Byzantine inspirations in the burial chapel of the Radziwiłłs in Antonin near Ostrów Wielkopolski

Abstract

The subject of the article concerns a stone, architectonic construction, richly ornamented with sculptures and being the equipment of the burial chapel of the Radziwiłłs in Antonin near Ostrów Wielkopolski. Four columns with wavy capitals and an arcade were placed into the architectonic space secondarily. That work was not reported in historical documents. In the subject literature, the problem of Antonin partition existed only marginally, accompanying mainly the discussion on the origin of the chapel (founded by Luiza Radziwiłł, maiden name Hohenzollern, the wife of the deputy of the Grand Duchy of Posen) architecture. The principal problem described is a question of the originality of the sculpture elements of Antonin construction. Indicating implementation of certain formal solutions used for the first time much later than in the Middle Ages, we tried to demonstrate, that all marble elements, being the chapel equipment, are 19th c pasticcio, made by Venetian workshops, cooperating at that time with each other, developing and expanding St. Mark’s Basilica. Masterful manufacturing of Antonin capital and the period of building up the burial chapel enable us to suppose, that the discussed object was ordered and placed inside in the 90s of 19th c or the beginning of 20th c. Therefore, the foundation of that interesting project must have been attributed to Ferdynand Radziwiłł, the owner of Przygrodzice demense, which Antonin belonged to at that time.