Badania i prace konserwatorsko-restauratorskie przy ołtarzu głównym w kościele pw. Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny i św. Marcina z Tour w Gościkowie-Paradyżu (etap I)

Abstract

In the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Marcin of Tours in Gościkowo-Paradyż, being the estate of an old Cistercian Abbey, wellpreserved is the baroque altar dated as far as 1739, which is the masterpiece of higher arts. It was made of linden and pine wood.It represents a two-storey type of retabulum, covered with paintings in the central part, and crowned in the form of canopy and figural groups. The altar is adorned with magnificent paintings of one of the most prominent artists of the Silesian Baroque, originating from Wrocław - Felix Anton Scheffler. Sculptural decoration of the altar had been chiseled by Johann Caspar Hennevogel and his sons, Johann Wilhelm and Christoph, who worked among others on the Cistercian church in Neuzelle.This paper presents the research results and the first stage of and conservation-restoration works carried out in on the altar in 2011. They represent the next stage of restoration, which has been continued since the late 1990s. Full restoration of Paradyż altar will require substantial finance, which is why the task was divided into two stages.Based on the research, it was found, inter alia, that under the secondary layers of gray and white overpaintings, dated as far as the 1960s, hidden were colorful marbles, imitating stone in the shades of gray, red, ocher and blue. The condition of the altar justifies the restoration plan of aesthetic and technical restoration to preserve the original substance and include this outstanding work into the Baroque composition of colorful interior of the temple restored to its glory between 2007 and 2008.