DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29195#0105
Fig. 95. Leon Potocki, Swiqcone czyli
Paiac Potockich w Warszawie, Poznan
1861, BNW. Title page of the second edi-
tion of Leon Potocki's book on the Po-
tocki Palace (Poznah, 1861). The small
volume by Bonawentura of Kochanow
(Potocki's pen-name) must have en-
joyed considerable popularity to go into
a second, more decorative edition.
Finally the day came for the ball in the Potocki Palace. It was not given by Stanisiaw
Potocki and his wife, whose official residence at the time was presumably Wilanow, but
by Murat. We should remember that in fact he was designated to be king of Poland in
the event of the creation of a real Polish state. As Leon Potocki related, on 22ntl Janu-
ary 1807 the apartments ofthe Potocki Palace were glittering with light; Murat the Prince
ofBerg was giving a magnificent ballfior the Emperor Napoleon. From nine o'clock in the
eveningon there was a continuous clatter ofcarriages arriving in the Palace’s court. The spa-
cious halls started to fill up with Warsaw’s foremost belles, an innumerable host offoreign
princes, marshals ofFrance, military men, administrative ojficers, and citizens. The Ladies’
elaborate and refined gowns, those rich and diversified uniforms laden with gold and silver,
that abundance ofmedals and distinctions - it was all an extraordinary and charming
sight. Among the large company ofguestsyou could observe the King ofBavaria; the Grand
Duke ofBaden; the Emperor’s brother-in-law, Prince Borghese-Guastalla; the Prince Ho-
henzollern; the Minister ofSaxony; the Prince ofSalm, Minister ofthe Confederation of
the Rhine; the Duke de Dalberg, Ambassador ofBaden; Baron de Bray, Ambassador ofBa-
varia; the Ambassadors ofSpain andNassau-Usingen; the Counts de St. Julien; the Field-
Marshal and General St. Vincent ofthe Austrian army; and the Austrian Colonel Neu-
perg. You could spot the Marshals ofFrance, Massena and Davoust, in the midst of French
generals; Talleyrand, Prince de Benevent, Minister ofForeign Ajfairs; the Italian Minister
Marescalchi; Maret, Minister Secretary ofState; and then the fiormer dignitaries ofPoland,
Stanislaw Matachowski, Grand Referendary ofthe Kingdom ofPoland andMarshal ofthe
Four-Year Parliament [1788-1792]; Stanislaw andAleksander Potocki; Stanislaw Soityk;
Tomasz Ostrowski; and Ludwik Gutakowski; Jozef Radzimihski, Voivode of Gniezno;
Ossolihski, Starost of Drohiczyn; Walenty Sobolewski, Starost ofWarsaw; while Wybicki;
Gdrzehski the Castellan and Gorzehski the General; Lubiehski and Luszczewski; and
Prince Jdzef Poniatowski could be seen among the Polish generals and officers (Fig. 95).
During the ball the Potocki Palace was like the omphalos, the symbolic navel of
the world, the most important place on earth. Never before, perhaps, nor afterwards,
would so many celebrities be gathered here. But its culmination was yet to come — fi-
nally the anxiously awaited chief guest appeared in the Palace’s cour d’honneur. This
is how Leon Potocki describes the scene: Then the clatter ofcarriages was heard rolling
into the court, the patter of horses’ hooves, the screech ofthe arms of the guards as they
stepped out, and the cry ofthepeople, “vive L’Empereur!"Murat's adjutant informed him
that the Emperor was coming, and Murat ran out to meet him. After a while the doors
to the ballroom were opened and General Gouvion, Governor ofWarsaw, at the head of
theparty, cried, “I’Empereur!”All the Ladies rose from their chairs, turning their eyes to-
wards the entrance door. A deep silence ensued, all seemed to be breathless, curiosity and
expectation seemed to have paralysed Life. The chamberlains, Aleksander Prince Sapieha,
Michal Prince Radziwill, and ALeksander Prince Potocki, and Broniec, came at the head
of the retinue. Then came Duroc, Grand Marshal ofthe Imperial Palace; and then the
Emperor. A few paces behind him came Prince Murat, Grand Duke ofBerg, the master
of the house; after him came Berthier, Minister ofWar; General Le Marois, the Emperor’s
aide de camp; and the rest ofthe retinue.
Leon Potocki met the challenge of building up the drama; he managed to create an at-
mosphere of loftiness, euphoria, and even the exaltation proper to those times, in which
people really believed that Poland’s future would change for the better and that she
would be able to enter and prosper in an entity that was not fully defined yet - something
between an all-European empire, and an as yet incompletely contrived ^'''-century Eu-
112
Paiac Potockich w Warszawie, Poznan
1861, BNW. Title page of the second edi-
tion of Leon Potocki's book on the Po-
tocki Palace (Poznah, 1861). The small
volume by Bonawentura of Kochanow
(Potocki's pen-name) must have en-
joyed considerable popularity to go into
a second, more decorative edition.
Finally the day came for the ball in the Potocki Palace. It was not given by Stanisiaw
Potocki and his wife, whose official residence at the time was presumably Wilanow, but
by Murat. We should remember that in fact he was designated to be king of Poland in
the event of the creation of a real Polish state. As Leon Potocki related, on 22ntl Janu-
ary 1807 the apartments ofthe Potocki Palace were glittering with light; Murat the Prince
ofBerg was giving a magnificent ballfior the Emperor Napoleon. From nine o'clock in the
eveningon there was a continuous clatter ofcarriages arriving in the Palace’s court. The spa-
cious halls started to fill up with Warsaw’s foremost belles, an innumerable host offoreign
princes, marshals ofFrance, military men, administrative ojficers, and citizens. The Ladies’
elaborate and refined gowns, those rich and diversified uniforms laden with gold and silver,
that abundance ofmedals and distinctions - it was all an extraordinary and charming
sight. Among the large company ofguestsyou could observe the King ofBavaria; the Grand
Duke ofBaden; the Emperor’s brother-in-law, Prince Borghese-Guastalla; the Prince Ho-
henzollern; the Minister ofSaxony; the Prince ofSalm, Minister ofthe Confederation of
the Rhine; the Duke de Dalberg, Ambassador ofBaden; Baron de Bray, Ambassador ofBa-
varia; the Ambassadors ofSpain andNassau-Usingen; the Counts de St. Julien; the Field-
Marshal and General St. Vincent ofthe Austrian army; and the Austrian Colonel Neu-
perg. You could spot the Marshals ofFrance, Massena and Davoust, in the midst of French
generals; Talleyrand, Prince de Benevent, Minister ofForeign Ajfairs; the Italian Minister
Marescalchi; Maret, Minister Secretary ofState; and then the fiormer dignitaries ofPoland,
Stanislaw Matachowski, Grand Referendary ofthe Kingdom ofPoland andMarshal ofthe
Four-Year Parliament [1788-1792]; Stanislaw andAleksander Potocki; Stanislaw Soityk;
Tomasz Ostrowski; and Ludwik Gutakowski; Jozef Radzimihski, Voivode of Gniezno;
Ossolihski, Starost of Drohiczyn; Walenty Sobolewski, Starost ofWarsaw; while Wybicki;
Gdrzehski the Castellan and Gorzehski the General; Lubiehski and Luszczewski; and
Prince Jdzef Poniatowski could be seen among the Polish generals and officers (Fig. 95).
During the ball the Potocki Palace was like the omphalos, the symbolic navel of
the world, the most important place on earth. Never before, perhaps, nor afterwards,
would so many celebrities be gathered here. But its culmination was yet to come — fi-
nally the anxiously awaited chief guest appeared in the Palace’s cour d’honneur. This
is how Leon Potocki describes the scene: Then the clatter ofcarriages was heard rolling
into the court, the patter of horses’ hooves, the screech ofthe arms of the guards as they
stepped out, and the cry ofthepeople, “vive L’Empereur!"Murat's adjutant informed him
that the Emperor was coming, and Murat ran out to meet him. After a while the doors
to the ballroom were opened and General Gouvion, Governor ofWarsaw, at the head of
theparty, cried, “I’Empereur!”All the Ladies rose from their chairs, turning their eyes to-
wards the entrance door. A deep silence ensued, all seemed to be breathless, curiosity and
expectation seemed to have paralysed Life. The chamberlains, Aleksander Prince Sapieha,
Michal Prince Radziwill, and ALeksander Prince Potocki, and Broniec, came at the head
of the retinue. Then came Duroc, Grand Marshal ofthe Imperial Palace; and then the
Emperor. A few paces behind him came Prince Murat, Grand Duke ofBerg, the master
of the house; after him came Berthier, Minister ofWar; General Le Marois, the Emperor’s
aide de camp; and the rest ofthe retinue.
Leon Potocki met the challenge of building up the drama; he managed to create an at-
mosphere of loftiness, euphoria, and even the exaltation proper to those times, in which
people really believed that Poland’s future would change for the better and that she
would be able to enter and prosper in an entity that was not fully defined yet - something
between an all-European empire, and an as yet incompletely contrived ^'''-century Eu-
112