DOI issue:
Nr. 3
DOI article:Artykuły
DOI article:Soćko, Adam: Rudolf Negroni i Jakub Balin - o początkach nowożytnej architektury w Lublinie
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.71007#0503
Rudolf Negroni I Jakub Balin
493
Rudolf Negroni and Jakub Balin:
on the Beginnings of Modem Architecture in Lublin
Lublin ranks among the towns important in view of
the development of modern architecture in Poland,
though hitherto not sufficiently investigated by art
history. Previously, the 16th century used to be
identified as crucial for the transformation of the
Gothic town into the Renaissance one. The process
was said to continue uninterrupted until the mid-17th
century. Such a view was formulated mainly from
art historians' perspective. The said Renaissance
breakthrough was, however, illustrated with buildings
from the 1st half of the 17th century. The image of 16th-
century Renaissance Lublin has so far been defined
only through drawn visions of the unpreserved Town
Hall and Castle, recreated through architectural
research, source texts, and iconography. Meanwhile,
the preserved 16th-cenutry historical urban tissue is
limited to merely single stonemason detail elements.
A certain disparity in such an image ofthe town's art
development can be seen in the Late Gothic rib vault
in the Bridgettine Nuns' Church from the mid-16th
century as well as the newly discovered and
reconstructed rib vault in the chancel of the
Dominican Church (1582-87). Up to now, Rudolf
Negroni (active in ca 1575-1602) has been seen as
the propagator of the modern transformation in the
town architecture. He has been regarded as the major
individual among the Lublin stonemasons' guild.
Jakub Balin (active in ca 1602-23) may have arrived
in Lublin at Negroni's instigation; they were
probably related, as following Negroni's death,
Balin took over his possessions.
The likely scope of Rudolf Negroni's activity
has for long been identified through source material
research (K. Majewski, J. Wzorek). The character of
the architect's work can be specified in more detail
today. A Late Gothic gable attributed to Negroni has
been preserved in the Bernardine Convent. Negroni
also strengthened the nave wall in the Bridgettine
Church, introducing a Renaissance stonemason
detail. Moreover, he can be most likely attributed the
western church gable echoing Late-Gothic solutions
and possibly the bell-tower superstructure. Following
1591, Negroni also modernized the eastern wing of
the Dominican Convent, in one of the interiors
introducing an intriguing vaulting decorated with
modest stucco moulds. Additionally, Negroni may
have dealt with the reconstruction ofthe Dominican
Church which received a new Late-Gothic vaulting
in 1582-87.
Given the above, it is hard to perceive Rudolf
Negroni as the architect who determined the
Renaissance face ofthe town in the last quarter ofthe
16th century. The real breakthrough in that respect was
marked by the 1602 fire ofthe Bernadine Church and
its modern reconstruction undertaken by Jakub Balin.
The milestone importance of this project has also
been pointed to in the research into the art of Lublin,
however what dominates is the vision of a dynamic
transformation in town's architecture throughout the
16th century.
Jakub Balin's architectural accomplishments
have already been identified. What remains uncertain
is the scope of his input into the Bernardine Church
reconstruction due to the lack of records confirming
the fact. Today, after the Late-Gothic Dominican
vaulting, most likely Negroni-attributed, has been
discovered, Balin's major contribution to the
Bernardine Church reconstruction should not be
questioned any further. With the church's nave
vaulting arrangement, Balin directly echoes Negroni's
Dominican vaulting. The innovative quality of this
solution is to be found in the replacing of the Late-
Gothic ló^-century ribs with broad stucco ornamental
mouldings. However, the geometric decoration design
of the Bernardine vaulting was derived from the
Dominican vaulting, 20 years its senior. Following
this, Balin ran the reconstruction of the Parish
Church in Kazimierz Dolny, raised the Carmelitan
Church (unpreserved) and Rafał Leszczyhski's
Palace in Lublin. An attempt has been made to
attribute the construction of Warsaw's Jesuit Church
to Balin, this attribution, however, justifiably
questioned (J. Paszenda). Meanwhile, there are no
objections to attributing the Snopkowski Manor in
Gardzienice, raised in the early 17th century, to Balin.
Quite a lot of assumptions derived from historical
circumstances confirm the fact, yet the most powerful
testimony to his contribution being the decoration
of the manor's northern gable identical in its
composition with the eastern gable of the main body
of Lublin's Bernardine Church.
To conclude, it is justified to say that 16th-century
Lublin must have still been an essentially Gothic
town. The intense building effort was focused on
replacing the former wooden burghers' dwellings
with brick structures, more and more frequently
decorated in the aesthetics of the new style, namely
Renaissance, but also Mannerism. A real quality-like
493
Rudolf Negroni and Jakub Balin:
on the Beginnings of Modem Architecture in Lublin
Lublin ranks among the towns important in view of
the development of modern architecture in Poland,
though hitherto not sufficiently investigated by art
history. Previously, the 16th century used to be
identified as crucial for the transformation of the
Gothic town into the Renaissance one. The process
was said to continue uninterrupted until the mid-17th
century. Such a view was formulated mainly from
art historians' perspective. The said Renaissance
breakthrough was, however, illustrated with buildings
from the 1st half of the 17th century. The image of 16th-
century Renaissance Lublin has so far been defined
only through drawn visions of the unpreserved Town
Hall and Castle, recreated through architectural
research, source texts, and iconography. Meanwhile,
the preserved 16th-cenutry historical urban tissue is
limited to merely single stonemason detail elements.
A certain disparity in such an image ofthe town's art
development can be seen in the Late Gothic rib vault
in the Bridgettine Nuns' Church from the mid-16th
century as well as the newly discovered and
reconstructed rib vault in the chancel of the
Dominican Church (1582-87). Up to now, Rudolf
Negroni (active in ca 1575-1602) has been seen as
the propagator of the modern transformation in the
town architecture. He has been regarded as the major
individual among the Lublin stonemasons' guild.
Jakub Balin (active in ca 1602-23) may have arrived
in Lublin at Negroni's instigation; they were
probably related, as following Negroni's death,
Balin took over his possessions.
The likely scope of Rudolf Negroni's activity
has for long been identified through source material
research (K. Majewski, J. Wzorek). The character of
the architect's work can be specified in more detail
today. A Late Gothic gable attributed to Negroni has
been preserved in the Bernardine Convent. Negroni
also strengthened the nave wall in the Bridgettine
Church, introducing a Renaissance stonemason
detail. Moreover, he can be most likely attributed the
western church gable echoing Late-Gothic solutions
and possibly the bell-tower superstructure. Following
1591, Negroni also modernized the eastern wing of
the Dominican Convent, in one of the interiors
introducing an intriguing vaulting decorated with
modest stucco moulds. Additionally, Negroni may
have dealt with the reconstruction ofthe Dominican
Church which received a new Late-Gothic vaulting
in 1582-87.
Given the above, it is hard to perceive Rudolf
Negroni as the architect who determined the
Renaissance face ofthe town in the last quarter ofthe
16th century. The real breakthrough in that respect was
marked by the 1602 fire ofthe Bernadine Church and
its modern reconstruction undertaken by Jakub Balin.
The milestone importance of this project has also
been pointed to in the research into the art of Lublin,
however what dominates is the vision of a dynamic
transformation in town's architecture throughout the
16th century.
Jakub Balin's architectural accomplishments
have already been identified. What remains uncertain
is the scope of his input into the Bernardine Church
reconstruction due to the lack of records confirming
the fact. Today, after the Late-Gothic Dominican
vaulting, most likely Negroni-attributed, has been
discovered, Balin's major contribution to the
Bernardine Church reconstruction should not be
questioned any further. With the church's nave
vaulting arrangement, Balin directly echoes Negroni's
Dominican vaulting. The innovative quality of this
solution is to be found in the replacing of the Late-
Gothic ló^-century ribs with broad stucco ornamental
mouldings. However, the geometric decoration design
of the Bernardine vaulting was derived from the
Dominican vaulting, 20 years its senior. Following
this, Balin ran the reconstruction of the Parish
Church in Kazimierz Dolny, raised the Carmelitan
Church (unpreserved) and Rafał Leszczyhski's
Palace in Lublin. An attempt has been made to
attribute the construction of Warsaw's Jesuit Church
to Balin, this attribution, however, justifiably
questioned (J. Paszenda). Meanwhile, there are no
objections to attributing the Snopkowski Manor in
Gardzienice, raised in the early 17th century, to Balin.
Quite a lot of assumptions derived from historical
circumstances confirm the fact, yet the most powerful
testimony to his contribution being the decoration
of the manor's northern gable identical in its
composition with the eastern gable of the main body
of Lublin's Bernardine Church.
To conclude, it is justified to say that 16th-century
Lublin must have still been an essentially Gothic
town. The intense building effort was focused on
replacing the former wooden burghers' dwellings
with brick structures, more and more frequently
decorated in the aesthetics of the new style, namely
Renaissance, but also Mannerism. A real quality-like