The Painting and the Word. Barbara Kawecka’s Silver epitaph in Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Toruń

Summary

In the former parish church in the old town of Toruń, unimposing, but exceptional antiquity was preserved - the silver epitaph of Barbara Kawecka, which until recently was affixed to the pillar, and which is currently stored in the Diocesan Museum in Toruń. The epitaph is a small square plaque entirely engraved, and then studded on an ornately cut board in indefinite time. Kawecka’s epitaph is an example of antiquity, in which the word, as well as the picture, are equivalently used in the content. The fields of border contain emblematic compositions reduced to only two elements: the image (imago) and the maxim (lemma; motto). The plaque commemorating Barbara Kawecka was supposed to fulfill a twofold function. On the one hand, it conveys information about the biography, virtues, and merits of the buried person. On the other hand, after removing the grave of Barbara Kawecka and placing the plaque inside the church, it became a modest epitaph.  

The Painting and the Word. Barbara Kawecka’s Silver epitaph in Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Toruń

Summary