DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29195#0023
no conversions had been carried out on the interior arrangement since the beginning
of the reigns of the Wettin kings (1697). The proprietors’ main rooms were on the
ground floor; the only upstairs rooms described are the hall and the Prince’s study.
The Princess’ rooms were on the left-hand side of the vestibule, and the Prince’s on
the right. The lady of the house had four rooms: a bedroom, a study, a “second room,”
and an antechamber, along with two wardrobes and dressing rooms, all sumptuously
and meticulously appointed, the walls covered with green brocatelle, damask, and
velvet with gilt panels and gold braid. The curtains and upholstery for the furniture
were made of matching fabrics. Between the windows and the fireplaces there were
large mirrors, with chandeliers at their sides to light up the rooms. Decorative panels
hung above the paintings of still life - flowers, fruit, and hunters’ game. The register
lists a lot of furniture - tables, chairs, settees, desks - but one of the most noteworthy
is the Princess’ ornamented bedstead, white satin on the inside decorated with gold
and multi-coloured braid, green velvet on the outside festooned with braiding and
tassels, with a decorative board running round the top, and ornamental trelliswork at
the bottom of the bed. In addition china figurines - kittens, birds, and other trifles -
embellished the Princess’ bedroom. The master of the house had a large room which
served for dining, and two other rooms overlooking the garden. From the extant part
of the description we learn that in one of them there were cabinets holding a collec-
tion of books. The interiors were decorated with paintings mounted on supraportes
and vases on the mantels and along the walls. The Prince’s bedroom was probably
upstairs, but there is no mention of it in the description. The Palace was still awaiting
its major transformation, which would turn it into a residence truly fit for a prince.
What was the Prince’s new residence like when was it created, and who was the chief
architect responsible for the conversion? Numerous written sources have records on
its splendour. Some, in Teki Korotyriskie, are a bit confusing. One of the 19tl’-century
press items says that the little palace was designed in the 18th century by the architect
Fontana and separated ofF from the street with the corps de garde designed by Hiz
the architect. Another tells us that part of the Potocki Palace was erected by Adam
Mikolaj Sieniawski, Lord Castellan of Krakow and Grand Hetman of Poland. Origi-
nally it consisted only of large halls, probably intended to serve as barracks. It was
converted by the Hetman’s daughter Zofia, the last of the Sieniawski, wife of Prince
August Czartoryski, Lord Voivode of Ruthenia (Bohdziewicz 1964, pp. 257—259).
Today we know beyond all doubt that Adam Mikolaj Sieniawski had next to noth-
ing to do with the Palace. We also know that his daughter Zofia (or strictly speak-
ing Maria Zofia) played only a minor part (if any at all) in its conversion. All the
signs are that the conversion was accomplished chiefly thanks to August Aleksander
Czartoryski, Voivode of Ruthenia, though probably with his wife’s involvement and
support. Some of the work probably started already in the 1730s, soon after they were
married, but the conversion proper, which determined the Palace’s rank among the
other aristocratic residences of Warsaw, did not come until 1754—1766 (Sito 2010).
However, it is still difficult to identify its architect. Fontana (1710-1773), the designer
of the Collegium Nobilium on ulica Miodowa in Warsaw and the country mansion
at Radzyn Podlaski, might have been the chief architect of the Czartoryski Palace
(Kwiatkowski 1989, p. 107). Fontana is named as the Palace’s architect by Antoni
Magier in Estetyka miasta stolecznego Warszawy (Magier 1963, p. 116). Could this dis-
tinguished Polish-born architect with Italian roots have worked on the project with
Efraim Szreger (Ephraim Schroger; 1727-1783), known primarily for the design of
of the reigns of the Wettin kings (1697). The proprietors’ main rooms were on the
ground floor; the only upstairs rooms described are the hall and the Prince’s study.
The Princess’ rooms were on the left-hand side of the vestibule, and the Prince’s on
the right. The lady of the house had four rooms: a bedroom, a study, a “second room,”
and an antechamber, along with two wardrobes and dressing rooms, all sumptuously
and meticulously appointed, the walls covered with green brocatelle, damask, and
velvet with gilt panels and gold braid. The curtains and upholstery for the furniture
were made of matching fabrics. Between the windows and the fireplaces there were
large mirrors, with chandeliers at their sides to light up the rooms. Decorative panels
hung above the paintings of still life - flowers, fruit, and hunters’ game. The register
lists a lot of furniture - tables, chairs, settees, desks - but one of the most noteworthy
is the Princess’ ornamented bedstead, white satin on the inside decorated with gold
and multi-coloured braid, green velvet on the outside festooned with braiding and
tassels, with a decorative board running round the top, and ornamental trelliswork at
the bottom of the bed. In addition china figurines - kittens, birds, and other trifles -
embellished the Princess’ bedroom. The master of the house had a large room which
served for dining, and two other rooms overlooking the garden. From the extant part
of the description we learn that in one of them there were cabinets holding a collec-
tion of books. The interiors were decorated with paintings mounted on supraportes
and vases on the mantels and along the walls. The Prince’s bedroom was probably
upstairs, but there is no mention of it in the description. The Palace was still awaiting
its major transformation, which would turn it into a residence truly fit for a prince.
What was the Prince’s new residence like when was it created, and who was the chief
architect responsible for the conversion? Numerous written sources have records on
its splendour. Some, in Teki Korotyriskie, are a bit confusing. One of the 19tl’-century
press items says that the little palace was designed in the 18th century by the architect
Fontana and separated ofF from the street with the corps de garde designed by Hiz
the architect. Another tells us that part of the Potocki Palace was erected by Adam
Mikolaj Sieniawski, Lord Castellan of Krakow and Grand Hetman of Poland. Origi-
nally it consisted only of large halls, probably intended to serve as barracks. It was
converted by the Hetman’s daughter Zofia, the last of the Sieniawski, wife of Prince
August Czartoryski, Lord Voivode of Ruthenia (Bohdziewicz 1964, pp. 257—259).
Today we know beyond all doubt that Adam Mikolaj Sieniawski had next to noth-
ing to do with the Palace. We also know that his daughter Zofia (or strictly speak-
ing Maria Zofia) played only a minor part (if any at all) in its conversion. All the
signs are that the conversion was accomplished chiefly thanks to August Aleksander
Czartoryski, Voivode of Ruthenia, though probably with his wife’s involvement and
support. Some of the work probably started already in the 1730s, soon after they were
married, but the conversion proper, which determined the Palace’s rank among the
other aristocratic residences of Warsaw, did not come until 1754—1766 (Sito 2010).
However, it is still difficult to identify its architect. Fontana (1710-1773), the designer
of the Collegium Nobilium on ulica Miodowa in Warsaw and the country mansion
at Radzyn Podlaski, might have been the chief architect of the Czartoryski Palace
(Kwiatkowski 1989, p. 107). Fontana is named as the Palace’s architect by Antoni
Magier in Estetyka miasta stolecznego Warszawy (Magier 1963, p. 116). Could this dis-
tinguished Polish-born architect with Italian roots have worked on the project with
Efraim Szreger (Ephraim Schroger; 1727-1783), known primarily for the design of