A methodology to identify a fragment of painted glass from excavations at John Paul II Square in Wrocław

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to discuss and analyze the discovery made during an archaeological and architectural rescue research conducted by a team led by Dr Ing. Arch. Piotr Kmiecik and Dr Robert Szwed in the years 2015–2019 on the premises of the former Babiński Hospital at John Paul II Square in Wrocław/Poland. During the research, a piece of glass with a very interesting painting decoration was discovered. The carried out architectural and archaeological research made it possible to unequivocally state that the discovery came from the times when Wroclaw was within the borders of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire. The research used the method of historical, architectural and heraldic analysis, as well as physico-chemical research on glass together with its historical comparative analysis. This allowed to determine with great accuracy the time of creation and the origin of decoration. The graphical representation on the analyzed piece was also specified. It is the coat of arms of Stefan Bátory as Polish king, reconstructed on the basis of conducted analyses. Due to the high quality of elaboration of the detail and the subject matter of the presentation, this discovery was connected with court circles. Therefore, the discovery complements the knowledge about relations between Wroclaw and Poland at the end of the 16th century. The research itself allows to analyze the methodology of conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of history of art and architecture based on the cultural context of the place.

Keywords

• applied arts
• historical glasswork
• artistic glass
• wrocław
• silesia
• stefan bátory
• architectural excavations
• architectural analysis
• monument conservation
• medieval architecture