Nurt barokowy w twórczości J. S. Beckera architekta domu Sapiehów

ENThe works of Jan Samuel Becker, an architect of great significance for Byelorussia, remain insufficiently examined. He was the court architect of the Sapieha family, the author of the palace in Dereczyn (1768) and the designer of the residence in Różana (1788) which belonged to his patrons. Upon the basis of extant projects, Polish literature on the subject considers J. B. Becker as a Classicist. Byelorussian scholars, on the other hand, define his works as Late Baroque, referring to on-the-spot examination of the ruins of the complex in Różana. The prime accomplishment of J. S. Becker was the palace in Różana. The original residence was built at the turn of the sixteenth century for Lew Sapieha, the Grand Chancellor of Lithuania. Its premises resemble the palace in Książ Wielki (Little Poland), built in 1585-1595 by Santi Gucci, an architect and sculptor who also worked in Lithuania (the Old Castle in Grodno) and was probably the author of the original residence in Różana. The palace was redesigned during the Late Baroque by J. S. Becker. A confrontation of the projects with the object itself proves that the intentions of the artist were not realized completely. Compared to several European objects (Germany, France, Poland) it is an example of a Baroque approach to moulding the architecture of the complex. Apparently, the predilections of Magdalena Agnieszka Sapieżyna nee Lubomirska, the owner of Różana, remained concurrent with the transformations in art launched by the royal court of Stanislaw August in Warsaw. An analysis of architectonic details and decorations points to the application of Classicistic motifs imposed upon a Baroque backdrop, and to a considerable difference in the time in which particular buildings, components of the complex, were erected.Stylistically speaking, Becker’s architecture was closer to the Warsaw school although it also remained under the impact of currents prevalent in Vilno. Recent archive research made it feasible to determine that Becker worked in the years 1771-1798. In the course of such a long stretch of time his works reflected a turn toward Classicism, which can be observed not only in the palace, but also in the Russian Orthodox church of the Basilian order in Różana. Scarce data concerning Becker’s biography have been lately enlarged by several pieces of information. Apparently, the architect came from Saxony and retained close contacts with J. Ch. Kamsetzer and several other architects of German descent employed in the Commonwealth. He had a family and relatives in Lithuania, and died probably in Mińsk in 1810. Becker left behind the largest legacy of all the architects who worked in Byelorussia in the last three decades of the eighteenth century. His numerous works in the provinces maintained a high artistic level.