Norwid – Branicki – Matejko – Berezowski. A history of an autograph

Abstract

This article discusses the history of one of rare Norwid's autograph that are stored abroad. This is an epigram entitled Improwizacja – wracając z Ekspozycji 1867 – w Paryżu [Improvisation – coming home from the 1867 Paris Exposition]. This work is stored as part of a vast collection of Polonica at the Montrésor castle (Touraine, France). The castle was bought by the Branicki Family in the mid-19th century, and today it is managed by the Rey Family. The author describes the autograph and juxtaposes it against a better-known edition of the epigram, entitled Improwizacja na ekspozycji [Improvising at the Exposition] to finally claim that – in accord with the canonical principles of editorial art – it is the Montrésor variant of the text – as a later work – that should be considered canonical for the purposes of publishing and researching Norwid’s legacy. Moreover, the author analyses the context of historical and cultural events that made Norwid send the epigram to Count Ksawery Branicki in 1867, in which he ironically set two vital figures against one another: the painter Jan Matejko and Antoni Berezowski – author of a failed assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II.