DOI Artikel:
Secomska, Krystyna: Freski w opolskiej Kaplicy Piastowskiej i malowidła w kościele w Lubiechowej: ze studiów nad gotyckim malarstwem ściennym na Śląsku
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16407#0182
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KRYSTYNA SECOMSKA
with a dancing devil on the right (or heraldically left, i.e. „bad") side of the composition entitled Die underscheit der Welt
Ciii- 48).
In the same zone (ill. 35) next to dressed up Living couple (a „modern" version of Adam and Eve) appear two Dead with
scrolls and a spade. H. Rosenfeld (fn. 55) considers the exchangeability of images of Death and the Dead ones (her envoy); the
formula at Hohenliebenthal refers certainly to représentations of Death as a gravedigger. Worms and snakes crawl out from heads
and arms of living corpses („transi"); comparable mingling of (sometimes even lyrical) love motives with „expressionist" macabre
ones constituted a regular répertoire of late médiéval and early Rennaissance art, especially in Germany (fn. 56-59). Still, what
was meant at Hohenliebenthal was simple didactic message. It seems to me that the figures of the "transi" belong to a spécifie
iconographie tradition, to images of „princeps mundi" and „Frau Welt" (fn. 61-65). Obviously, the patterns developed in the
German art in the 13th-14th century have undergone a great number of transformations. At Hohenliebenthal figures of the Living
and the Dead corpses in décomposition were depicted simultaneously - like the „obverse" and the „reverse" of the statues from
portais of cathedrals; the Silesian painter must have copied this spécifie variant from an illuminated manuscript. The dynamie of
the Dead couple reveals also a relation to médiéval Dances of Death (fn. 67).
In the wali painting at Hohenliebenthal at the top of the field reigns David - „rex et propheta" (ill. 34). The figure of the
prophet, one of the major „witnesses" on the Last Judgement day and, above ail, Christ's prototype (fn. 53) is very likely to
constitute the key to the compréhension of the meaning of the allegory. David's seven Penitential-Canticles were believed to be
the best remedy against Seven Mortal Sins (fn. 54).
„Weltdienst ist Teufeldienst" (fn. 56). The story about the original Sin of the First Parents was provided at Hohenliebenthal
with an „updating" commentary. After the delusive charm of the earthly life: love pleasures and clownish amusements nothing
remains left but the decay. The allusion to the Canticles had surely the objective of encouraging penance. In the primary iconographie
programme an antithesis Eve - Mary might be also observed, but with our incomplète knowledge about the contents of pictures
at Hohenliebenthal such a hypothesis would be prématuré.
Out of diverse: theological, but also „poetic" aspects of the story of Adam and Eve (fn. 75-121 ) the author of the ideological
program for Hohenliebenthal has accepted just one (most grim): „peccatum originale fuit causa mortis". The idea of „Todessymbolik
des Sundenfalls" (fn. 76) was also présent in the 14th-century wali painting in Little Poland (fn. 91). It is regrettable that so little
was maintained from the 14th-century Silesian cycle at Mollwitz where in the only remaining zone majestatic images of the First
Parents appear opposite to the Magi arriving in Bethlehem.
I have afforded the chapters concerning the freseoes at Oppeln and the paintings at Hohenliebenthal with a brief introduction
(Part 1 ) where I have reported the current state of research on the Gothic wali painting in Silesia. This report is, though, too short
to be summarized. Anyway, the Silesian monuments, discovered after 1945 and sińce then thoroughy analysed by Polish historians,
have much contributed to our knowledge of the late médiéval culture in Poland. They also presented comparative materiał in the
research concerning Central- and East-European art. The examples speak for themselves: Schônau near Hirschberg - several
phases of décorations (13th-15th century) of which the most precious are obviously Romanesque paintings in the apse; a puzzling
cycle inside the knights tower at Bober-Rohrsdorf (Siedlęcin) (about 1364-1368?) had already been discovered by German researchers
in the 19th century; nevertheless, it's only now that we approach a downright interprétation of its iconographie program (which
came into existence due to the initiative of Bolko II of Schweidnitz and Jauer or his wife Agnes, Austrian princess). We are better
informed about the art patronage of the dukes of Liegnitz (Legnica) and Brieg. It was, most probably, duke Ludwig II who at the
beginning of the 15th century brought to Silesia the first-class master, whose oeuvre represents a spécifie (and late) version of the
International Style, the author of paintings in Brieg, Kreisewitz (Krzyżowice) and Jâgerndorf (Strzelniki). - Numerous polychromies,
discovered since 1945, have given a basis for conclusions on „the catechist method" and „the graphie manner" in the 15th-century
art. One should also mention paintings from the early 16th century: Tymowa near Liegnitz - the imitation of altar retables; then
Jauer - the Passion cycle based on a 15th-century woodeuts séries; the entire Central- and Easterneuropean wall painting knows
no analogy to this monumental image.
Concluding: the activities of Polish art conservators and historians in Silesia have borne plentiful fruit. On the other hand,
a significant part of the monuments were lost of which évidence supply Oppeln's decaying frescoes and long neglected pictures
in Hohenliebenthal. That is why I have ventured their analysis.
Rysunki wykonali: A. Illow - 5; T. Knaus - 1-4.
Zdjęcia wykonali: W. Kopałczyński - 39; S. Stępniewski - 6, 8, 10-12, 17, 21, 33-38, 40, 42; IHS U AM Poznań - 7, 9, 13, 18,
23-26, 32; Muzeum im. Mikołaja Kopernika, Frombork - 43; Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione, Roma - 16;
Museu d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona - 14; Ûstav Teorie a Dëjin Umëni, Praha - 19, 20, 22, 29
KRYSTYNA SECOMSKA
with a dancing devil on the right (or heraldically left, i.e. „bad") side of the composition entitled Die underscheit der Welt
Ciii- 48).
In the same zone (ill. 35) next to dressed up Living couple (a „modern" version of Adam and Eve) appear two Dead with
scrolls and a spade. H. Rosenfeld (fn. 55) considers the exchangeability of images of Death and the Dead ones (her envoy); the
formula at Hohenliebenthal refers certainly to représentations of Death as a gravedigger. Worms and snakes crawl out from heads
and arms of living corpses („transi"); comparable mingling of (sometimes even lyrical) love motives with „expressionist" macabre
ones constituted a regular répertoire of late médiéval and early Rennaissance art, especially in Germany (fn. 56-59). Still, what
was meant at Hohenliebenthal was simple didactic message. It seems to me that the figures of the "transi" belong to a spécifie
iconographie tradition, to images of „princeps mundi" and „Frau Welt" (fn. 61-65). Obviously, the patterns developed in the
German art in the 13th-14th century have undergone a great number of transformations. At Hohenliebenthal figures of the Living
and the Dead corpses in décomposition were depicted simultaneously - like the „obverse" and the „reverse" of the statues from
portais of cathedrals; the Silesian painter must have copied this spécifie variant from an illuminated manuscript. The dynamie of
the Dead couple reveals also a relation to médiéval Dances of Death (fn. 67).
In the wali painting at Hohenliebenthal at the top of the field reigns David - „rex et propheta" (ill. 34). The figure of the
prophet, one of the major „witnesses" on the Last Judgement day and, above ail, Christ's prototype (fn. 53) is very likely to
constitute the key to the compréhension of the meaning of the allegory. David's seven Penitential-Canticles were believed to be
the best remedy against Seven Mortal Sins (fn. 54).
„Weltdienst ist Teufeldienst" (fn. 56). The story about the original Sin of the First Parents was provided at Hohenliebenthal
with an „updating" commentary. After the delusive charm of the earthly life: love pleasures and clownish amusements nothing
remains left but the decay. The allusion to the Canticles had surely the objective of encouraging penance. In the primary iconographie
programme an antithesis Eve - Mary might be also observed, but with our incomplète knowledge about the contents of pictures
at Hohenliebenthal such a hypothesis would be prématuré.
Out of diverse: theological, but also „poetic" aspects of the story of Adam and Eve (fn. 75-121 ) the author of the ideological
program for Hohenliebenthal has accepted just one (most grim): „peccatum originale fuit causa mortis". The idea of „Todessymbolik
des Sundenfalls" (fn. 76) was also présent in the 14th-century wali painting in Little Poland (fn. 91). It is regrettable that so little
was maintained from the 14th-century Silesian cycle at Mollwitz where in the only remaining zone majestatic images of the First
Parents appear opposite to the Magi arriving in Bethlehem.
I have afforded the chapters concerning the freseoes at Oppeln and the paintings at Hohenliebenthal with a brief introduction
(Part 1 ) where I have reported the current state of research on the Gothic wali painting in Silesia. This report is, though, too short
to be summarized. Anyway, the Silesian monuments, discovered after 1945 and sińce then thoroughy analysed by Polish historians,
have much contributed to our knowledge of the late médiéval culture in Poland. They also presented comparative materiał in the
research concerning Central- and East-European art. The examples speak for themselves: Schônau near Hirschberg - several
phases of décorations (13th-15th century) of which the most precious are obviously Romanesque paintings in the apse; a puzzling
cycle inside the knights tower at Bober-Rohrsdorf (Siedlęcin) (about 1364-1368?) had already been discovered by German researchers
in the 19th century; nevertheless, it's only now that we approach a downright interprétation of its iconographie program (which
came into existence due to the initiative of Bolko II of Schweidnitz and Jauer or his wife Agnes, Austrian princess). We are better
informed about the art patronage of the dukes of Liegnitz (Legnica) and Brieg. It was, most probably, duke Ludwig II who at the
beginning of the 15th century brought to Silesia the first-class master, whose oeuvre represents a spécifie (and late) version of the
International Style, the author of paintings in Brieg, Kreisewitz (Krzyżowice) and Jâgerndorf (Strzelniki). - Numerous polychromies,
discovered since 1945, have given a basis for conclusions on „the catechist method" and „the graphie manner" in the 15th-century
art. One should also mention paintings from the early 16th century: Tymowa near Liegnitz - the imitation of altar retables; then
Jauer - the Passion cycle based on a 15th-century woodeuts séries; the entire Central- and Easterneuropean wall painting knows
no analogy to this monumental image.
Concluding: the activities of Polish art conservators and historians in Silesia have borne plentiful fruit. On the other hand,
a significant part of the monuments were lost of which évidence supply Oppeln's decaying frescoes and long neglected pictures
in Hohenliebenthal. That is why I have ventured their analysis.
Rysunki wykonali: A. Illow - 5; T. Knaus - 1-4.
Zdjęcia wykonali: W. Kopałczyński - 39; S. Stępniewski - 6, 8, 10-12, 17, 21, 33-38, 40, 42; IHS U AM Poznań - 7, 9, 13, 18,
23-26, 32; Muzeum im. Mikołaja Kopernika, Frombork - 43; Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione, Roma - 16;
Museu d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona - 14; Ûstav Teorie a Dëjin Umëni, Praha - 19, 20, 22, 29