Nero's Golden House Exhibition organised to commemorate the 200th death anniversary of Franciszek Smuglewicz
In 1973, thanks to professor Stanisław Lorentz’s
efforts, the National Museum in Warsaw bought in London a coloured
portfolio Vestigia delle Terme di Tito. This set
contains sixty large hand-coloured plates showing paintings from the
basement of an ancient building taken for the Baths of Titus (Thermae
Titi), which in fact were the ruins of Nero’s Golden House (Domus
Aurea). This great work of art was created by Vincenzo
Brenna, a Roman architect (1745–1820), a Polish painter and draughtsman
Franciszek Smuglewicz (1745–1807), and Marco Gregorio Carloni
(1742–1786), a Roman engraver specialising in engravings of ancient
monuments.
Franciszek Smuglewicz
Self-portrait,The National Museum in Poznań
Stanisław Lorentz was one of the first Polish art
historians – after Maciej Loret, active in Rome – who was aware of the
significance of this work of art and the role of Franciszek Smuglewicz
in its creation, which he described already in 1946. Both creators of Vestigia
delle Terme di Tito, namely Smuglewicz and Brenna, were the
object of interest and studies of Lorentz, who was a researcher of the
period of king Stanisław August Poniatowski’s reign (second half of the
18th century) and of neoclassicism in Poland.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the National Museum in Warsaw,
which received 19 single black-and-white plates as a gift from cardinal
Aleksander Kakowski in 1932, bought a complete album of etchings (which
once belonged to an architect, Jan Sas Zubrzycki) in 1946, and in 1973
– its coloured version. One can only surmise how many efforts and
endeavours were needed to find and purchase it abroad in the economic
and political situation of that period. A very well preserved coloured
copy was bought from colonel Roman Umiastowski, a keen collector, who,
having emigrated, ran an antiquarian bookshop, specializing in books
and old prints, established in Fountain Drive in London, as can be seen
from the ownership stamps. Unfortunately, the album’s earlier history
remains unknown. The size of the portfolio makes it very improbable
that it could be a part of the belongings of an emigrant who fled
Poland in September 1939, whereas the format 104 x 76 cm of the paper
sheet onto which the plates were glued, would indicate an English
binding. Among his ancestors, Roman Umiastowski had serious collectors;
however, it is highly unlikely that the coloured version of Vestigia
delle Terme di Tito could find its way into Poland already in
the 18th century. The scarcity and extremely
high price of the coloured copies existing at that time resulted in the
fact that even the most assiduous collectors in the country, namely
Stanisław August and Stanisław Kostka Potocki, did not have this work
of art in their collections (Kostka Potocki owned the black-and-white
version, which is now in the National Library in Warsaw).
The portfolio Vestigia delle Terme di Tito was created in Rome as a result of excavations commissioned by an entrepreneurial paintings dealer Ludovico Mirri, whose shop was situated near Palazzo Barberini. Having attained a hard to get privilege from Pope Pius VI, Mirri began his work in the Baths of Titus in 1776. The excavation was done at a great pace for that period, and Mirri hired Smuglewicz and Brenna to document the results. Already two years later the coloured version was ready. Mirri himself announced that it should be treated as an original work of art: each of the sixty plates was hand-coloured on an extremely delicate etching outline in light sepia. This etching outline was made with different plates than the black-and-white etching version, which can be judged not only on the basis of Mirri’s assertions, but also on the basis of numerous dissimilarities between the coloured and the black-and-white versions. The latter, published in a much larger number of copies, is kept in the majority of large European libraries which existed already in the 18th century. The coloured version was intended for the wealthiest collectors, Antiquity lovers and experts because of its very high price of 180 sequins in gold in subscription and 200 for the whole portfolio. Complete copies can be found in only a few European collections (Louvre Museum, Paris, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, The Royal Collection at Windsor Castle Windsor, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, National Museum in Warsaw).
As was mentioned earlier, the entire portfolio consists of sixty plates done in watercolour and gouache on an etching outline, which, in the case of the Warsaw copy, is so delicate that many lines and contours were reinforced with a pencil and a pen. As a result, each version differs not only in colours, but also in small details.
The black-and-white subscription version had an academic commentary of Giuseppe Carletti, a Roman erudite and poet, who explains the subjects and iconography of the individual plates referring to prior sources and interpretations. The Baths of Titus, excavated in 1776, were already known much earlier. The paintings decorating the Baths were unearthed for the first time by accident in the 1470s, when they became an inspiration for grotesques, that is decorative motifs named after the place of their discovery (Italian grotta means “a cave”). Raphael was the creator of modern grotesques, and the Loggias of the Vatican, where they appeared, were such a perfect work of art that they constituted an unparalleled example for more than two centuries.
The 17th century brought a development of research into Roman art understood as the source of knowledge about ancient history and customs, which lead to the fact that, unlike in the Renaissance, artists were more interested in figural decoration. Therefore, figural motifs in the mosaic of Palestrina, the frescoes of the Pyramid of Cestius, and above all the Aldobrandini Wedding discovered at that time aroused admiration. The fame of the latter was not even dimmed by historic discoveries made in the next century.
The discoveries in Herculaneum and their popularisation through a multi-volume edition Antichita d’Ercolano Esposte favoured further search, also in the Baths of Titus. Despite the difficulties in obtaining the Pope’s privilege entitling to carry out excavations, in the second half of the 18th century they were conducted twice: in 1772 by a Scottish architect Charles Cameron, and two years later by Ludovico Mirri. However, the passage of time had such an effect that not all paintings known in Raphael’s times were equally clearly visible, and although Brenna and Smuglewicz could examine them closely while working under the ground for months, they were forced to refer on many occasions to earlier iconographic sources. The unearthed rooms, due to the lack of windows and a dark tone of some paintings, were considered by the contemporaries as the Baths of Titus, whereas in fact they were the interiors of Nero’s Golden House, which became forgotten and buried as fast as it was constructed, and it served as foundations of the Baths of Titus, and later the Baths of Trajan. The attitude towards the paintings in the Golden House was greatly influenced by their role as a source of inspiration to Raphael, whose decoration of the Loggias of the Vatican was transferred to prints in a great graphic work of Giovanni Volpato in 1772. While comparing the Loggias of the Vatican and Vestigia delle Terme di Tito one can notice how their authors evolved from documentation to invention.
Brenna, Smuglewicz and Carloni created an unusually convincing picture of Roman painting, far from the so-called late-antique “Impressionism”. Their vision matched the tastes of their epoch - the aesthetics of neoclassicism emerging then in the international artistic circle of Rome. This is especially visible in the so-called quadri, namely large figural compositions by Smuglewicz. The young Pole came to Rome in 1763 and was clearly fascinated by ancient art, earlier unknown to him, and as befitted a man from the North, he perceived it with an enthusiasm far greater than Brenna, born and educated in Rome, where the classical tradition was everlasting. Both artists socialized in cosmopolitan circles of the Eternal City in times of Grand Tours, where young men (mainly English, but also the above-mentioned Stanisław Kostka Potocki) from the best families, had the opportunity to come into contact with Antiquity researchers and collectors, experts and artists, whom they often hired as draughtsmen – documentalists, designers, art agents. It was that way in the case of Smuglewicz, who – as Anton von Maron’s student – was soon (1765) to work for a Scottish collector and Antiquity lover James Byres, for whom he successfully documented Etruscan tombs discovered not much earlier in Corneto and Tarquinii. Similarly, Brenna met Potocki and worked for him in Rome, and later went with him to Poland.
In the exhibition organised to commemorate the 200th death anniversary of Franciszek Smuglewicz, the most outstanding Polish representative of neoclassicism in painting, we are showing for the first time the complete coloured version of Vestigia delle Terme di Tito. From its purchase to our collection, only single plates were displayed in an exhibition in Rome (1975) and in a few exhibitions in Poland. We are also displaying a black-and-white album which once belonged to Jan Sas Zubrzycki and the plates from the collection of Aleksander Kakowski, showing the Baths of Titus, i.e. Nero’s Golden House. Engravings from Antichita Romane by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, to whom Europe owed the vision of ancient and contemporary Rome, complete the exhibition.
The portfolio Vestigia delle Terme di Tito was created in Rome as a result of excavations commissioned by an entrepreneurial paintings dealer Ludovico Mirri, whose shop was situated near Palazzo Barberini. Having attained a hard to get privilege from Pope Pius VI, Mirri began his work in the Baths of Titus in 1776. The excavation was done at a great pace for that period, and Mirri hired Smuglewicz and Brenna to document the results. Already two years later the coloured version was ready. Mirri himself announced that it should be treated as an original work of art: each of the sixty plates was hand-coloured on an extremely delicate etching outline in light sepia. This etching outline was made with different plates than the black-and-white etching version, which can be judged not only on the basis of Mirri’s assertions, but also on the basis of numerous dissimilarities between the coloured and the black-and-white versions. The latter, published in a much larger number of copies, is kept in the majority of large European libraries which existed already in the 18th century. The coloured version was intended for the wealthiest collectors, Antiquity lovers and experts because of its very high price of 180 sequins in gold in subscription and 200 for the whole portfolio. Complete copies can be found in only a few European collections (Louvre Museum, Paris, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, The Royal Collection at Windsor Castle Windsor, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, National Museum in Warsaw).
As was mentioned earlier, the entire portfolio consists of sixty plates done in watercolour and gouache on an etching outline, which, in the case of the Warsaw copy, is so delicate that many lines and contours were reinforced with a pencil and a pen. As a result, each version differs not only in colours, but also in small details.
The black-and-white subscription version had an academic commentary of Giuseppe Carletti, a Roman erudite and poet, who explains the subjects and iconography of the individual plates referring to prior sources and interpretations. The Baths of Titus, excavated in 1776, were already known much earlier. The paintings decorating the Baths were unearthed for the first time by accident in the 1470s, when they became an inspiration for grotesques, that is decorative motifs named after the place of their discovery (Italian grotta means “a cave”). Raphael was the creator of modern grotesques, and the Loggias of the Vatican, where they appeared, were such a perfect work of art that they constituted an unparalleled example for more than two centuries.
The 17th century brought a development of research into Roman art understood as the source of knowledge about ancient history and customs, which lead to the fact that, unlike in the Renaissance, artists were more interested in figural decoration. Therefore, figural motifs in the mosaic of Palestrina, the frescoes of the Pyramid of Cestius, and above all the Aldobrandini Wedding discovered at that time aroused admiration. The fame of the latter was not even dimmed by historic discoveries made in the next century.
The discoveries in Herculaneum and their popularisation through a multi-volume edition Antichita d’Ercolano Esposte favoured further search, also in the Baths of Titus. Despite the difficulties in obtaining the Pope’s privilege entitling to carry out excavations, in the second half of the 18th century they were conducted twice: in 1772 by a Scottish architect Charles Cameron, and two years later by Ludovico Mirri. However, the passage of time had such an effect that not all paintings known in Raphael’s times were equally clearly visible, and although Brenna and Smuglewicz could examine them closely while working under the ground for months, they were forced to refer on many occasions to earlier iconographic sources. The unearthed rooms, due to the lack of windows and a dark tone of some paintings, were considered by the contemporaries as the Baths of Titus, whereas in fact they were the interiors of Nero’s Golden House, which became forgotten and buried as fast as it was constructed, and it served as foundations of the Baths of Titus, and later the Baths of Trajan. The attitude towards the paintings in the Golden House was greatly influenced by their role as a source of inspiration to Raphael, whose decoration of the Loggias of the Vatican was transferred to prints in a great graphic work of Giovanni Volpato in 1772. While comparing the Loggias of the Vatican and Vestigia delle Terme di Tito one can notice how their authors evolved from documentation to invention.
Brenna, Smuglewicz and Carloni created an unusually convincing picture of Roman painting, far from the so-called late-antique “Impressionism”. Their vision matched the tastes of their epoch - the aesthetics of neoclassicism emerging then in the international artistic circle of Rome. This is especially visible in the so-called quadri, namely large figural compositions by Smuglewicz. The young Pole came to Rome in 1763 and was clearly fascinated by ancient art, earlier unknown to him, and as befitted a man from the North, he perceived it with an enthusiasm far greater than Brenna, born and educated in Rome, where the classical tradition was everlasting. Both artists socialized in cosmopolitan circles of the Eternal City in times of Grand Tours, where young men (mainly English, but also the above-mentioned Stanisław Kostka Potocki) from the best families, had the opportunity to come into contact with Antiquity researchers and collectors, experts and artists, whom they often hired as draughtsmen – documentalists, designers, art agents. It was that way in the case of Smuglewicz, who – as Anton von Maron’s student – was soon (1765) to work for a Scottish collector and Antiquity lover James Byres, for whom he successfully documented Etruscan tombs discovered not much earlier in Corneto and Tarquinii. Similarly, Brenna met Potocki and worked for him in Rome, and later went with him to Poland.
In the exhibition organised to commemorate the 200th death anniversary of Franciszek Smuglewicz, the most outstanding Polish representative of neoclassicism in painting, we are showing for the first time the complete coloured version of Vestigia delle Terme di Tito. From its purchase to our collection, only single plates were displayed in an exhibition in Rome (1975) and in a few exhibitions in Poland. We are also displaying a black-and-white album which once belonged to Jan Sas Zubrzycki and the plates from the collection of Aleksander Kakowski, showing the Baths of Titus, i.e. Nero’s Golden House. Engravings from Antichita Romane by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, to whom Europe owed the vision of ancient and contemporary Rome, complete the exhibition.
Text from the catalogue of
the exhibition
translated by Justyna Woldańska
translated by Justyna Woldańska
a
.
a
EXHIBITION IS OPEN
from
6th May to 13th July
2008
The NATIONAL MUSEUM IN WARSAW
Al. Jerozolimskie 3
00-495 Warszawa
00-495 Warszawa
e-mail:
muzeum@mnw.art.pl
Authors of the exhibition
curator: Justyna Guze
cooperation: Piotr Borusowski
graphics: Barbara Aumer
design: Agnieszka Putowska-Tomaszewska
organization: Sławomir Tychmanowicz and the team
restoration works: Wanda Głowacka-Baranowska, Dorota Nowak, Dorota Dzik-Kruszelnicka
photos: Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, Piotr Ligier, Krzysztof Wiczyński, Zbigniew Doliński, Anna Pomierny, Balbina Gąska
multimedia: Jan Rusiński
Authors of the exhibition
curator: Justyna Guze
cooperation: Piotr Borusowski
graphics: Barbara Aumer
design: Agnieszka Putowska-Tomaszewska
organization: Sławomir Tychmanowicz and the team
restoration works: Wanda Głowacka-Baranowska, Dorota Nowak, Dorota Dzik-Kruszelnicka
photos: Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, Piotr Ligier, Krzysztof Wiczyński, Zbigniew Doliński, Anna Pomierny, Balbina Gąska
multimedia: Jan Rusiński