DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29195#0115
■«■ l t i i-
Hiiintju uwmnwrm
Wittt ’llltltnlnuli} li’
Secrets of the Past
122
With Armenian roots and associated with Wilno and its university, Jan Rustem
received his art education in Warsaw, tutored by Piotr Norblin (Jean-Pierre Norblin
de La Gourdaine) and subsequently by Marcello Bacciarelli in what was known as
the Painting Establishment at the Royal Castle (Malarnia na Zamku Krdlewskini). He
could well have examined the watercolours in the King’s collection depicting many
of the fine paintings from Pompeii. These were the works, along with tableaux vivants
like Lorcia en danseuse d’Herculanum, in which Lorcia (presumably Laura Potocka)
appeared as a dancer from Herculaneum, which inspired him to paint the portrait of
Maria Mirska, Barbara Szumska, and Adam Napoleon Mirski. In this painting the
central figure is Maria Mirska, presented as a dancer with cymbals in her hands. Her
pose may on the one hand be seen as a forerunner of the dancer in Brodowski’s de-
sign, and on the other as a visual embodiment of the dancer described in Dembows-
ki’s memoirs. As we have seen and as Dembowski’s reminiscences tell us, tableaux
vivants were popular in Warsaw at the time, and Rustem was often asked to stage
them. In an age when practically everyone was interested in the excavations carried
out in the Vesuvian towns, the reception of the art of Antiquity was being promoted
not only directly by ancient works of art, but also by performances of this kind, which
were inspired by ancient artworks. The performances given in the Potocki Palace
were in perfect harmony with the Neo-Pompeian decoration of the superb Arabesque
Room (see Figs. 35-38).
Our relation of the Palace’s story would be incomplete without at Ieast one account
of the minor theatrical performances given in it. First we shall present a roll-call of
the visitors who were its frequent guests after the death of Count Stanislaw Kostka.
Natalia Kicka wrote that she and her aunt Teresa often used to call on the senior Mrs.
Potocka, nee Lubomirska, the widow ofStanislaw, the Minister ofEducation. The Dow-
ager Countess lived in the palace on the Krakowskie Przedmiescie, opposite the former
Radziwill Palace, where the statue of Marshal Paskevich now stood. She kept an open
house, with balls and dinners, and was visited every day for tea by old Kownacki, the
author ofa now rare book on history whom the paupers ofWarsaw nicknamed Robinson
Crusoe; Jozef, the old Count Sierakowski; poor Brzozia, who sujferedfrom dropsy; Mrs.
Laura Tarnowska nee Potocka; the playwright Niemcewicz; Natalia Potocka, who had
married Prince Roman Sanguszko; old Metzell the designer ofZofidwka House; and oth-
ers (Kicka 1972, pp. 181-182). Almost all of these people may be seen on a drawing
probably made around 1810, to which we shall return in due course. Now for Kicka’s
brief reminiscence of a theatrical event at the Palace: After the ball the ladies wanted
a comedy played. Mrs. Potocka’s huge apartment could easily serve as a smallplayhouse.
Rehearsals in it were even more fun than the gala evenings attended by the Grand Duke
Constantine. Prince Adam’s wife, newly returnedfrom Paris, appeared in one ofthese, a
shortfarce by Niemcewicz. SheplayedPani Madam (“Mrs. Madam"), with a kitten un-
der one arm and a puppy under the other. She was being hiredfor the post ofa governess
by a stewardplayed by Sagatyhski, who held an enormous whip in his hand. He also held
a long register ofprovisions for the pantry: pepper, spices, coffee etc., and last on the list was
an item in which his master and mistress required him to hire a governessfor their children
(Kicka 1972, pp. 183-184).
A fascinating iconographic record has survived from the times when comedies and
tableaux vivants were performed in the Potocki Palace. Moreover, it provides a tes-
timonial to a flourishing social life in the Polish style (Fig. 102). It presents a hu-
morous and rather venturesome drawing by Laura Potocka, presumably the Lorcia
Hiiintju uwmnwrm
Wittt ’llltltnlnuli} li’
Secrets of the Past
122
With Armenian roots and associated with Wilno and its university, Jan Rustem
received his art education in Warsaw, tutored by Piotr Norblin (Jean-Pierre Norblin
de La Gourdaine) and subsequently by Marcello Bacciarelli in what was known as
the Painting Establishment at the Royal Castle (Malarnia na Zamku Krdlewskini). He
could well have examined the watercolours in the King’s collection depicting many
of the fine paintings from Pompeii. These were the works, along with tableaux vivants
like Lorcia en danseuse d’Herculanum, in which Lorcia (presumably Laura Potocka)
appeared as a dancer from Herculaneum, which inspired him to paint the portrait of
Maria Mirska, Barbara Szumska, and Adam Napoleon Mirski. In this painting the
central figure is Maria Mirska, presented as a dancer with cymbals in her hands. Her
pose may on the one hand be seen as a forerunner of the dancer in Brodowski’s de-
sign, and on the other as a visual embodiment of the dancer described in Dembows-
ki’s memoirs. As we have seen and as Dembowski’s reminiscences tell us, tableaux
vivants were popular in Warsaw at the time, and Rustem was often asked to stage
them. In an age when practically everyone was interested in the excavations carried
out in the Vesuvian towns, the reception of the art of Antiquity was being promoted
not only directly by ancient works of art, but also by performances of this kind, which
were inspired by ancient artworks. The performances given in the Potocki Palace
were in perfect harmony with the Neo-Pompeian decoration of the superb Arabesque
Room (see Figs. 35-38).
Our relation of the Palace’s story would be incomplete without at Ieast one account
of the minor theatrical performances given in it. First we shall present a roll-call of
the visitors who were its frequent guests after the death of Count Stanislaw Kostka.
Natalia Kicka wrote that she and her aunt Teresa often used to call on the senior Mrs.
Potocka, nee Lubomirska, the widow ofStanislaw, the Minister ofEducation. The Dow-
ager Countess lived in the palace on the Krakowskie Przedmiescie, opposite the former
Radziwill Palace, where the statue of Marshal Paskevich now stood. She kept an open
house, with balls and dinners, and was visited every day for tea by old Kownacki, the
author ofa now rare book on history whom the paupers ofWarsaw nicknamed Robinson
Crusoe; Jozef, the old Count Sierakowski; poor Brzozia, who sujferedfrom dropsy; Mrs.
Laura Tarnowska nee Potocka; the playwright Niemcewicz; Natalia Potocka, who had
married Prince Roman Sanguszko; old Metzell the designer ofZofidwka House; and oth-
ers (Kicka 1972, pp. 181-182). Almost all of these people may be seen on a drawing
probably made around 1810, to which we shall return in due course. Now for Kicka’s
brief reminiscence of a theatrical event at the Palace: After the ball the ladies wanted
a comedy played. Mrs. Potocka’s huge apartment could easily serve as a smallplayhouse.
Rehearsals in it were even more fun than the gala evenings attended by the Grand Duke
Constantine. Prince Adam’s wife, newly returnedfrom Paris, appeared in one ofthese, a
shortfarce by Niemcewicz. SheplayedPani Madam (“Mrs. Madam"), with a kitten un-
der one arm and a puppy under the other. She was being hiredfor the post ofa governess
by a stewardplayed by Sagatyhski, who held an enormous whip in his hand. He also held
a long register ofprovisions for the pantry: pepper, spices, coffee etc., and last on the list was
an item in which his master and mistress required him to hire a governessfor their children
(Kicka 1972, pp. 183-184).
A fascinating iconographic record has survived from the times when comedies and
tableaux vivants were performed in the Potocki Palace. Moreover, it provides a tes-
timonial to a flourishing social life in the Polish style (Fig. 102). It presents a hu-
morous and rather venturesome drawing by Laura Potocka, presumably the Lorcia