DOI article:
Pencakowski, Paweł: Cuda św. Jana Kantego - cykl obrazów włoskich w kolegiacie akademickiej Św Anny w Krakowie
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20620#0073
Jakoż przybrawszy Kościół rzeczony w bogate, z ak-
samitów i adamaszków karmazynowych suto złotymi ga-
lonami i frędzlami bramowanych obicia, pawilony i festo-
ny, podług najwyśmienitszego rzymskiego gustu, oświe-
ciwszy go takoż zewnątrz i wewnątrz obfitym światłem
z czystego wosku, rozstawionym z cudną symetrią: wpro-
wadzona była przez tegoż JMC ks. KANONIKA PO-
STULATORA w kosztowną kapę ubranego z Watykań-
skiej Bazyliki chorągiew ŚWIĘTEGO; w asystencji licz-
nej różnych pobożnych Bractw, trzymających wokoło cho-
rągwi zapalone pochodnie kilkufuntowe, tudzież zgroma-
dzeń JMC ks. plebanów URBIS, JMCiów lektorów i pro-
fesorów ARCHILYCEI ROMANĘ JMciów adwokatów
konsystorialnych, całej nacji polskiej, mających w rękach
jarzące świece, ŚWIĘTEMU, jako Plebanowi niegdyś
Miasta Olkusza, i Doktorowi Pisma Świętego w Akade-
mii Krakowskiej, czyniących winny hołd pobożności i usza-
nowania. Podczas tej solennej procesji dały się słyszeć roz-
stawione na wałach armaty Fortecy S. Anioła Stróża, jako
i wszystkie dzwony całego Rzymu: ulice, którymi prze-
chodziła procesja, przystrojone były w piękne bławaty
i szpalery [.. J67.
I aczkolwiek już się skończyła była trzechdniowa uro-
czystość, jednak dla nasycenia pobożnej ciekawości, tu-
dzież czyniąc zadosyć powszechnemu żądaniu, stał Ko-
ściół przez cały tydzień nie rozebrany z swych dekoracji
wabiących oko, w których wszyscy gust dobry i przepych
bogaty upatrywali.
67 Tu następuje skrócony opis ceremonii religijnej i audiencji,
której udzielił Polakom papież Klemens XIII.
Miracles of St.John of Kanti - A Cycle of Six 18th Century Italian Paintings
in St. Anne’s Academic Collegiate Church in Cracow
The set of six paintings hanging in the chancel of St. Anne’s
church has not been analysed in any depth in the literaturę of
the subject. The authors who mentioned them marginally (M.
Rożek, M. Karpowicz, J. Samek, the editors of the Catalogue of
Monuments of Art) considered them to be works of the
Moravian painter Jan Neyderfer (active in Little Poland), ex-
ecuted in Cracow in 1775 on commission from the curate of St.
Anne’s academic collegiate church. In fact, those paintings were
created in Romę in 1768, as a tealization within the framework
of a broadly understood papai patronage. They were used as a
decoration of the Polish church in Romę (dedicated to St.
Stanislas) during the triduum held there from 28 February to
2 March 1768. The person responsible for the liturgical part of
the ceremony was the Rev. Antoni Zołędziowski, a Cracovian
canon, professor of the Jagiełlonian University and postulator
in the canonization process of John of Kanti. In turn, the artis-
tic setting of the ceremony, including the decoration of St.
Stanislas’s church, was a responsibility of Giuseppe Forti — a
Professional organizer of church festivities in Romę (festarolo).
The above-mentioned triduum constituted a complement-
ing element of the canonization, celebrated on 16 July 1767 in
St. Peters Basilica, sumptuously adorned on that occasion. In
the decoration of the basilica medallions featuring St. John of
Kanti’s miracles were also depicted. There were only three of
them, though they exceeded the paintings in size. It was either
those medallions or the bozzetta to them that could serve as a
model for the paintings considered. The authors of the six
Cracovian paintings were Roman painters-academicians:
Pompeo Bicchierari and Carlo Yalloni.
The information about images devoted to St. John of Kan-
ti appeared in two contemporary reports, written down “on
the spot” and published in brochures issued by the papai pub-
lisher Chracas in Romę, in 1767 and 1768. Today, they allow
us to explain the genesis and primary function of the six can-
vases.
The paintings resemble tapestries, as they have been
executed on ungrounded canvas, due to which the fabribs weave
shows clearly: all this endows the paintings with interesting
structural effects. Yet, these “tapestries” by their form imitate,
in turn, paintings with carved frames. Thus, different levels
of reality intertwine here. The paintings tracę their origin to
a popular, though even then quite conservative current of the
so-called Marattian painting. It combines a peculiar classicism
and sparing form with the knowledge and artistic utilization
of works by old masters (in accordance with Carlo Maratta’s
recommendation). The reflections of Maratta’s paintings are
discernible in the works discussed. The paintings refer also
to well-grounded archetypes (framework subjects), drawn from
old painting and graphic art. Despite a peculiar modę of
their creation (as a part of a larger whole and a product
of ephemeral art), their artistic level can be described as fully
Professional.
The paintings illustrate six miraculous events which had
occurred at the instance of the Cracovian clergyman, a profes-
sor of the Cracovian University, theologian and writer, John of
Kanti (1390-1473). From a vast catalogue of his miracles only
those were selected which had been accepted as proofs in the
canonization process. Thus, the events depicted were close in
time to the canonization and had not been represented in the
previous iconography of the saint, quite rich already in the 18th
century. Evidently, painting became reduced in this case to a
purely informational and illustrative function.
samitów i adamaszków karmazynowych suto złotymi ga-
lonami i frędzlami bramowanych obicia, pawilony i festo-
ny, podług najwyśmienitszego rzymskiego gustu, oświe-
ciwszy go takoż zewnątrz i wewnątrz obfitym światłem
z czystego wosku, rozstawionym z cudną symetrią: wpro-
wadzona była przez tegoż JMC ks. KANONIKA PO-
STULATORA w kosztowną kapę ubranego z Watykań-
skiej Bazyliki chorągiew ŚWIĘTEGO; w asystencji licz-
nej różnych pobożnych Bractw, trzymających wokoło cho-
rągwi zapalone pochodnie kilkufuntowe, tudzież zgroma-
dzeń JMC ks. plebanów URBIS, JMCiów lektorów i pro-
fesorów ARCHILYCEI ROMANĘ JMciów adwokatów
konsystorialnych, całej nacji polskiej, mających w rękach
jarzące świece, ŚWIĘTEMU, jako Plebanowi niegdyś
Miasta Olkusza, i Doktorowi Pisma Świętego w Akade-
mii Krakowskiej, czyniących winny hołd pobożności i usza-
nowania. Podczas tej solennej procesji dały się słyszeć roz-
stawione na wałach armaty Fortecy S. Anioła Stróża, jako
i wszystkie dzwony całego Rzymu: ulice, którymi prze-
chodziła procesja, przystrojone były w piękne bławaty
i szpalery [.. J67.
I aczkolwiek już się skończyła była trzechdniowa uro-
czystość, jednak dla nasycenia pobożnej ciekawości, tu-
dzież czyniąc zadosyć powszechnemu żądaniu, stał Ko-
ściół przez cały tydzień nie rozebrany z swych dekoracji
wabiących oko, w których wszyscy gust dobry i przepych
bogaty upatrywali.
67 Tu następuje skrócony opis ceremonii religijnej i audiencji,
której udzielił Polakom papież Klemens XIII.
Miracles of St.John of Kanti - A Cycle of Six 18th Century Italian Paintings
in St. Anne’s Academic Collegiate Church in Cracow
The set of six paintings hanging in the chancel of St. Anne’s
church has not been analysed in any depth in the literaturę of
the subject. The authors who mentioned them marginally (M.
Rożek, M. Karpowicz, J. Samek, the editors of the Catalogue of
Monuments of Art) considered them to be works of the
Moravian painter Jan Neyderfer (active in Little Poland), ex-
ecuted in Cracow in 1775 on commission from the curate of St.
Anne’s academic collegiate church. In fact, those paintings were
created in Romę in 1768, as a tealization within the framework
of a broadly understood papai patronage. They were used as a
decoration of the Polish church in Romę (dedicated to St.
Stanislas) during the triduum held there from 28 February to
2 March 1768. The person responsible for the liturgical part of
the ceremony was the Rev. Antoni Zołędziowski, a Cracovian
canon, professor of the Jagiełlonian University and postulator
in the canonization process of John of Kanti. In turn, the artis-
tic setting of the ceremony, including the decoration of St.
Stanislas’s church, was a responsibility of Giuseppe Forti — a
Professional organizer of church festivities in Romę (festarolo).
The above-mentioned triduum constituted a complement-
ing element of the canonization, celebrated on 16 July 1767 in
St. Peters Basilica, sumptuously adorned on that occasion. In
the decoration of the basilica medallions featuring St. John of
Kanti’s miracles were also depicted. There were only three of
them, though they exceeded the paintings in size. It was either
those medallions or the bozzetta to them that could serve as a
model for the paintings considered. The authors of the six
Cracovian paintings were Roman painters-academicians:
Pompeo Bicchierari and Carlo Yalloni.
The information about images devoted to St. John of Kan-
ti appeared in two contemporary reports, written down “on
the spot” and published in brochures issued by the papai pub-
lisher Chracas in Romę, in 1767 and 1768. Today, they allow
us to explain the genesis and primary function of the six can-
vases.
The paintings resemble tapestries, as they have been
executed on ungrounded canvas, due to which the fabribs weave
shows clearly: all this endows the paintings with interesting
structural effects. Yet, these “tapestries” by their form imitate,
in turn, paintings with carved frames. Thus, different levels
of reality intertwine here. The paintings tracę their origin to
a popular, though even then quite conservative current of the
so-called Marattian painting. It combines a peculiar classicism
and sparing form with the knowledge and artistic utilization
of works by old masters (in accordance with Carlo Maratta’s
recommendation). The reflections of Maratta’s paintings are
discernible in the works discussed. The paintings refer also
to well-grounded archetypes (framework subjects), drawn from
old painting and graphic art. Despite a peculiar modę of
their creation (as a part of a larger whole and a product
of ephemeral art), their artistic level can be described as fully
Professional.
The paintings illustrate six miraculous events which had
occurred at the instance of the Cracovian clergyman, a profes-
sor of the Cracovian University, theologian and writer, John of
Kanti (1390-1473). From a vast catalogue of his miracles only
those were selected which had been accepted as proofs in the
canonization process. Thus, the events depicted were close in
time to the canonization and had not been represented in the
previous iconography of the saint, quite rich already in the 18th
century. Evidently, painting became reduced in this case to a
purely informational and illustrative function.