Collection of Ethnographic Drawings

Kajetan Wincenty Kielisiński created numerous etchings and drawings devoted to folklore, life in Polish villages and towns, historical monuments, and landscapes. He was one of the first to develop bookplates in Poland. During his travels to various locations, he collected graphic materials for the publications "Polish Antiquities" and "Folk Costumes". In 1855, Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupanski published "Kielisiński's Album", which collected the artist's scattered works. Kielisiński's graphic works, drawings, sketchbooks, and correspondence were kept in the Kórnik Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as in national museums (Kraków, Poznań, Warsaw) and renowned libraries (Jagiellonian University, Ossolineum, Warsaw University). The picture depicts a young man or lad dressed in traditional peasant clothing. He stands at full height, facing the viewer, holding a korovai (a traditional Ukrainian ceremonial bread) decorated with flowers or twigs. The young man or lad is probably participating in a wedding or festive ceremony. His role in carrying the korovai is highly symbolic. According to tradition, he could be a boyar, a matchmaker, or simply one of the wedding party. His expression is calm, solemn, perhaps slightly smiling. His gaze is open and directed straight ahead. The character's headdress is a tall hat adorned with feathers or ribbons, typical of festive or ceremonial events. He is dressed in a shirt with a collar and embroidered elements, over which he wears a jacket or sheepskin coat with decorated edges. The young man wears narrow trousers and traditional low boots with round toes. The character holds a small plate with the korovai decorated with plant elements, possibly flowers, ears of grain, or leaves. The lines are thin, soft, careful, but precise. Attention to detail is evident in the clothing, posture, and headdress. The image's background is conventional but unambiguously understandable – a rural environment with a hut under a thatched roof, fenced in by a wattle fence, with trees nearby. The composition is static and balanced, with the man standing straight and confidently, holding a loaf of bread with both hands. This posture, clothing, and attributes are characteristic of solemn moments, especially in 19th-century rural traditions. Its artistic significance lies in the accurate and detailed reproduction of folk attire, making it a valuable source for research and study of traditional culture. From an aesthetic point of view, we are dealing with a realistic drawing, with a special emphasis on its documentary nature.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery