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Figure of the Virgin Mary

Jan Obrocki

Basic information

ID: С-I-1949
Author: Jan Obrocki
Name: Figure of the Virgin Mary
Date of creation: 1779
Technique: carving polychrome
Material: wood
Dimensions (height x width x depth, cm): 186 x 110 x 77

Additionally

Type: sculpture
Genre: religious
Plot: The Virgin Mary
Provenance: Busk town, Busk district, Lviv region, St. Stanislaus Church

Information about author

Author: Jan Obrocki
Artist's lifetime: c. 1730 – c. 1800
Country: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now Ukraine
Biography: Jan Obrocki (c. 1730 – c. 1800) was a Lviv sculptor of the second half of the 18th century. He executed his works in wood and stone, and worked in the technique of stucco. The works of the master are characterized by the style of Rococo and early Classicism. Between 1756 and 1757, he was first mentioned in a document about craftsmen who did not belong to the city guilds. In 1764, like some Lviv sculptors, Jan Obrocki was granted the right to wear a sword. It symbolically gave him the same status as the gentry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and exempted him from the jurisdiction of city guilds. Jan Obrocki decorated three fireplaces with stucco in the palace of Lubomirski princes in Lviv, and made a volumetric sculpture for Castrum doloris for the funeral of Anna Sanguszko Jablonska, which was displayed in the Bernardine monastery in Zaslav. Between 1769 and 1780, the sculptor worked on the interior design of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Lviv, making sculptures for the altar of St. Trinity and the Transfiguration of the Lord. He carved wooden figures of saints for the church in Busk.

Object description

Around 1779, Jan Obrocki and Ignat Buraczynski created a volumetric sculpture for the main altar and pulpit in the Church of St. Stanislaus in Busk. Unlike typical iconographic schemes where several figures are placed near the Crucifixion, the St. Stanislaus Church altar composition features two figures – the Virgin Mary and John the Apostle. The elongated, dynamic figure of the Virgin Mary conveys dramatic, vibrant emotions. The facial features are skillfully carved: protruding cheekbones, a straight, pointed nose, pursed lips and teardrops rolling down her cheek. In the sculptor's characteristic manner, the somewhat coarse, dynamic lines of the garment folds are meticulously detailed, enveloping the Virgin Mary's body. The theatrical pose of the saint, with her head slightly tilted, is characterised by high emotional intensity and a realistic portrayal of the character. Jan Obrocki's works are known for a certain restraint and detachment in interpreting draperies, which can be observed in his creative legacy. In this particular piece, following the artistic style of Johann Georg Pinsel, the sculptor attempted to recreate his depiction of Mary from the Horodenka church.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Figure of the Virgin Mary

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