The National Museum in Krakow

Compiled by Agata Jabłońska, based on the materials of the National Museum in Krakow

Jan Matejko

In the heart of the Old Town

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The Matejko House

The artist's family home is located on the Royal Route in Krakow, in the center of the Old Town

Jan Matejko, self-portrait, 1887 (1887) by Jan MatejkoThe National Museum in Krakow

An important place is occupied by portraits of family and friends, as well as ‘Self-portrait’ from 1887. Jan Alojzy Matejko was born in Krakow on 24 June, 1838 and was associated with the city throughout his life.

How did the painter of the historicist era live? Who was the 19th century Cracovian? Jan Matejko lived in the heart of the Old Town, near the Florian Gate. In his House there are works representing all phases of his creativity: mainly small-size historical compositions, sketches for large canvases decorating the largest Polish national galleries and images of historical figures. 

Portrait of Paulina Giebułtowska, Jan Matejko, 1862, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Portrait of Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz, Jan Matejko, 1887, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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One of the most outstanding Polish painters died on 1 November, 1893, and with him the bourgeois Krakow of the 19th century passed into the past. Matejko represented the trend of historical painting, he was a draughtsman, collector, professor and long-term director of the School of Fine Arts in Krakow. He was a precursor of the conservation and protection of monuments, and a member of many artistic, scientific and social societies.

The interior of the tomb of King Kazimierz Wielki, Jan Matejko, 1869, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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17th Century Costume Studies - Man's Corpse in Red County; sketches of a sleeve and a boot, Jan Matejko, 1858, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Maid of Orleans (1883) by Jan MatejkoThe National Museum in Krakow

Before big pictures are created

Sketches for large-format works by Jan Matejko

Jan III Sobieski gives Canon Denhoff a letter to the Pope, Jan Matejko, 1880, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Sketch for the painting Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God, Jan Matejko, 1871, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Poisoning of Queen Bona, Jan Matejko, 1859, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Costume studios (1858/1860) by Jan MatejkoThe National Museum in Krakow

Collection

The Jan Matejko House is a meeting place with a collection of handicrafts, fabrics, clothes, and military items, which were often used by the painter as props in his artistic work

A pair of "postal shoes", NN, 1700/1800, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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A soldier's shoe with a spur from the 17th century, Jan Matejko, 1850, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Pouch, NN, 1700/1800, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Pair of spurs, Ziembowki Aleksander, 1869, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Interestingly, the objects were not always used in accordance with the historical truth and so, for example, in his paintings, men's and women's richly ornamented headgear often appeared on their heads.

Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church (1889) by Jan MatejkoThe National Museum in Krakow

St. Mary's Church in Krakow

Works on the renovation of the interior of the city parish church

The interior of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Main Square in Krakow

Jan Matejko's work on the renovation of the interior of St. Mary's Church in Krakow played a special role in his artistic activity. The collection of the National Museum in Krakow has preserved the design of the polychrome for the church.

The interior of St. Mary's Church in Krakow, NN (Juliusz Mien?), 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church - Tadeusz Stryjeński, architect, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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In his paintings, Jan Matejko often used the images of his relatives and friends from the world of the Krakow bourgeoisie.

Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Cardboard for the polychrome of St. Mary's Church, Jan Matejko, 1889, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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This undertaking, combined with research on the art of Krakow, contributed to the renewal and flourishing of monumental art in the works of talented students of Matejko, artists of the next generation: Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer.

Jan Matejko with his wife Teodora and their daughter Helena (1877) by Jan MieczkowskiThe National Museum in Krakow

Jan Matejko's family

He is remembered as a devoted husband and father of five

In some paintings, such as a sketch showing King Zygmunt August and his beloved Barbara Radziwiłł hugging each other, one can notice references to the emotions that bound him with his family. Matejko himself and his wife Teodora née Giebułtowska probably posed for the painting.

Treasury. Woman with a girl in 18th century clothes, Jan Matejko, 1850, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Treasury. Historical costumes for women and men (including Italian from the 16th century), Jan Matejko, 1850, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Zygmunt August and Barbara Radziwiłł, Jan Matejko, 1864, From the collection of: The National Museum in Krakow
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Credits: Story

More: History of the collections of the Jan Matejko House on the website of the National Museum in Krakow.

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