DOI Artikel:
Rozanow, Zofia: The implicit symbolic content of the painting of the Mother of God of Częstochowa
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18951#0055
Zofia Rozanow
THE IMPLICIT SYMBOLIC CONTENT OF THE PAINTING
OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF CZĘSTOCHOWA
The iconographic studies of the painting of Mother of God of Częstochowa
take prominent place among the richness of academic legacy contributed to
Polish Mediaeval studies by Tadeusz Dobrzeniecki.
The first professional restoration of the painting was carried out in the years
1925-1975 by Jan Rutkowski from Warsaw. It brought back, fully and durably, the
Gothic beauty given to the icon after 1430, and thus enabled scientific research
on the image.
Care and work of subseąuent conseryators—Rudolf Kozłowski from Kraków,
1950-1975, Wojciech Kurpik from Warsaw, sińce 1979 until now—enabled one
to specify the stylistic roots of the painting, datę of origin and the consecutive
phases of its transformations.
Since the 1960s, Polish art historians have offered numerous works concerning
the above problems. These studies modestly undertook the iconographic analysis
of the particular decorative elements, painted and gilded, which can be seen on
the image of Hodegetria of Jasna Góra Monastery.
Adam Bochnak and Julian Pagaczewski were the first to notice the symbolic
meaning of such elements. In 1959 they discussed the gilded metal plates of the
painting, donated by Ladislaus (Władysław) Jagiełło. The engraved hunting scene,
depicting dogs and falcons chasing the hare, was considered by these academics
to be the allegory of man tormented by his sins.
Tadeusz Dobrzeniecki took generał care of the painting in the years 1977-1979,
after the death of Rudolf Kozłowski (d. 1975), and had the opportunity to carry
out his own research on the icon. It was the basis of the first iconographic study
devoted exclusively to the symbolism of colours and ornaments on the robes of
Virgin Mary and Jesus.
In 1983 the study was delivered as a lecture in the Polish Art Plistorians
Association in Warsaw, after being presented in the Church of the Blessed Yirgin
Mary in Warsaw. The whole dissertation, entitled “The Jasna Góra Painting
53
THE IMPLICIT SYMBOLIC CONTENT OF THE PAINTING
OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF CZĘSTOCHOWA
The iconographic studies of the painting of Mother of God of Częstochowa
take prominent place among the richness of academic legacy contributed to
Polish Mediaeval studies by Tadeusz Dobrzeniecki.
The first professional restoration of the painting was carried out in the years
1925-1975 by Jan Rutkowski from Warsaw. It brought back, fully and durably, the
Gothic beauty given to the icon after 1430, and thus enabled scientific research
on the image.
Care and work of subseąuent conseryators—Rudolf Kozłowski from Kraków,
1950-1975, Wojciech Kurpik from Warsaw, sińce 1979 until now—enabled one
to specify the stylistic roots of the painting, datę of origin and the consecutive
phases of its transformations.
Since the 1960s, Polish art historians have offered numerous works concerning
the above problems. These studies modestly undertook the iconographic analysis
of the particular decorative elements, painted and gilded, which can be seen on
the image of Hodegetria of Jasna Góra Monastery.
Adam Bochnak and Julian Pagaczewski were the first to notice the symbolic
meaning of such elements. In 1959 they discussed the gilded metal plates of the
painting, donated by Ladislaus (Władysław) Jagiełło. The engraved hunting scene,
depicting dogs and falcons chasing the hare, was considered by these academics
to be the allegory of man tormented by his sins.
Tadeusz Dobrzeniecki took generał care of the painting in the years 1977-1979,
after the death of Rudolf Kozłowski (d. 1975), and had the opportunity to carry
out his own research on the icon. It was the basis of the first iconographic study
devoted exclusively to the symbolism of colours and ornaments on the robes of
Virgin Mary and Jesus.
In 1983 the study was delivered as a lecture in the Polish Art Plistorians
Association in Warsaw, after being presented in the Church of the Blessed Yirgin
Mary in Warsaw. The whole dissertation, entitled “The Jasna Góra Painting
53