Northern Lombardy - bordering the Swiss Italian-speaking cantons of Ticino and Grisons - has been, since the Middle Ages, a land from which many excellent stonemasons, builders and architectural artists originated. They often came from small towns, but their skills gave them the opportunity to work in significant artistic centres.

The artists migrated not only to other regions of Italy, but also north of the Alps, including Poland. From the 16th century onwards, their presence in Polish cities is documented. In the last years of this century, the names Trapolini, Bonai, Balin, Traversi appear in the records of the city of Lublin, whose owners were associated with building and architectural activities. At the beginning of the 17th century, Antonio Pelacini and Giovanni Malinverni, both from Piuro in the province of Sondrio in northern Lombardy, are active here. And they are the main protagonists of our book, although not the only ones.

The presence and artistic activity of Lombard artists of the modern era in Poland was noted as early as the 18th century by Italian and Polish historians. Later research by Polish art scholars yielded many individual discoveries. After 1945, two pioneering articles by Stefan Kozakiewicz, but especially the extensive research in the Lombard and Swiss archives of Prof. Mariusz Karpowicz, resulting in many new findings, significantly changed the perception of Northern Italian artists of the Baroque era active in Poland.

The book presented here - published in the 'Studies and Materials' series - draws on and summarises the research of earlier historians. It is also the result of the author's many years of research in Polish, Italian and Belorussian archives. In particular, the time spent in Italian archives has resulted in new factual discoveries concerning the presence of artists from Piuro in the 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They have also become the basis for new conclusions. In his book, the author brings us closer to the history of Piuro and the milieu from which its protagonists came. He presents not only artists who came from there, but also merchants such as Giovanni Vertemate or Cristoforo Serta, whose presence in Poland testifies to the much broader relations of this locality with our country.

Apart from its historical merits, one important aspect of Stanislaw Klosowski's research should be pointed out. The last chapter of the book is devoted to the chemical and technological study of mortar and stucco. This research method for recognising building assemblies and the specifics of their craftsmanship, practised for some time by Italian architectural historians and conservators, appears to be a novelty in our country. And it is a very important extension of the research systematics introduced by the author, an art conservator by training.

The Italian-language publication is available online.

Author: Stanisław Kłosowski

Year of publication: 2021

Number of pages: 476

Cover: Softbound

ISBN: 978-83-66172-42-5