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Figure of Saint Peter

Franciszek Oledzki

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  • Figure of Saint Peter 4
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Basic information
ID
С-I-624
Author
Franciszek Oledzki
Name
Figure of Saint Peter
Date of creation
1760s
Country
Ukraine
Technique
carving
Material
wood brown lacquer
Dimensions (height x width x depth, cm)
156 x 52 x 48
Additionally
Type
sculpture
Genre
religious
Plot
Saint Peter
Provenance
Latin Cathedral in Lviv
Information about author
Author
Franciszek Oledzki
Artist's lifetime
c. 1745–1792
Country
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now Ukraine
Biography
Franciszek Oledzki was a Lviv sculptor of the second half of the eighteenth century. There are not enough documented works about the artist. His creative activity dates between 1760 and 1792. The author worked with various materials: limestone, marble, stucco, wood (linden was the primary material) and mostly carved round sculptures. Since the 1770s, Oledzki worked in Lviv: he performed stained glass works in the Latin Cathedral (from June 14, 1773 to November 4, 1779, he worked on four altars, a throne for the bishop, and various ornaments); in the Dormition Church, the artist made an iconostasis; in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, he carved an altar with figures of saints. In addition to Lviv, Franciszek Oledzki worked in Berestechko, Buchach, and Lopatyn. In 1774, he signed an agreement with the superior of the Dominican monastery in Pidkamin to perform sculptural works. A characteristic feature of the sculptor's work is the figures' expressive poses and dynamic gestures – his angels seem to be flying in the sky. The professionalism of the master is felt in the filigree facial features, movements of the depicted figures, and peculiar curls of their hair.
Object description
The Apostle Peter (secular name – Simon) was one of the twelve apostles and the eldest disciple of Christ. The full-length figure of Peter, leaning slightly to the right with his foot extended, is depicted wearing a long tunic and a himation draped over his left shoulder. The image's intense emotionality is emphasised by the dynamic folds of the garment, the entire surface of which is covered with straight, ribbed lines intersecting to form planes of various shapes, often with sharp angles. The apostle is depicted as an aged, emotionally charged man with vibrant, sharp features, expressing contemplation and detachment. The image's distinctive features include an elongated face oval with prominent cheekbones and sunken cheeks, a high forehead, eyebrows raised above the bulging eyes, a straight thin nose and a long, parted beard. The expressively ruffled curls of the hair and beard are modelled with shallow engraved lines. The harmoniously assembled figure demonstrates the emotionally fulfilled image of a saint. According to Hornung, the figures of Saint Peter and Saint John were created by Franciszek Oledzki for the altar of the chapel in Our Lady of Czestochowa Church.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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