Paintings of the central ceiling
On 12 August 2020, the University of Wrocław signed an agreement on the last stage of renovations of Aula Leopoldina (the Leopoldine Hall). The work, which began on 19 August will consist of restoring the polychrome of the central ceiling along with the decorative molding, polychromy of the wall underneath the matroneum and the student’s benches on the northern side of the Hall. After conducting an open tender, Roland Róg, of Roland Róg ART SERVICE company in Kraków became the contractor of the restoration work. Gross cost of the renovations: PLN 1 341 784,86. The contractor undermines to complete the subject matter of the agreement in 18 months since signing. The full amount comes from the University.
Scope of renovation work:
polychromy:
– the main scene (central ceiling) – 1 element
– lunettes of the central ceiling – 10 elements
– wall underneath the matroneum (the back wall and four walls between the window nooks)
monochromy:
– frames of the arches of window nooks – 10 elements
– deep beams – 10 elements
decorative molding:
– pediments on the cornice – plaster stucco – 16 elements
– pediments on the cornice – gilding – 8 elements
– deeps beams and lunettes – plaster stucco – 10 elements
– gilding – stucco – 2 elements
– mirror stucco – 10 elements
– stucco polychromy – 10 elements
technical renovation of the plastering behind the bench,
aesthetic renovation of the door embrasure,
renovation of 16 benches for students on the northern side of the Hall,
renovation of the oak podium underneath the above mentioned students’ benches,
dismantling and assembling of the back of the bench underneath the matroneum,
unifying the colors and fixing the window embrasure (under the windowsills) around 7 m2,
unifying the colors in the walls behind the pictures (corners) and between the corbels, around 8 m2
What does the painting on the central ceiling depict?
The scene over the auditorium takes place in the background of the open sky, surrounded by illusory paintings of architecture, continued by the real architecture of the walls of the Hall. In the middle, praise for the Divine Wisdom in the form of a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit was painted. It is worshipped by the four evangelists, Church Fathers, patron saints of theology (Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Thomas Aquinas) and philosophy (Saint Matthew the Apostle and Saint Catherine of Alexandria) as well as other saints, mostly Jesuit. Beneath them, on the background of illusory architecture, there are paintings of personifications of twelve arts (seven liberal and five common) connected with the University, including: Arithmetics, Astronomy Dialectics, Pharmacy, Geometry, Grammar, Painting, Music, Poetry, Sculpture, and Typography. They are depicted as women carrying objects which allow the viewers to identify the arts they are representing.
