Fragments of “Transylvanian Panorama” Tarnów

Monuments

Fragment malowidła przedstawiający po lewej jeźdźców XIX-wiecznej armii na koniach, stojących na wale za rowem, w którym stoi po prawej jeszcze jeden koń z żołnierzem na nim. W tle dym i zaprzężone konie do wozów. Dalej widać fragment y pól.

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The historical painting, created in 1897 under the direction of Jan Styka, depicts the capture of Sibiu by the Hungarians under the command of General Józef Bem on 11 March 1849 during the Hungarian uprising.

The oil painting, most of which has since disappeared, was done on canvas by Jan Styka and a team of fellow painters and was of enormous size, measuring 120 by 15 metres, the same as the 'Panorama of Racławice’.' It was painted at the request of Hungarians wishing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising against the Austrians in 1848–1849.

Work on the painting, which began in the rotunda building in Stryisky Park in Lviv, lasted five months. It was an unusual, very fast-paced project by an international group of artists: Jan Styka and Hungarian Béla Spányi (landscape painter), German Leopold Schönchen (sky) and Zygmunt Rozwadowski (battle painter), Tadeusz Popiel (historical subjects), Michał Wywiórski (naturalist).

The painting was exhibited in Lviv in 1897, Budapest and several other Hungarian cities in 1898, and in Warsaw in 1907. Jan Styka later cut the work into pieces which were framed and sold. These frames sections ended up being dispersed around the world. It is not known how many parts 'Panorama' was cut into. The images found indicate that pieces were cut out to form discrete compositions. Sometimes they were revised or repainted, creating a collection of new paintings of various sizes. Jan Styka usually signed them.

The District Museum in Tarnów, General Józef Bem's hometown, is searching for the lost fragments of the 'Panorama', collecting the preserved and documenting their fate. To date, 31 pieces have been found, 20 of which are owned by the Tarnów Museum, and one of which is privately owned. Others are either in collections in Polish museums or belong to private collectors.

At present, it is not possible to reconstruct the whole. However, the painstaking queries and searches carried out for years by the District Museum in Tarnów give cause for optimism, as evidenced by the constant new information about the fragments of ‘Panorama of Transylvania’ that have been found.