DOI article:
Kuczman, Kazimierz: Elekcja Wettina na króla polskiego - dzieło Jana Piotra Norblina
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19890#0213
o znakomitym odbiorcy - królu Stanisławie Auguście.
Nasuwa się pytanie, czy adresat tej rangi mógłby ak-
ceptować spontaniczność Elekcji?
Nie wiadomo w czyich rękach znalazł się obraz po
opuszczeniu pracowni swego twórcy. Późniejsze losy
dzieła na pewno nie spełniły zamierzeń czy pragnień
Norblina, w każdym razie nie w kształcie, który mógł
sobie wyobrażać. Ukazując niepopularny po rozbiorach
Polski temat saskiej elekcji, dzieło to w XIX wieku na
pewno nie budziło zachwytu członków romantycznie i
patriotycznie nastawionego polskiego społeczeństwa.
Jeden z największych, jeżeli nie największy obraz w do-
robku Norblina zapewne był lekceważony, skoro zapo-
mniano nazwisko autora, tak przecież dobrze znane. Na
szczęście jednak Elekcja przetrwała do dziś, by ostatecz-
nie przemawiać w ważnym dla Polski miejscu, wpraw-
dzie nie w pałacu Wettinów, ale w zamku Jagiellonów.
Przewrotność Norblina ma i takie konsekwencje.
THE ELECTION OF A WETTIN KING OF POLAND - A PAINTING BY JAN PIOTR NORBLIN
Summary
In 1947 The Wawel State Collections of Art [Wawel Royal Castle]
purchased a picture originating from the Cracow collection of
Franciszek Potocki, which represented the election of the king of
Poland in the fields near Warsaw. In 1950 Tadeusz Mańkowski,
believing that the scene showed the election of Augustus II in 1697,
attributed the work to Martino Altomonte. court painter to John III
Sobieski. Four years later Mieczysław Wallis, on examination of the
architecture of Warsaw in the background. concluded that this was
the election of Augustus III in 1733. In the catalogue of the exhibition,
Polaków portret własny, of 1979 the scene was described as the
election of Prince Louis, of Conti in 1697, whereas in the Zbiory’ Zamku
Królewskiego na Wawelu of 1990 the hypothetical Identification of
the scene with the election of Augustus II was accepted. Nevertheless,
in recent years the picture - on exhibition in the castle - has been
defined as representing the election of his son.
As the depicted election is taking place in the field of Praga near
Warsaw, it should concern Augustus III, because his father was
chosen in Wola, across the Vistula. The new wing of the royal castle,
built in 1740/41-1746. indicates that the piece was painted at least
some dozen years after the election of the second Wettin. The picture
is modelled on an early 18,h century engraving by Johann Gotfried
Kriigner. published in Leipzig in 1723. which shows the election of
Augustus II. The Saxon engraver. drawing on familiar prints with
views of Warsaw from Praga, wrongly located the scene. Therefore,
it is not known which election the painter, relying on his engraving,
wanted to peipetuate. An argument against the 1733 event is the
depiction of the primate-interrex in cardinaTs robes, leaving with
his retinue the election field, whereas at that time the primate Teodor
Potocki was not a Cardinal. It must be added that neither in 1697 nor
36 years later did the interrex partie i pate in acclaiming a Saxon
king of Poland. Cardinal Radziejowski had earlier proclaimed Prince
Louis of Conti king, while the primate Potocki proclaimed Stanisław
Leszczyński with whom he left Warsaw before the election of
Augustus III.
Since the painter makes such mistakes concerning historical facts,
one may conclude that the picture was painted many years after both
elections. This may also be due to the artisFs foreign descent. Ali
the same, he knew perfectly well Polish realities regarding costume
and customs, excellently characterizing types of noblemen and their
behaviour, which clearly testifies to his living and working in Poland.
This was undoubtedly Jean Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine (1745-
1830). A pupil of Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and then a graduate
of the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris. he was
invited to Poland by Prince Adam Czartoryski. From the very
beginning he was fascinated with the local exoticism, discernible
especially in human types. The Election seems to be the ąuintessence
of NorbliiTs style characteristic of the genre trend in his many-sided
creative work and expressed mainly in a sketchy character of forms,
perceptible also in small-scale compositions painted in watercolours
or sepia, such as dietine (local diet) scenes or horse fairs. An element
characteristic of Norblin alone, perhaps intended as grotesąue, is
the insertion of some figures much smaller than the remaining ones.
Likewise typical of the artist is the nonchalant treatment of
architecture in the background. with wrong proportions of the
buildings.
Norblin was deeply engaged in the works of the Great Seym (1788-
1791), concluded with the resolution on 3 May, 1791 of a progressi ve
Constitution. One of its articles concerned a return of the Wettins to
the Polish throne after the death of King Stanislas Augustus
Poniatowski; thus the picture was probably executed with the purpose
of propaganda in favour of the Saxon dynasty, and therefore was
painted in about 1790. However, it remains unknown who initiated
the execution of the piece; perhaps this was Adam Czartoryski, who
supported the idea of the Saxon succession. Owing to the subject
matter. after the fali of Poland one of the largest - if not the largest -
of NorbliiTs paintings was probably neglected, which may have been
one of the reasons why the name of such a well-known painter came
to be forgotten.
Nasuwa się pytanie, czy adresat tej rangi mógłby ak-
ceptować spontaniczność Elekcji?
Nie wiadomo w czyich rękach znalazł się obraz po
opuszczeniu pracowni swego twórcy. Późniejsze losy
dzieła na pewno nie spełniły zamierzeń czy pragnień
Norblina, w każdym razie nie w kształcie, który mógł
sobie wyobrażać. Ukazując niepopularny po rozbiorach
Polski temat saskiej elekcji, dzieło to w XIX wieku na
pewno nie budziło zachwytu członków romantycznie i
patriotycznie nastawionego polskiego społeczeństwa.
Jeden z największych, jeżeli nie największy obraz w do-
robku Norblina zapewne był lekceważony, skoro zapo-
mniano nazwisko autora, tak przecież dobrze znane. Na
szczęście jednak Elekcja przetrwała do dziś, by ostatecz-
nie przemawiać w ważnym dla Polski miejscu, wpraw-
dzie nie w pałacu Wettinów, ale w zamku Jagiellonów.
Przewrotność Norblina ma i takie konsekwencje.
THE ELECTION OF A WETTIN KING OF POLAND - A PAINTING BY JAN PIOTR NORBLIN
Summary
In 1947 The Wawel State Collections of Art [Wawel Royal Castle]
purchased a picture originating from the Cracow collection of
Franciszek Potocki, which represented the election of the king of
Poland in the fields near Warsaw. In 1950 Tadeusz Mańkowski,
believing that the scene showed the election of Augustus II in 1697,
attributed the work to Martino Altomonte. court painter to John III
Sobieski. Four years later Mieczysław Wallis, on examination of the
architecture of Warsaw in the background. concluded that this was
the election of Augustus III in 1733. In the catalogue of the exhibition,
Polaków portret własny, of 1979 the scene was described as the
election of Prince Louis, of Conti in 1697, whereas in the Zbiory’ Zamku
Królewskiego na Wawelu of 1990 the hypothetical Identification of
the scene with the election of Augustus II was accepted. Nevertheless,
in recent years the picture - on exhibition in the castle - has been
defined as representing the election of his son.
As the depicted election is taking place in the field of Praga near
Warsaw, it should concern Augustus III, because his father was
chosen in Wola, across the Vistula. The new wing of the royal castle,
built in 1740/41-1746. indicates that the piece was painted at least
some dozen years after the election of the second Wettin. The picture
is modelled on an early 18,h century engraving by Johann Gotfried
Kriigner. published in Leipzig in 1723. which shows the election of
Augustus II. The Saxon engraver. drawing on familiar prints with
views of Warsaw from Praga, wrongly located the scene. Therefore,
it is not known which election the painter, relying on his engraving,
wanted to peipetuate. An argument against the 1733 event is the
depiction of the primate-interrex in cardinaTs robes, leaving with
his retinue the election field, whereas at that time the primate Teodor
Potocki was not a Cardinal. It must be added that neither in 1697 nor
36 years later did the interrex partie i pate in acclaiming a Saxon
king of Poland. Cardinal Radziejowski had earlier proclaimed Prince
Louis of Conti king, while the primate Potocki proclaimed Stanisław
Leszczyński with whom he left Warsaw before the election of
Augustus III.
Since the painter makes such mistakes concerning historical facts,
one may conclude that the picture was painted many years after both
elections. This may also be due to the artisFs foreign descent. Ali
the same, he knew perfectly well Polish realities regarding costume
and customs, excellently characterizing types of noblemen and their
behaviour, which clearly testifies to his living and working in Poland.
This was undoubtedly Jean Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine (1745-
1830). A pupil of Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and then a graduate
of the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris. he was
invited to Poland by Prince Adam Czartoryski. From the very
beginning he was fascinated with the local exoticism, discernible
especially in human types. The Election seems to be the ąuintessence
of NorbliiTs style characteristic of the genre trend in his many-sided
creative work and expressed mainly in a sketchy character of forms,
perceptible also in small-scale compositions painted in watercolours
or sepia, such as dietine (local diet) scenes or horse fairs. An element
characteristic of Norblin alone, perhaps intended as grotesąue, is
the insertion of some figures much smaller than the remaining ones.
Likewise typical of the artist is the nonchalant treatment of
architecture in the background. with wrong proportions of the
buildings.
Norblin was deeply engaged in the works of the Great Seym (1788-
1791), concluded with the resolution on 3 May, 1791 of a progressi ve
Constitution. One of its articles concerned a return of the Wettins to
the Polish throne after the death of King Stanislas Augustus
Poniatowski; thus the picture was probably executed with the purpose
of propaganda in favour of the Saxon dynasty, and therefore was
painted in about 1790. However, it remains unknown who initiated
the execution of the piece; perhaps this was Adam Czartoryski, who
supported the idea of the Saxon succession. Owing to the subject
matter. after the fali of Poland one of the largest - if not the largest -
of NorbliiTs paintings was probably neglected, which may have been
one of the reasons why the name of such a well-known painter came
to be forgotten.