Stan zachowania kamienno-metalowych płyt nagrobnych na Śląsku

The report presented by the author deals with the tomb effigies made of stone and metal that may be still found within the area of Lower Silesia. Such effigies have, for example, survived to our days in Lubiąż and Wroclaw. The effigies of Lubiąż, executed ca. 1312 are depicting the princes of the Piast family, namely Bolesław the Tall (died in 1201), Przemko of Ścinawa (died in 1289), Konrad of Żegań (died in 1304) and also the knight Marcin Buzwoy (recte: Bożywoj; died ca. 1315). The apitaphial sculptures of Wroclaw are exclusively effigies of clergymen, and among them of Bishop Nanker (died in 1341), Stefan of Lubusza (died in 1345), the abbess Anna Piast (died in 1343) and the nun Margareth (died in 1343). Of the above effigies the first two coming from Wrocław Cathedral are at present kept in the Holy Cross Church whereas the other two, forming a double-effigy in St. Clara Church, Wrocław. The author of the present report quotes the results of the recent investigations supplying a basis for assumption that the effigies from Lubiąż are to be counted to those most early in their class on the Continent and are quite negligibly later than the first known European monument of that kind, namely the effigy of Sir John d’Abernon (died in 1277) in Stoke d’Abernon Church, Surrey. Apart from that fact alone the Silesian effigies have their quite particular place in the history of the Polish mediaeval art, among the others, due to the techniques applied in their execution. All they have been executed in the way described below. The effigy of a person buried and the architectural framing with an inscription on it was formed of the flat metallic plates (auricalcum) finished by the engraver’s work and then inserted in the suitably shaped hollows in a rectangular sandstone plate. Thus, quite a specific kind of incrustation was obtained, namely stone with metallic applications. In the whole Europe, the British Isles excluded, up to our times were preserved no more than a dozen or so of such mediaeval effigies. After the above remarks and a more detailed discussion of technique applied for execution of the Silesian tomb effigies the author deals in detail with their state of preservation. Here he finds the place to point to highly artificial separation of the individual parts of that monuments composed of both metal and stone. Some metallic applications from the effigies of Lubiąż are kept in the National Museum, Wroclaw whereas the remaining preserved elements in their original positions in Lubiąż. Much the same is the case with the effigy of Bishop Stefan of Lubusza whose metallic effigy is kept in the Archidiocesal Museum, Wrocław and the remaining parts of the tomb in the Holy Cross Church. It is the author 's proposal to integrate the preserved fragments into the wholes. To make his conclusions still more convincing the author expressed a view that the stone and metallic effigies, and in particular in the event of Silesian tombs, cannot be handled correctly enough until the metallic parts will remain separated from those made of stone. According to his opinion the integrated and properly restored relics should be located in their original positions, i.e. in Cistercian Church in Lubiąż and in Wrocław Cathedral. When dealing with the state of preservation of the Silesian effigies the author forwarded some proposals as to conservation of each of their seven specimens at the same time emphasising the necessity to investigate both stone material and metal parts in these tombs.