François Glaize − the French Upholsterer Working in Mid-18th Century for Polish Patrons. New Findings

Abstract

Among the 18th-century tapestries made in Poland the excellent works of the French upholsterer, François Glaize, make up an exceptional group for many reasons. Polish and American collections store twenty three objects ascribed to him. From the technological point of view the works have almost exclusively silk threads. Another characteristic of this group of fabrics is that the technique of tapestry was used to make liturgical vestments, a method that is something utterly exceptional not only on the Polish, but also on the European scale.

The archival sources and objects that have recently been found allow us to better know the life and artistic work of Glaize. As it turned out, he stayed in Poland for almost thirty years (1743-1770), or even longer. His artistic activity should be connected with the then most prominent Polish patrons of art, among whom, as we suppose, initially was King Stanisław Leszczyński, and then the bishop Andrzej Kostka Załuski and King Stanisław August Poniatowski. We have most works and information from the times when Glaize was employed by Bishop Załuski. The latter commissioned the talented upholsterer to make, among other things, a dozen or so vestments, and antependia, portieres and a carpet for the Polish St. Stanisław Kostka church in Rome.