DOI Heft:
Recenzje
DOI Artikel:Kurzej, Michał: Jeannie Łabno, "Commemorating the Polish Renaissance Child": [Rezension]; Ashgate, Farnham 2011
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32431#0193
Folia Historiae Artium
Seria Nowa, t. 13: 2015/pl issn 0071-6723
MICHAŁ KURZEJ
Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Historii Sztuki
REVIEW
JEANNIE LABNO,
“COMMEMORATING
THE POLISH RENAISSANCE CHILD”,
ASHGATE, FARNHAM 2011, 472 PR, ILS.
Foreign language books dedicated to early Polish art are
extremely rare, therefore, any such publication entails hope
that it will draw the attention of many foreign readers to
this area. Admittedly, the book at issue also might play such
a role, yet sadly it will not contribute to popularising reliable
knowledge about Polish history and art. This results from
the fact that Jeannie Labno’s work is flawed with extremely
serious methodological errors, while the information it con-
tains is to a large degree distorted and untrue.
The book was written on the basis of a doctoral disserta-
tion prepared under the tuition of Professor Nigel Llewellyn
and defended at the University of Sussex. The subject it dis-
cusses - Renaissance childrehs tombstones - was first appre-
ciated a relatively long time ago 1, whereas the most relevant
examples were collected and classified by Maria Kołakowska
already in 1956. The above-mentioned researcher also indi-
cated the most characteristic iconographic patterns for
a group of such monuments where the motif ofputto with
a skull, a popular allegory for the vanity of human existence,
was used as the image of the deceased 2. Labno zealously
endeavoured to develop Kołakowskas research, resorting to
methods from the range of statistics and cultural anthro-
pology, yet her lack of skill in handling historical methods
and ignorance of many fundamental facts prevented her
from reaching any new conclusions.
1 L. Lepszy, [Nagrobek Katarzyny Pileckiej], “Sprawozdania Komisyi
do Badania Historyi Sztuki w Polsce”, 7,1905, No. 4, columns cccxv-
cccxvn; M. Sokołowski, [Uzupełnienie w sprawie nagrobka
w Pilicy], ibidem, columns cccxvii-cccxxn.
2 M. Kołakowska, Renesansowe nagrobki dziecięce w Polsce
xvi i pierwszej potowy xvn wieku, “Studia Renesansowe”, 1,1956,
pp. 231-255.
1. A map of Poiand in the 16 th century according to J. Labno, Comme-
morating the Polish Renaissance Child, front matter
The need to determine the boundaries of Poland already
presented the author with a fundamental problem; accord-
ing to the map printed on the pre-title page [Fig. 1], not only
did they encompass the Great Duchy of Lithuania in the 16 th
century, but they also included Bohemia with Silesia and
Hungary with Croatia 3. The location and political status
of Lithuania are such a mystery for the author that it is
3 The map was copied (without source reference) from N. Davies’s
work, God’s Playground, where it was provided with the caption
“The Jagiellonian Realm (c. 1500)” (New York 2005, p. 112).
Seria Nowa, t. 13: 2015/pl issn 0071-6723
MICHAŁ KURZEJ
Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Historii Sztuki
REVIEW
JEANNIE LABNO,
“COMMEMORATING
THE POLISH RENAISSANCE CHILD”,
ASHGATE, FARNHAM 2011, 472 PR, ILS.
Foreign language books dedicated to early Polish art are
extremely rare, therefore, any such publication entails hope
that it will draw the attention of many foreign readers to
this area. Admittedly, the book at issue also might play such
a role, yet sadly it will not contribute to popularising reliable
knowledge about Polish history and art. This results from
the fact that Jeannie Labno’s work is flawed with extremely
serious methodological errors, while the information it con-
tains is to a large degree distorted and untrue.
The book was written on the basis of a doctoral disserta-
tion prepared under the tuition of Professor Nigel Llewellyn
and defended at the University of Sussex. The subject it dis-
cusses - Renaissance childrehs tombstones - was first appre-
ciated a relatively long time ago 1, whereas the most relevant
examples were collected and classified by Maria Kołakowska
already in 1956. The above-mentioned researcher also indi-
cated the most characteristic iconographic patterns for
a group of such monuments where the motif ofputto with
a skull, a popular allegory for the vanity of human existence,
was used as the image of the deceased 2. Labno zealously
endeavoured to develop Kołakowskas research, resorting to
methods from the range of statistics and cultural anthro-
pology, yet her lack of skill in handling historical methods
and ignorance of many fundamental facts prevented her
from reaching any new conclusions.
1 L. Lepszy, [Nagrobek Katarzyny Pileckiej], “Sprawozdania Komisyi
do Badania Historyi Sztuki w Polsce”, 7,1905, No. 4, columns cccxv-
cccxvn; M. Sokołowski, [Uzupełnienie w sprawie nagrobka
w Pilicy], ibidem, columns cccxvii-cccxxn.
2 M. Kołakowska, Renesansowe nagrobki dziecięce w Polsce
xvi i pierwszej potowy xvn wieku, “Studia Renesansowe”, 1,1956,
pp. 231-255.
1. A map of Poiand in the 16 th century according to J. Labno, Comme-
morating the Polish Renaissance Child, front matter
The need to determine the boundaries of Poland already
presented the author with a fundamental problem; accord-
ing to the map printed on the pre-title page [Fig. 1], not only
did they encompass the Great Duchy of Lithuania in the 16 th
century, but they also included Bohemia with Silesia and
Hungary with Croatia 3. The location and political status
of Lithuania are such a mystery for the author that it is
3 The map was copied (without source reference) from N. Davies’s
work, God’s Playground, where it was provided with the caption
“The Jagiellonian Realm (c. 1500)” (New York 2005, p. 112).