ODKSZTAŁCONE W FORMIE PŁASKORZEŹBY PORTRETY TYSZKIEWICZÓW Z ŁOHOJSKA. WERYFIKACJA BADAŃ FIZYKOCHEMICZNYCH PRZEZ ODKRYCIA KONSERWATORSKIE
Relief Portraits of Tyszkiewicz Family from Lahoysk. Verification of Physical‑Chemical Tests’ Results by Conservators’ Discoveries

Author(s): Joanna Szpor
Subject(s): History, Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Instytut Badań nad Dziedzictwem Kulturowym Europy
Summary/Abstract: The collection of 36 pictures presenting the members of Tyszkiewicz familyfrom Lahoysk (18th–19th c.) kept at the National Museum in Warsaw wassubject to comprehensive review, with particular consideration of atypicaland unclear causes of deformation of some of them. Twelve portraits were selectedfrom the collection of pictures created in the borderland of the formerCommonwealth to serve as comparison material. The pilot conservation workconcerned the portrait of Leo Tyszkiewicz the Castellan of Lublin (mid-18thcentury), and involved comprehensive physical-chemical tests of technologicallayer samples: of the canvas, glues, grounds, binders, and varnishes, so asto reproduce the original painting technique. The technique was found to befat tempera, not oil painting.The conservators separated from the original secondary layers on the reverseand modifications to the portrait. The description of original paintingtechnique was based on extra information from old painting treatises, and ofsecondary layers, on guidebooks for renovators. That module was the modelfor the conservation of two other portraits: of Michał Tyszkiewicz the Starostof Strzałkowo and Michał Tyszkiewicz the Field Hetman of the Grand Duchy ofLithuania. The investigation of family documents (at the Library of the Universityof Warsaw) revealed an unpublished “Genealogical tree” of the houseof Tyszkiewicz, which made it possible to correlate the inscriptions on thepaintings with those in the genealogy.The conservation works were the basis for the methodology of conservationof Old Polish portraits (the choice of preparations and materials compatiblewith the materials in the pictures) using the fat tempera technique.

• Details
• Contents