I stage (The balustrade and window recesses)
The first stage of the matroneum conservation works lasted from the end of February to June 2017 and included the renovation of the wooden balustrade with a bust situated on it as well as 3 window recesses within the matroneum area.
The renovation works were carried out thanks to the efforts of prof. Rudolf Lenz (born in 1940), a philologist, historian, professor at the Philipp University of Marburg, doctor honoris causa of the University of Wrocław, who has been involved in the restoration of historical monuments in the Lower Silesia district, tirelessly seeking financial resources in the German government and non-governmental institutions. Thanks to prof. Lenz, this stage of the renovation was financed by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and costed almost PLN 200 000.
“The whole matroneum is based on two pillars and two wall pilasters but it gives the impression that it is supported from the bottom, only by four bearded atlantes. At the moment, the most urgent thing is strengthening the construction of the balcony, however, the balcony’s balustrade had to be removed and renovated first” said in February 2017, dr Łukasz Krzywka, Rector’s Representative for Conservation of Monuments.
Openwork balustrade design was made entirely from pine wood, therefore maintenance measures had to be taken on-site. “The climatic conditions in Aula are quite specific: it is dry and warm. Taking the balustrade to another room, such as the Blazer room situated one storey above could seriously damage the wood, so we decided only to take it down, however, it will remain on the balcony where it will be conserved” explained dr Krzywka before the works started.
They have been moved further into the balcony and have undergone all maintenance treatments there. Works on the middle section were carried out from the scaffolding. Just on the first day of the works, a small sheet of paper with German text slid out from between the wooden construction and a wall during the dismantling of the balustrade. The note turned out to be almost 112 years old.
How should a monument or its fragment look like after conservation?
Theoretically, the same as it did before but better – holes should be filled up and colours refreshed – that is what laymen usually say. In reality, it is completely different. There are instances when the monument changes a lot after a properly executed conservation. What could be the reason for that? Previous conservations executed incorrectly or used materials that are unfit for the original technique. That was the case in Aula Leopoldyńska.
During the renovation carried out in the second half of 2016, it turned out that situated in the centre part of the dais Emperor Leopold I shouldn not sit under a beige-pink baldachin, but under a red one, as that could be interpreted as a military tent. Saint Francis Xavier, situated on the coping above the matroneum has held a book in his hand since the ‘50s of the 20th century. Only after the last renovation has he regained his true attribute – a flame coming out of his heart. The Lower Silesian’s eagle surmounting cartouche on the cathedral’s front turned out to be a post-war plaster product because originally it was not there. The figure of Industria sitting alongside Emperor Leopold has also changed slightly in its appearance. She regained her sceptre, which she held in her hand until 1944. These changes were not conservators’ flights of imagination but a return to their original appearance, which was established after a thorough examination of paintings and sculptures, and comparison with iconographic material from different periods.
After the initial examination of the balustrade, a lot indicated that it would not be possible to reach any traces of the original layers, however during the extensive examination, the conservators managed to determine the original colour, which ultimately changed the balustrade’s appearance. After the work was done, it looked completely different than before.
The first step was to clean the balustrade from any surface dirt, wax, removing repainting and varnish. Colourful elements, such as bases and handrails of the balustrade, which from the bottom looked like they were marble, in reality, turned out to be a marble decoration made in the past and then conserved several times. During the initial layer examination, it also turned out that originally not all the ornaments were golden. “We found traces of gold leaves but it was only on the plant elements, i.e. leaves. However, there are many indications that this may not be the original baroque gold. The remaining elements were covered in gold paint probably in the ‘70s of the 20th century when the renovation was carried out by Państwowe Przedsiębiorstwa Konserwacji Zabytków” said Jerzy Mielcarek, conservator of works of art that was in charge of work on the balustrade. Further work has made more detailed recognition of the layers possible. “We found some of the original mortar, so we were able to recreate the original colour scheme. Everything indicated that only the leaves were covered in gold because we managed to reach the remains of baroque gold. The other elements were white and matched other mouldings present in the matroneum. Also, the spaces between carved ornaments were originally blue, not green as in recent decades” explained Mielcarek.
“Only after the conservation work is completed you can see how the entire balustrade along with other elements corresponds with the rest of the matroneum. The colour scheme was changed based on found remains of an ochre-pink marble decoration. It colouristically corresponds with the pilasters on the pillar of the matroneum and columns on the dais. Similarly with green and blue. Ornaments on the balustrade, which originally were white and gold, also match similar decorations” said dr Łukasz Krzywka. So why was the balustrade almost entirely changed in the past? It may have happened during the renovation carried out by Joseph Langer at the beginning of the 20th century in relation to the preparations for the 100th anniversary of public University in Wrocław. “Langer carried out the conservation works just before the great jubilee. That was the time when the decision not to spare the gold could have been made, therefore the white ornaments were entirely covered in gold. As a result the colour scheme was slightly changed to the one that Langer was more fond of. Minor works on the balustrade were also carried out in the ’20s of 20th century, so it is possible that it was painted then” explained Krzywka.
The central part of the balustrade is occupied by a bust of the Count Johann Anton von Schaffgotsch (1675-1742), former general staroste of Silesia. On the roof of the matroneum, we can see an inscription in Latin dedicated to him, and it says: “To Johann Anton of the Saint Roman Empire, the Count Schaffgotsch, chevalier of the Golden Fleece, general staroste of first and second Silesia, the Imperial Commissioner of the foundation for school care and location of cornerstone”. It is the Count Schaffgotsch alongside Rector Franz Wentzl, captured on one of the eight oil paintings (the first from the dais on the northern side), that on May 19th of 1728, shovelled the first dirt for the foundations, starting the construction of Leopoldina – the first Wrocław University. On December 6th he placed the cornerstone.
The Count who’s facing the auditorium is presented with the Order of the Golden Fleece on his neck. He seems to be looking at Emperor Leopold I, whose image takes up the central part of the dais. The balustrade as well as the bust of the Count was conserved in the matroneum. “All figurative sculptures were made on the premises of Aula. Iron chassis, brick, lime and charcoal were used for the construction, then everything was covered in white stucco and polished. This is also how the Count’s bust was created, so any attempt to take it down would be too dangerous” explained Zbigniew Strzelczyk, the art conservator who was working on the bust. Interestingly, the signatures of the 19th-century vandals are visible on the said bust. “As the date suggests, the signature on the Count’s right shoulder comes from 1821. It’s hard to say if it’s 100% true, but a lot of things indicate that it is” said dr Krzywka, reminding us, that several of these kinds of autographs coming from different years were found in 2016, during the works on the Aula’s dais.
Below the bust of the Count, the balustrade on the auditorium side is decorated by Count Schaffgotche’s coat of arms held up by gryphons. It is entirely made of wood, similarly to the golden gryphons that hold it up. It turned out that the image of the coat of arms comes from the end of the 19th century. Originally it could have been made, for instance, on a silver shield, which could have been lost in similar circumstances as the Oratorium Marianum alter but it is just one of the hypotheses.
German financed works in the part of the matroneum also covered three out of four window recesses. There are oval monochromatic medallions in their jambs, in which famous theologians and scholars were presented. Thanks to the signatures they can be easily identified.
In the window on the southern side (from the side of pl. Uniwersytecki) is shown Cezary Baronius (1538-1607), an Italian church historian, presented in a cardinal robe and a hat on his head. The signature on the dado means “the light of church history”. In the same arch, Livius (1st century BC) was portrayed. He was a Roman historian, the most remarkable representative of the Augustan prose period, he was referred to, as the dado says the “light of the time”. The first two portraits on the northern side (from the Oder side) are Jesuit Jean Bolland (1596-1665) “doctor hagiographer”, Belgian historian and hagiographer, founder of a group of Jesuit historians named after his name (The Bollandists), and also presented in a robe with a dashing hat Julius Annaeus Florus “the gardener of historians” – a Roman historian living in the 2nd century. On the second arch is presented Demosthenes (384-322 BC) with a turban on his head. He was a Greek politician, considered the greatest speaker in Greece, which was confirmed by the dado, as it’s translated as “Greece’s oracle”. On the opposite side, in a draped robe, with a laurel crown on his head, and a pen in his hand, Virgil (70-19 BC) – a “virgin poet” is presented. In the mediaeval times, he was not only considered one of the greatest Roman poets, but also a wizard and a mage.
These are so-called emblems, each of them has some kind of text (lemma) on it, which makes them all an inimitable construction. Thanks to the use of quotations from works of antique authors and books of the Old Testament, emblems are symbolic completion of the main ideological message of Aula – the glorification of wisdom. The message was originally directed at students and scholars of the University.
The emblem on the southern side presents Pegasus, and the Latin lemma: “SVPER ASTRA LEVATVR”, means “rising above the stars”. On the northern side, a dark chamber was painted in the emblem. It is divided by an open curtain and a mirror lying next to it. The Latin lemma: “OMNIBUS APTUM”, can be translated as “includes everything” or “applies to everyone”. On the roof of the second arch, on the same side, the emblem is empty and there are many indications that it was not originally there.
“Monochromatic portraits, emblems, and illusionistically painted architecture is relatively well preserved and readable despite numerous interferences and wrongly carried out conservations” said Anna Mossler, the art conservator responsible for painted works. “On the other hand, the green backgrounds are in a very bad condition. The painting layer became powdery, and the original green colour was preserved to a very small extent. Alongside many defects of the original layer, some parts are very well preserved” adds Mossler. The ochre-coloured ornaments and frames were preserved in the worst condition. Their form was readable mostly because of the gliding traces, however, over the centuries its original ochre colour has been significantly altered. Happily, some readable traces remained.
After removing a layer of surface dirt, repainting, varnish, defective putty, and thorough cleaning of the primary paint layer, conservators filled up holes and refreshed the paintings, restoring their original appearance with all their assets. “Our first task was to clean the painting from all the layers and expose the authentic one. First, we removed all the materials that were used in previous renovations, which were not very consistent with the original technique. Then we filled up the painting surface using a technique characteristic for baroque frescos” explained Mossler, adding that the filling up was carried out using a colour palette similar to Handtke’s and pigments used for fresco paintings.
Works within the matroneum were entrusted to the ANTIQA Konserwacja Dzieł Sztuki Wit Podczerwiński from Myślenice (Małopolskie Voivodship), which also carried out a complex dais renovation in 2016. During this stage of the works, Aula Leopoldyńska was accessible to visitors.
Translated by Inga Schulz (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
