Animowane rzeźby w ceremoniach liturgicznych i paraliturgicznych
Animated Sculptures in Liturgical and Paraliturgical Ceremonies

A Neglected Element of Theatre History in Poland

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to medieval and Early Modern animated sculpturesfrom the current and former territories of Poland. Sculptures of this kind, withthe construction of various degrees of complexity, quipped sometimes withmechanisms enabling movement of chosen body parts, e.g. the head, hands or legs,were used at theatralised liturgical and paraliturgical ceremonies, mostly during Holy Week. Such ceremonies have a rich tradition, which is clearly testified notonly by numerous surviving written accounts of specific ceremonies but also byseldom talked about and mostly unknown to theatre historians sculpted pieces thatare the subject of this article. The article contains a detailed presentation of surviving and known fromhistorical accounts figures of the Christ on a donkey, fixed to platforms onwheels and used on Palm Sunday; animated statues of the Crucified Christ, fittedwith mechanisms that made it possible to take the figure off the cross on GoodFriday; and statues of the Resurrected Christ that were used during ceremonies commemorating the Ascension of Christ. Other works of similar character used inother periods of liturgical year, though fewer, have also been mentioned.

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