Yet another interesting discovery in the Aula Leopoldinum

How should a monument look like after restoration? Theoretically, exactly the same as before the restoration, but better. The losses should be filled and the colours should be refreshed. That is what the laymen think. However, the truth is that the effects of a renovation are quite different. It often happens that during the restoration a monument undergoes a transformation. What could be a reason of that? The previous renovation works were carried out incorrectly or using materials that were inconsistent with the original technique.

Such a situation took place in the Aula Leopoldine. Over the last few years, we got used to the dais’s colour scheme and the particular appearance of certain figures and other interior design elements. During the renovation carried out in the second half of 2016, it turned out that Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor, who occupies the central place on the dais, should not be sitting under the beige-pink baldachin but under the red military tent. Moreover, in 1950s, St Francis Xavier, who is portrayed on the vault above the matroneum, “received” a new attribute. He was painted with a book under his hand. The latest restoration brought back St Francis’s original attribute – a flame coming out of his heart. As it turns out, there was no eagle at the top of one of the cartouches. What has been found on the cathedral’s front was a fragment of a stucco gypsum coming from the post-war period. The sculpture of  Industria, which is located next to the Emperor Leopold, has changed as well. A woman retrieved her sceptre, which, up until 1944, she used to hold in the left hand. The restorers did not introduce all these changes on a whim. It is the effect of a detailed examination of the paintings and sculptures and the analysis of the iconographic material from various periods. This research enabled conservators to restore the Aula to its original appearance.

Only after the completion of the renovation, it will be possible to notice how the balustrade and all its elements correspond colouristically with the rest of Aula’s interior design. The recently discovered yellowish-pink marble decorations are consonant with the colours of the matroneum’s pilasters and the dais’s columns. It is similar with green and azure. The balustrade’s ornaments, which were originally white and yellow, also match similar decorations” – says dr Łukasz Krzywka, the Rector’s Representative for Cultural Property Preservation. Why has somebody decided to change the balustrade’s appearance completely? It probably happened during the conservation work carried out at the beginning of the 20th century, which Joseph Langer supervised. At that time, the Aula underwent a restoration as a part of the preparations for the upcoming centenary of the foundation of the State University in Wrocław. “It seems very likely that that was the time when the decision to spare no gold was made. That is why the white elements were gilded and the entire colour scheme was replaced with the one that seemed better to Langer. Minor works on the balustrade were carried out also in the 1920s, so it is possible that these elements were repainted then” – Krzywka explains.