photo by W. Holnicki

The fragments of two hanging vases with swan heads and nods are archaeological monuments found during excavation research, known only from source materials. It has been established that the vases were brought to Wilanów in the mid-19th century by August Potocki and that they were hanging on the Southern Pergola near the Rose Garden. The restoration and reconstruction work made it possible to acquire new objects for the museum, which is a real attraction, not only for specialists and art historians, but also for all those interested in the history of Wilanów and the museum’s collection.

Fragments of vases, due to their being loosely stored in boxes in an unpresentable way, did not give a true good overall impression of the whole objects. Among the 68 elements it was certainly possible to identify the bellies of the two vessels and two unmatched swan heads, the nods of the ornamented ears, and also two tops. Except for the one located in Germany, the objects belong to the largest set of garden decoration elements made by Brandenburg ceramic workshops.

After the completion of conservation works on the fragments, due to the fragility of the reconstructed ears, the reconstructed vases were put on exhibition on specially prepared plinths in the Sculpture Pavilion by the Rose Garden. Special ceramic copies made on the basis of the original vases were hung in the place of the originals, i.e. on the Southern Pergola in the Rose Garden.