CONSERVATION TREATMENT OF BAROQUE SCULPTURES IN THE BRANICKI PALACE, BIAŁYSTOK, 2018
As part of a conservation treatment project on the grounds of the Branicki Palace, Białystok, we treated two sculptures by Jan Chryzostom Redler.
The sculptor was often engaged by prominent Polish magnate families – the Czartoryskis, Potockis and Branickis. Both sculptures, which represent labors of Hercules, were commissioned in the mid-1700s by Jan Klemens Branicki, who wished to be likened to the mythological hero.
The monumental statues, which flank the entryway to the Palace’s ceremonial courtyard (cour d'honneur), represent two of Hercules’s labors – the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra and the slaying of the Dragon Ladon. The sculptures were cleaned with laser, which allowed us to remove all the deposits and discoloration in a non-invasive manner, without any loss of the intricate original details