Decorations inside the paper mill36 Wall and ceiling paintings decorating the former

sum-mer flat of the paper makers of Duszniki are the most valuable elements of the interior decor in the main pa-per mill building. The polychrome paintings are partly preserved in two rooms on the third floor of the paper mill, i.e. on the first attic floor. These paintings, most probably created in different periods, i.e. in the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries, reflect different styles in interi-or decinteri-or applied in residential rooms. Diverse and interi- or-nately decorated motives, i.e. ornaments, floral twigs, figures, and architectural forms make them stand out from other flats. These decorations were made by ap-plying dispenter to wooden walls and ceilings.

No other decoration in the first room is as perfectly pre-served as the tray ceiling paintings featuring dry acan-thus twig. Wall paintings are ‘enclosed’ in a painted, marbleized bordure. On the north wall, there is a genre scene – women and men having a stroll on a terrace pro-vided with balusters, colonnade, and two column-sup-ported domed garden houses. In the background, one can notice greenery and a blue sky. The scene is inter-preted as depiction of the spa in Duszniki, as of late 18^th or early 19^th centuries. The west wall featuring two win-dows is decorated with architectural forms (columns painted on both sides of the windows), garlands, and a scene interpreted as Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, tak-ing place indoors, under a baldachin. On the south wall, there is a conch painted above the door to the second room. The east wall features various architectural forms and an eagle, which refers to the filigree used by the pa-per makers of Duszniki in 1756.

In the second room, the preserved paintings decorate the ceiling and two walls. The seventeenth-century painting on the north wall is considered the oldest in the paper mill premises. It reaches half of the wall and features floral elements such as flowers and dry acan-thus twig. The polychrome painting on the west wall which is dated at the late 19^th century features ornate-ly decorated window framings and painted ‘frames’

alternating with decorations featuring geometrized floral elements and strongly coloured ‘regent grat-ing’. Moreover, polychrome-painted board with hard-ly visible paint layer featuring fruit garlands has been

36 The following description is based on S. Szoc’s findings (co-author of conservation and preservation works as well as author of polychrome inventory survey). While working on this study, A. Szeląg recorded different findings.

preserved as ‘evidence’ of richness of accumulated his-torical heritage from different periods. The ceiling is framed with geometrised floral ornament.

The ceiling is ornated with rather unsuccessful forced perspective in form of an oval divided by pilasters be-tween which there are recesses and panels. Its approx-imate age is dated at late 18^th century.

The following factors determine the value of painting decorations in the paper mill premises in Duszniki Zdrój:

The polychrome painting is unique in buildings of this kind.

Paintings done in different periods represent changing styles in Silesian art, from the early sev-enteenth-century and late sevsev-enteenth-century early baroque paint layers, throughout the eight-eenth-century Baroque paintings to late nine-teenth-century paintings featuring the ‘regent grating’ motive.

Being ornately decorated, e.g. with floral twigs, genre scenes, and architectural details.

Interesting iconographic scenes, e.g. the eagle re-ferring to the filigree used by the paper makers of Duszniki since 1756; allegedly a biblical scene – Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife; allegedly a view over Duszniki of late 18^th (?)³⁷ or early 19^th (?) early 19^th (?) centuries³⁸.

Art technique – dispenter applied on wood.

Rich colours applied in certain scenes and motives.

37 Dating analysis by S. Szoc, co-author of conservation and preservation works and author of polychrome inventory.

38 According to T. Windyka, park furniture depicted in this painting refers to structures designed by construction inspector, Ch. Geisler of Wrocław, and installed in the local nineteenth-century spa park in 1802. T. Windyka,

“Młyn papierniczy w Dusznikach,” Muzealnictwo vol. 41, Warsaw 1999, pp. 17–18.

ANALYSIS OF THE VALUES OF THE PROPERTY

Photo 45. Part of painting decoration on ceiling in the first room. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

Photo 46. Part of polychrome paintings on the north-facing wall in the first room. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

Photo 47. Part of polychrome paintings on the north-facing wall in the first room. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

Photo 48. A part of painted decoration in room 2 (“Under the dome” room). Museum of Papermaking Archive

Photo 49. Painted ceiling in the “Room under the dome”

Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

PAPER MILL IN DUSZNIKI-ZDRÓJ – VALUE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT PLAN / PART 1

It must be added that, in addition to the aforemen-tioned paintings, a painting above the current ceil-ing was uncovered in the “room under the dome.”

On the walls between the ceilings, there is an orna-mental frieze dated at the 17^th century. ³⁹The poly-chrome paintings preserved in two rooms in the paper mill, which were initially studied by art conser-vators in terms of their age, style, and iconography as part of conservation works carried out, until re-cently, had not fallen within the scope of art histo-rians’ interest in the broader aspect of style-related,

39 A. Szeląg, “Dekoracja malarska papierni” in R. Eysymontt, A. Szeląg, D. Eysymontt, op. cit., p. 54.

comparative or iconographic studies. A. Szeląg was the first to make such an attempt.⁴⁰ According to him, the paintings in Duszniki were done in the same period, i.e. approximately 1800. The only excep-tion is the polychrome painting on the north wall in the “Room under the dome.” In the latter case, Sze-ląg points out the decoration’s similarities to select-ed works of art creatselect-ed at the turn of the 16^th and 17^th century and in the early 17^th century. At present, A. Kozieł and A. Szeląg are studying the paintings in the paper mill in Duszniki.⁴¹

40 As above, pp. 45–55.

41 According to A. Kozieł, polychrome paintings date at 1770–1780. He is also of the opinion that they were done by Caspar Rathsmann for Johann Josepha Ossendorf. He considers theatre decorations engraved in copperplate as being models for the genre scenes with illusionistic architecture in the background. Kozieł also emphasizes that although these pieces may not be exquisite works of art, they are interesting in terms of their iconography.

Additionally, the biblical scene, Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, is the only one or one of the very few pieces of art of this theme in Kłodzko County and Silezia. The decoration on the north-facing wall in the “Under the dome” room as well as on the museum exhibition is dated at the 17^th century.

The authors are grateful to Professor Andrzej Kozieł for providing fundamental information on the studies being conducted as well as their preliminary results.

ANALYSIS OF THE VALUES OF THE PROPERTY

Photo 50. Paper mill building – barrel vault with lunettes in

the lower ground floor. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek Photo 51. Roof framework of the paper mill building Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

Photo 52. Staircase structural column in the paper mill building. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

Photo 53. Log cabin structure of the oldest part of the drying house. Photo by A. Fortuna-Marek

2.1.6 Materials, substances and the structure