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Norwid’s self-portrait with Greek inscription
Abstract
This article discusses a previously unknown drawing depicting Cyprian Norwid’s self-portrait created in Rome in 1845, recently found in a private collection. Presenting an intimate genre scene, the drawing bears a number of analogies with the artist’s other self-portraits, with the most common features being found in the lost image Dolce far niente from the so-called Italian Album. The self-portrait is presented in a cheerful, slightly humorous tone, although its author included a number of details that go beyond the realities of salon life towards a wide range of literary and artistic references, mainly the works of Shakespeare, Calderon, Kochanowski and Dante gathered at the young man’s side, as well as the ancient Greek quotation in the upper part of the drawing, which is also connected with the silhouette of a woman dressed in an antique costume accompanying the artist depicted in the drawing. The article discusses the origin, meaning and wider context of the quotation, which comes from a Roman tombstone stele and refers indirectly to the ancient tale of Hylas’ abduction by nymphs. An attempt is also made to interpret the entire drawing in the light of the meanings generated by the carefully transcribed fragment of the ancient inscription.
Keywords:
Norwid, Polish drawing, self-portrait, Winckelmann, Greek inscription, HylasDetails
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
