THE PAINTED DECOR OF THE INTERIORS OF THE PALACE AT LUBOSTROŃ

The article presents results of the first stage o f studies on the interiors o f a classicist palace at Lubostroń, one of few central structures imitating famous Villa Rotonda Andrea Palladia. The palace at Lubostroń was built for Frederich Skórzewski, one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightment in Great Poland. The palace was built between 1795—1806, and it was most probably at that time that the works on the décor of the interiors were completed. In the last stage o f works there operated there a team o f decorators, well-known in Great Poland, including Antoni Smuglewicz, a famous painter. He is thought to be the author o f the majority of paintings found in the palace. Repair and construction works commenced in 1976 offered an opportunity to study less known interiors o f the palace. Research works were carried out by a workshop of the conservation o f movable historic monuments in Toruń, attached to the Enterprise for the Conservation of Art. During the works which were started in the basement of the palace the interiors of the former chapel were examined. It was there that a well-preserved secondary layer depicting a stylized plant runner in the candelabrum arrangement, embraced in brown-green frames, was found. Only some parts of the original polychromy were preserved in the chapel. In the course of further studies on the ground floor no original painted works were uncovered in the former dining room. However, it was observed that in the corner parlour all plasters on the walls were exchanged in the 19th century. Only on the jambs of windows and walls there could still be seen the remains of the original painted décor in the form o f illusionistically painted profiled panels in ochre and gray against the light gray background. Slight traces o f the brown, black and red show that the interiors of panels might have held some painted compositions depicting supposingly landscape themes. Similarly, in the garden parlour situated on the entrance axis nearly all plasters were replaced with new ones, except for small parts on jambs of windows and stove orifices. Preserved fragments prove that there there also was decoration in the form o f illusionistically painted architectural framings, the shape o f which was adjusted to the size o f individual walls. Much more authentic décor o f the interior may still be seen in the palace library situated in the south-eastern comer o f the ground floor. Its circular vaulting with lunettes is covered with painted decorations depicting themes o f ancient grotesque. It was also noticed that nearly all the painting had been repainted; the colours of the original were lighter and more subtle. Also frames of the panels proved to be repainted. N o traces o f polychromy were seen in the window orifices which used to hold book-cases. The last item to be examined was a presentable staircase, on the wall o f which there is a large wall-painting with an „Egyptian“ theme, thought to be the work o f Antoni Smuglewicz. Further studies revealed that it was vastly repainted, which affected markedly its original colouring. Finally, conclusions concerning the conservation were put forward. It was suggested that the interiors examined should be restored, whereever possible, to their original wall colouring with later period layers (stucco works) being preserved