“The Purest Mirror of Purity” (“Najczystsze Zwierciadło Czystości”) in the Benedictine monastery in Staniątki
Katarzyna Ponińska
Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego , PolandAbstract
In the collection of the Benedictine monastery in Staniątki there is a painting showing the founders of the order adoring the Mother of God with the Child and St. Joseph against the background of a garden with a fountain and buildings. This, seemingly generic and easy to define subject of the portrayal, which can be found recorded in the archival records kept in the convent, has been duplicated by many researchers. It turns out, however, that the figures of Saints Benedict and St. Scholastica, painted in this specific context, may hide deeper content. This may be indicated by the pointing to a graphic pattern that exactly corresponds to the arrangement of the painted version. It is about one of the engravings belonging to the series of copperplate engravings made by Raphael Sadeler the Younger, based on the compositions of Capuchin Paolo Piazza. Under the figures of representatives of the most important orders (Franciscans, Benedictines and Dominicans) accompanying the events of the Savior's life, he tried to illustrate three basic religious vows: poverty, chastity and obedience, which are an obligation to fulfil the evangelical counsels. The painting kept in the monastery in Staniątki corresponds visually to the illustration of the virtue of chastity. The lack of other paintings modelled on the graphic series does not mean that the described representation could not be the carrier of the content indicated in the article. At the same time, it is also impossible to be certain that its meaning was understood in this way. A comparison with the implicit graphic pattern allows not only to indicate the formal source of the composition. It is also a starting point for explaining the theological foundations of the work functioning within the walls of the monastery.
Keywords:
Holy Family; St. Benedict; St. Scholastica; Staniątki; Benedictine nuns; religious vows; Paolo Piazza; Raphael Sadeler the YoungerReferences
Aegidius Sadeler to Raphael Sadeler II, compiled Dieuwke de Hoop Scheffer, Ed. K.G. Boon, seria: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts ca. 1450-1700, t. 21, 22, Amsterdam 1980.
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, t. 29, Hrsg. U. Thieme, F. Becker, Leipzig 1935.
Arslan W., Piazza, Paolo, w: Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, t. 26, Leipzig 1932, s. 567-568.
Bénézit E., Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays par un groupe d’écrivains spécialistes français et étrangers, t. 8, 9, Paris 1976.
Chisesi I., Co to za święty? Sztuka czytania obrazów. Słownik ikonografii, tłum. K. Kozak, Kielce 2018, Kielce 2018.
Fros H., Sowa F., Księga imion i świętych, t. 2, Kraków 1997.
Fros H., Sowa F., Księga imion i świętych, t. 3, Kraków 1998.
Fros H., Sowa F., Księga imion i świętych, t. 6, Kraków 2007.
Inwentarz Archiwum Benedyktynek w Staniątkach, oprac. W. Kolak, J. Marecki, S. Radoń, Kraków 2003.
Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, t. 1: Województwo krakowskie, red. J. Szablowski, z. 2: Powiat bocheński, oprac. J. E. Dutkiewicz (miejscowość Staniątki, oprac. Z. Boczkowska), Warszawa 1951.
Krasnowolski B., Święta Rodzina ze św. Scholastyką i św. Benedyktem, w: Katalog zbiorów artystycznych Opactwa Mniszek Benedyktynek w Staniątkach, red. K. Kuczman, J. Skrabski, A. Włodarek, Kraków 2018, t. 2, II/29, s. 148-149.
Marecki J., Rotter L., Jak czytać wizerunki świętych. Leksykon atrybutów i symboli hagiograficznych, Kraków 2009.
Mulders Ch. van, Sadeler, w: The Dictionary of Art, t. 27, Ed. J. Turner, London 1996, s. 501-505.
Nagler G.K., Neues allgemeines Künstler-Lexikon oder Nachrichten von dem Leben und den Werken der Maler, Bildhauer, Baumeister, Kupferstecher, Lithographen, Formschneider, Zeichner, Medailleure, Elfenbeinarbeiter, etc., t. 12, 15, 16, Leipzig 1924.
Schauber V., Schindler H.M., Ilustrowany leksykon świętych, tłum. P. Tkaczyk, R. Zajączkowski, Kielce 2002.
Tomasz z Akwinu św., Suma teologiczna, I-a II-ae, q. 108, a. 4, i II-a II-ae, q. 186, a. 3, 4, 5, 7, http://katedra.uksw.edu.pl/suma/suma_indeks.htm (dostęp: 20.06.2020)
Wurzbach A. von, Niederländisches Künstler-Lexikon, auf Grund archivalischer Forschungen bearbeitet, t. 2, Wien-Leipzig 1910.
