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 painting depicts a woman who can be identified as a member of the nobility. The figure stands facing the viewer, her head and torso slightly turned to the left, her hands lowered in front of her and clasped together. The head and gaze are lowered, clearly demonstrating a depressed and gloomy state. Her facial features and expression also convey sadness and fatigue. The woman is dressed in a floor-length gown, her long, slightly curly hair is gathered into a wreath and falls freely past her shoulders, and she wears a necklace. The belt and collar are decorated with small embellishments, possibly embroidered elements. The figure's background is a landscape with natural vegetation – trees and bushes – and small hills on the horizon. The figure herself is standing on a dirt road. It is clear that the woman is depicted in a moment of sadness or hardship. 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.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery