed
class of hereditary nobles was not especially
prosperous when we compare it with those from
other areas of the state, and although there were
some rich individuals among Mazovian Lanfowners,
they customarily tended to refrain from emphasizing
their elevated position in relations with their local
compatriots on whose support their political
ambitions were contingent.
The group of palaces by Szpilowski can be then
seen as a watershed in the architectural history ofthe
region - at least three grand houses were erected in
only one decade and others followed soon. This
notable change was apparently motivated by the
contemporary political situation. The 1780s is the
period when the political activity of the royal court,
directed at a comprehensive reform of the declining
state (marred by the long-standing corruption of its
parliamentary system) in accordance with the
paradigms of Enlightenment, was very intensive and
Mazovia was this place on the map of Poland-
Lithuania where the king enjoyed a good deal of
support from local noble politicians. The ideas of
progress, civilization, rationality as well as national
power based on these principles found their visual
and spatial expression in the classical idiom that was
endorsed by the king himself and consequently
disseminated among those who shared this reformist
viewpoint. The houses of Walewice, Mała Wieś and
Słubice directly engaged in a local public sphere
serving as venues for political gatherings hosted by
their owners.
However, by stressing the clear-cut division
between the ideas of progress and regression,
civilization and barbarism, objectivity and sub-
jectivity, mental enlightenment and darkness, these
houses also contributed to the contemporary
discourse of elite identity. The Polish-Lithuanian
nobility was traditionally democratic when it comes
to its inner hierarchy - all nobles were legally equal
to each other. However, throughout the 18th century
the richest representatives of the noble 'nation' (so-
called magnates) exerted great influence on noble
masses, practically taking over control of national
politics and negatively disposing lesser nobles
towards the king, seen as a potential autocrat. This
situation motivated Stanislaus Augustus to
counteract the dominance and bad influence of the
magnates by forming a new elite - closely connected
with the royal court - and composed of industrious
individuals of middle noble standing who were
expected to support him in his endeavor to
implement the reform programme. It seems then
quite probable that members of this pro-king elite
such as Walewski, Walicki and Mikorski referred
thus to classicism in order to express their claims to
the status of a new elite, the one that spearhead the
national movement towards modernity.