Carton for the polychrome from St Mary's Church - bust of an angel

Among Matejko's many preparatory studies for the St. Mary's Basilica polychrome in Kraków, this angel bust served as the basis for one of the decorative figures in the elaborate painted program that covered the church's interior. The polychrome, completed in 1890-91, drew on Gothic and Byzantine precedents to create a densely layered visual environment appropriate to one of Poland's most sacred national sites. Angels served multiple functions in Matejko's scheme: as traditional religious figures, as bearers of emblems and symbolic objects, and as aesthetic elements linking the medieval architecture to his painted program.

The bust is modelled in the stylized manner Matejko adopted for his Gothic church work, with more attention to decorative line than to naturalistic volume. The palette of pale flesh, white garment, and golden accents is calibrated to read well against the church's stone and gilded surfaces.