Petrographic study of selected sculptural works of Jan Michałowicz from Urzędów

Nowadays, in order to determine whether given rock properties make it useful for specifi c purposes, the material is examined using relevant test equipment. At the times of Jan Michałowicz, any knowledge in this respect was transmitted by the master to his apprentices, based on the master’s experience. The artist used domestic rock raw materials to sculpt monuments commemorating important persons who were his contemporaries. For the petrographic analysis, the authors selected the most distinguishable works of the artist, which he signed or which are most likely to have been sculpted by him. The authors analysed the materials used by the artist to carve specifi c elements of his works, as well as rock raw materials in terms of their historical and contemporary properties. Consequently, the petrographic study allowed to describe the rocks in greater detail, as well as their properties useful for sculpture purposes, and their durability. Artistic qualities helped determine the sources of stones used by Jan Michałowicz during his projects. These include the quarries near Pińczów (limestone), Kunów (sandstone), Bolechowice (marble), Żurawno (alabaster) and initially quarries in Hungary. The discussed works of Jan Michałowicz provide firm grounds for acknowledging the artist as the leading co-founder to Polish Renaissance art.