Collection of Ethnographic Drawings

Kajetan Kielisinski

Basic information

ID: Г-V-424_145
Author: Kajetan Kielisinski
Name: Collection of Ethnographic Drawings
Country: Kingdom of Poland
Culture: Modern times
Technique: drawing
Material: pencil

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: genre art
Provenance: the Dzieduszycki collection

Information about author

Author: Kajetan Kielisinski
Artist's lifetime: 1808–1849
Country: Duchy of Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland
Biography: Kajetan Wincenty Kielisiński (7 August 1808 – 2 January 1849) was a Polish graphic artist, illustrator, librarian, engraver, and draughtsman. He was born into the family of court official Kazper and Katarzyna, née Kleska. He studied at Warsaw University and drew under Jan Feliks Piwarski. After the outbreak of the November Uprising (1830–1831), he interrupted his art studies. He took part in the fighting in 1831, serving as a second lieutenant, and after the uprising was suppressed, he was unable to return to Warsaw. He lived in Kraków for some time, and from 1834 to 1839, he was the curator of the collections of H. Pawlikowski (a collector and bibliophile) in Medyka, where he honed his engraving skills, hoping to continue his studies in Vienna. From 1839, he worked as a librarian and curator of art collections for Tytus Działyński, a public and political figure, patron of the arts, and publisher of historical sources, in Oleszyce near Lubaczów, and from January 1840 in Kurnyk. In 1847, he published the "Catalogue of the Double Collections of Count Działyński's Library". Shortly before his death, he married Apollonia, née Gostynska. He died suddenly on 2 January 1849. K. W. Kielisiński's creative legacy includes about 1,000 watercolours, sketches, drawings of folk types, genre scenes, folk costumes, military uniforms, and landscapes, commissioned by W. Dzieduszycki, T. Działyński, and H. Pawlikowski. During his travels to various localities, he collected graphic materials for the publications "Polish Antiquities" and "Folk Costumes". In 1855, Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupanski published "The Kielisiński's Album", which collected the artist's scattered works. The works of K. W. Kielisiński, signed KWK or KIK, are kept in museums in Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw, the Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery, and the libraries of Warsaw and Jagiellonian Universities.

Object description

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 shows a young nobleman in festive or ceremonial attire. He's standing in a relaxed pose, with his left hand down and his right hand on his hip. This posture shows calmness and confidence, highlighting the guy's social and financial status. He is dressed in a long, luxurious robe or outer cloak made of patterned fabric decorated with floral ornaments. The young man's head is uncovered, and his long hair falls to his shoulders. He is wearing soft boots or shoes typical of the wealthy classes. His facial expression is calm, friendly, and confident, but lacks clear details. The young man is shown against the backdrop of a carefully paved road and a fragment of a stone building, which adds spatial depth to the scene and hints at the social role of the person portrayed. The artistic value of the drawing lies in its documentary and ethnographic accuracy in depicting the historical costume: the author sought to capture the details of the clothing and social image, rather than the individual features of the person.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Collection of Ethnographic Drawings

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