Fryz podstropowy ukryty pomiędzy sufitem pomieszczenia na pierwszym piętrze a podłogą pomieszczenia drugiego piętra w skrzydle zachodnim pałacu Pod Krzysztofory

THE CEILING FRIEZE CONCEALED BETWEEN THE CEILING OF A ROOM ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND THE FLOOR OF A ROOM ON THE SECOND FLOOR IN THE WEST WING OF KRZYSZTOFORY PALACE IN KRAKÓW The paper describes the discovery, and then the conservation of the ceiling frieze concealed under the floor of a room on the second floor in the west wing of Krzysztofory Palace in Kraków. The surviving fragments of the frieze seemed to be parts of an unfinished painted composition that decorated the room on the first floor which was originally topped with a wooden beam ceiling (only four of the original beams survive and they are dated to the 18th century). The unfinished frieze was damaged during the installation of wooden load-bearing beams supporting the structure of the second floor, and the bottom part of the frieze was covered with the planks of the false dropped ceiling with coving that topped the room on the first floor. The composition of the painted frieze comprises a garland made of a bunch of green leaves and attached to the ceiling beams painted in the chiaroscuro technique with the use of light, delicate brushstrokes. The range of colours is limited to the grey-blue background, the dark green leaves, and the pale pink outline of the frieze. Since the discovered feature was not to be displayed, conservation works were limited to the removal of dust and dirt from the surface of the painting, application of paint fixative, attachment of the loose parts to the wall, and protection of the surface against mechanical damage in the course of further construction works in the building. All of the stages of the conservation process were documented by photographs. The dating of the frieze proved to be the most difficult task. The painting possessed certain features of the baroque style, so researchers studied the history of the building from the moment of its purchase by Bishop Kajetan Ignacy Sołtyk in 1773 until 1843, i.e. the death of Jacek Kluszewski who owned the mansion from 1790 and transformed it into a tenement house. It was assumed that the painting of the frieze must have been commissioned by Kluszewski, because, unlike his predecessors, he carried out many renovation works and introduced a number of alterations in the property. His interest in the arts, connections with art circles, and his substantial fortune certainly rendered him well equipped for that task.