Auguste Préault, tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family, 1866-1867, bronze, stone, Montmorency, Champeaux municipal cemetery, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, Modified: yes, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Antoine-Augustin Préault, Model of a medallion for Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone, ca. 1860, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Antoine-Augustin Préault, Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Adam Druchlińcki, ok. 1880
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Pierre Choumoff, ok. 1920
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Zdzislaw Hary’s Kaiser, ok. 1920
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Polish graves in Les Champeaux cemetery in Montmorency, photograph, Bibilioteka Polska in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany, ok. 1950
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Medallion on Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany, ok. 1950
License: public domain, Source: PAU art, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Source: Instytut Polonika, License terms and conditions
Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency
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ID: POL-001393-P/135154

Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency

ID: POL-001393-P/135154

Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency

The stone stele (with inscriptions in Polish) features a bronze medallion in deep relief, depicting the face of the dying Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855). It is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of late-Romantic French sculpture.

The author, Auguste Préault, considered the Mickiewicz medallion to be 'the best thing he had done'. He attached great importance to exhibiting a replica at the Paris Salon in 1868. In reviews of that exhibition, the work was highly praised (by Odilon Redon and Emile Zola, among others). Among Préault's many tombstones, it stands out for its unusually bold (against the background of all sepulchral art of the century, anyway) depiction of agony. Contrary to popular belief, however, the medallion is not a representation of the poet's death mask.

The circumstances of the medallion's commission are unknown. The sculptor may have known Mickiewicz personally through his contacts with the French historian Jules Michelet. He became friends with the poet's son, Władysław, but probably while working on the medallion for Montmorency, as evidenced by Władysław Mickiewicz's funeral speech at the sculptor's funeral. Préault's drawing of the medallion, now known only from an engraving by Firmin Gillot in 1867, gives the impression of having been made 'ex-post', rather than as a preparatory sketch; it may also have been for presentation to the commissioners. The work was placed in Montmorency as early as the end of 1866, but the ceremonial inauguration of the monument - with a famous speech by Victor Hugo - did not take place until 21 May 1867. From then on, Préault's medallion was repeatedly reproduced and depicted in various graphic travesties (e.g. by M.E. Andriolli, B. Zaleski, A. Regulski).

A plaster model of the sculpture is in the Bibliothèque Polonaise in Paris. Préault was also probably the author of the lost bronze medallion of Celina Mickiewicz (formerly there). Mickiewicz's ashes were exhumed in 1890 and moved to the crypt in Wawel Cathedral.

In 2020, the sculpture on the nagorbek was cleaned and secured.

Related persons:

Time of construction:

1866, unveiling 21.05.1867

Creator:

Auguste Préault (rzeźbiarz; Francja)

Bibliography:

  • J. Skowronek, Cmentarz polski w Montmorency, Warszawa 1986, s. 71-74
  • A. Pieńkos, Rzeźbiarz nieskończoności - Auguste Préault (rec. z wystawy A. Préaulta w Musée d’Orsay w Paryżu w 1997 r.), „Art and Business”, 1998, nr 5, s. 53-56
  • Auguste Préault. Sculpteur romantique 1809-1879, katalog wystawy w Musée d’Orsay, Paris 1997, s. 285-286
  • A. Pieńkos, Okropności sztuki. Nowoczesne obrazy rzeczy ostatecznych, Gdańsk 2000, s. 185-189
  • S. Rosiek, Zwłoki Mickiewicza. Próba nekrografii poety, Gdańsk 1997, s. 262-265
  • S. Rosiek, Na cmentarzu i na salonie. Sceny z dziejów medalionu Augusta Preault, w: Śmierć Mickiewicza. Teksty i rozmowy w roku mickiewiczowskim 2005, red. K. Czeczot i M. Zielińska, Warszawa 2008, s. 105-116
  • A. Biernat, B. Kłosowicz, Na obcej ziemi. Polskie groby na cmentarzach paryskich i w Montmorency, Paris 2009, s. 210-212
  • A. Pieńkoś, Konwencje obrazowania śmierci w sztuce XIX wieku. Między formą a tabu, „Rocznik Historii Sztuki”, 22, 1996, s. 95-96
  • A. Pieńkos, „Tracona moc obrazu, czyli epizody nowoczesnego realizmu”, Warszawa 2012, s. 149-151
  • A. Pieńkos, „Nie tylko Mickiewicz. Romantyczna eschatologia Auguste’a Préaulta”, w: „Epoka Chopina. Kultura romantyczna we Francji i w Polsce”, red. A. Pieńkos i A. Rosales Rodriguez, Warszawa 2013, s. 117-122
  • W zbiorach Biblioteki Czartoryskich w Krakowie zachował się krótki list Préaulta do sekretarza poety, Armanda Lévy’ego z maja 1865 r. zapowiadający ich spotkanie u Władysława Mickiewicza [MNK rkps. 599/79]

Publication:

30.08.2023

Last updated:

05.06.2025

Author:

prof. Andrzej Pieńkos
see more Text translated automatically
 Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family, 1866-1867, bronze, stone, Montmorency, Champeaux municipal cemetery, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Огюст Прео, надгробок Адама Міцкевича та його родини, 1866–1867, бронза, камінь, Монморансі, муніципальне кладовище Шампо Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Bronze medallion in deep relief depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz on a stone stele in Montmorency. The medallion shows Mickiewicz's face in agony, created by Auguste Préault. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting Adam Mickiewicz's face in deep relief. Polish inscriptions list family members' names and dates. Cemetery background with other tombstones. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Bronze medallion on Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone in Montmorency, depicting his face in deep relief. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stone stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Bronze medallion on a stone stele depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz in deep relief, located in Montmorency. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Auguste Préault, nagrobek Adama Mickiewicza i jego rodziny, 1866-1867, brąz, kamień, Montmorency, cmentarz miejski Champeaux, photo Andrzej Pieńkos, 2023
Bronze medallion on a stone stele depicting Adam Mickiewicz's face in deep relief, located in Montmorency. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Antoine-Augustin Préault, Model of a medallion for Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone, ca. 1860, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany
Stone stele with Polish inscriptions and a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz. Flowers surround the base. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Antoine-Augustin Préault, Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Adam Druchlińcki, ok. 1880
Stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting Adam Mickiewicz's face in deep relief, surrounded by ivy. Polish inscriptions detail family members' names and dates. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Pierre Choumoff, ok. 1920
Stone stele with inscriptions in Polish and a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting the face of dying Adam Mickiewicz. The grave is surrounded by a metal fence, with a house in the background. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, gift of Wladyslaw Mickiewicz, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Zdzislaw Hary’s Kaiser, ok. 1920
Grave of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency with a stone stele featuring a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting his face. Surrounding graves and a sign from the Historical-Literary Society are visible. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Polish graves in Les Champeaux cemetery in Montmorency, photograph, Bibilioteka Polska in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany, ok. 1950
Stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz in deep relief, with the name 'Mickiewicz' inscribed above. Located in Montmorency cemetery. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Medallion on Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone in Montmorency cemetery, photograph, Polish Library in Paris, Paris (France), photo Nieznany, ok. 1950
Grave of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery. A stone stele with Polish inscriptions features a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting Mickiewicz's face. Surrounding graves and a metal railing are visible. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Stone stele with a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz, located in Montmorency cemetery. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Stone stele with Polish inscriptions and a bronze medallion in deep relief depicting the face of dying Adam Mickiewicz. The grave is located in Montmorency cemetery. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Grave of Adam Mickiewicz in Montmorency cemetery. A stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting Mickiewicz's face. Surrounding graves and flowers visible. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting Adam Mickiewicz's face in deep relief, located in Montmorency cemetery. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Bronze medallion on a stone stele depicting the face of Adam Mickiewicz in deep relief, located in Montmorency. The medallion is an example of late Romantic French sculpture. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Close-up of a bronze relief on Adam Mickiewicz's tombstone in Montmorency, showing the signature of sculptor Auguste Préault. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Stone stele with a bronze medallion depicting Adam Mickiewicz's face in deep relief, located in Montmorency cemetery. Polish inscriptions are visible on the stele. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024
Cemetery in Montmorency with Adam Mickiewicz's family tombstone. A stone stele with a bronze medallion relief depicting Mickiewicz's face. Surrounding graves and residential buildings in the background. Photo showing Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency Gallery of the object +20
Tombstone of Adam Mickiewicz and his family in Montmorency, photo Bartłomiej Gutowski, 2024

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  • Огюст Прео, надгробок Адама Міцкевича та його родини, 1866–1867, бронза, камінь, Монморансі, муніципальне кладовище Шампо
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