Kurpie Figures
Ethnographic Exhibition
PLACE
UL. DWORNA 22C
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The exhibition presents sculptures from the Kurpie Green Forest region, dating from the late 18th to the early 20th century, originating from old roadside chapels and crosses.
In the second half of the 19th century, the inhabitants of the Forest developed an original folk culture and art, among which one of the most fascinating forms was wooden folk sculpture — sacred figures known as “figures” or “osóbki.” The most common sculptural motif was the image of the Crucified Christ, called the “Passion” (Pasyja).
The “Passions” presented in the exhibition are divided into two groups: those nailed to crosses, which originally came from household interiors, and those without arms, which came from roadside crosses.
Crosses and chapels stood in the villages,
around them, and on the borders of fields or parishes. They were an expression of religious devotion but also provided a sense of protection and security. They were believed to guard against natural disasters — flooding of fields, fire, and disease (known as pestilence or plague).
St. John of Nepomuk, the most frequently depicted saint in roadside chapels, protected fields and meadows from floods and overflowing waters, ensuring sufficient food for people and animals and warding off the threat of springtime famine. St. Florian offered protection against fire, while St. Roch safeguarded people and animals from diseases, especially pestilence.
St. Roch can be seen in the multimedia presentation accompanying the exhibition, which, in addition to supplementary information, contains a vast photographic archive of chapels. Alongside these three most significant figures, there were also many depictions of the Sorrowful Christ (Chrystus Frasobliwy) and various individual patron saints.
Each of the sculptures presented in the exhibition could inspire a short or long story — for example, after thorough conservation, the figure once believed to be St. Barbara turned out to be the Risen Christ. However, little is known about their creators — anonymous sculptors who remained in the shadow of their works.
The memory of only two renowned and respected sculptors has been preserved: Łukasz Raczkowski (author of “Passions” and figures of St. John of Nepomuk) and Andrzej Kaczyński, who, in the second half of the 19th century, created several multi-figure compositions known as the “Holy Trinity” — two of which can be seen in the exhibition.
The sculptures presented in the exhibition come from the collections of the Museum of Northern Mazovia and the Adam Chętnik Kurpie Open-Air Museum in Nowogród.
