Museum Narodowe w Krakowie [Hrsg.]: Rozprawy Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie (N.S. 8.2015)

232

Janusz Czop, Piotr Frączek, Julio M. del Hoyo-Melendez et al.

at the end of 18th century. The first and extremely valuable piece of information regard-
ing the State of preservation of the painting can be found in the catalog of Puławy col-
lection (in French), where a phrase “although very old - it is preserved splendidly”2 is
hand-written by Princess Izabela. This confirms the version that the painting had been
earlier prepared for sale in Italy and it was then, at the end of 18lh century that the thin
walnut panel was glued to an oak cradle, the face side was partly cleaned and the back-
ground, for unknown reason until today - perhaps the original paint layer was cleaned
over - was painted black and at the same time some details were retouched.
There is, of course, a plausible hypothesis that the background was painted over
only in Puławy at the beginning of 19th century or even later in Paris, where the paint-
ing was housed from 1840 to 1876. However, the analysis of evidence seems to indi-
cate that the hypothesis of overpainting the background as early as in 18th century,
before the purchase of the painting, is most probable.
By contrast, the inscription “LA BELE FERONIERE. LEONARD D’WINCI” was
surely madę later in Puławy between 1800-1809. As Marek Rostworowski writes
“such spelling could have only been used by a Sarmata (TN: a typical Polish noble-
man) who repeating Izabelas mistake «dAvinci» (in the Polish version of the catalog
of the Gothic House), doubled the letter V, which cannot have been done in Italy or
France. Thus, the inscription must have been madę in Puławy around 1809, when
the Gothic House was opened.”3
At the same time when the “erroneous” inscription was painted on the face, on
the reverse the inventory number C.EC.DG.4184 was written, which has been pre-
served until today. The place of the painted number (in the middle of the upper field
marked by battens of the cradle and a crosspiece) and its partial damage are proofs
that the oak cradle was glued to the reverse of the panel at the moment of painting
the number, that is before 1809.5 The cradle was removed before 1914, sińce at that
time a German seal of Gołuchowska Ordynacja (TN: landed property)6 was added,
stamped also on the reverse but in the place where the cradle used to be.
The first documented examination of the painting with the use of X-rays was
done in 1945 in the Doerner Institute in Munich. Karol Estreicher interpreted the

2 M. Rostworowski, Gry o Damę, Kraków 1994, p. 29.
3 Ibidem, p. 28.
4 C.EC.DG.418 (which means: Collection of Elżbieta Czartoryska Dom Gotycki 418) - objects exhib-
ited in the Gothic House in Puławy were labeled with such numbers.
5 The painting had been exhibited in the Gothic House sińce 1809.
6 A German seal “Furstlich. Czartoryskischen, Majorat Gołuchów” comes from 1912-1914. In 1911
Adam Ludwik Czartoryski became the ordynat (TN: principal ofthe landed property), in 1914 Leonardos
and Rafaels paintings were sent to Gemaldegalerie in Dresden and most probably then, due to customs
reasons, the seals referring to the Prussian territories were stamped. The decision was madę by Princess
Maria Ludwika Krasińska, whose seal with the Krasiński coat of arms “Night Heron” can be seen on
the reverse side of Rembrandts painting.