Konserwacja i restauracja renesansowych malowideł ściennych drewnianego kościoła pw. św. Stanisława biskupa w Boguszycach koło Rawy Mazowieckiej

The wooden church in Boguszyce near Rawa Mazowiecka, as it looks today, was founded by Wojciech Boguski in 1558. A well preserved inscription placed on the north-facing incasement [translator’s note: Polish: zaskrzynienie - characteristic lowered ceiling in the parts being extension of chancel] indicates that the church was erected and painted in 1558 only. Painting decoration on the walls and ceilings, painted in the technique of egg tempera on a chalk and glue zinc white, is an imitation of the interior of a brick church decorated with rich architectural details, monumental wall paintings and vast surfaces covered with inscriptions. During preservation works undertaken in 1950s, the majority of oil paint layers which presumably came from the end of the 19th century and pattern decoration of approx. 1930 were removed. Large wall surfaces and polychromy defects were covered with graphic retouches (horizontal lines) bound by polyvinyl acetate. The aim of the intervention was to bind the polychromy and wood whose rings became a competitor for a poorly preserved paint layer. However, the walls were still covered with a layer of half-transparent, polymerized linen oil which made the paintings and zinc white dark. For 40 years since the preservation works were performed, the process of darkening and fading of paint layer progressed. The wall polychromy became almost transparent, and the remaining fragments of the zinc white were invisible. The conservation works discussed in this article started in 1997. The following activities were performed then: expert analysis of church construction, specialist examination of the paining technique as regards the polychromy as well as mycological and dendrochronological examinations of wood; in addition, a preliminary schedule of works was developed. The conservation works involved the entire construction being in an alarming condition and painting decorations covering the ceiling and walls. In the years 1998-1999, there were several preservation inspections led by Marian Kornecki, PhD. At that time, general preservation assumptions, including the most important decision about walls, were made. It was unanimously stated that preservation works regarding the paintings shall aim at the removal of linen oil. It was also decided that the most advantageous solution for the arrangement of the church interior was to restore original white colour of the walls at the places without polychromy. The decisions were the starting points for further restoration activities consisting in precise binding of paint layer defects with graphic retouches – horizontal lines and reconstruction of small polychromy elements. The renovation of the church was finished in 2006, while preservation works in the interior in 2009. During the works, the author of the article led a team of conservators and performed some preservation works. She also established the history of the building and chronology of changes in the decoration of the interior of the church and the history of works performed in the church as well as developed an original preservation programme.