Asset Overview
The main part of the figure was made of one piece of wood, hollowed in depth from the aft side. The Prophet Simeon is presented as an old man with a moustache, a long grey beard and wrinkled forehead. His face is allegedly that of the sculptor himself.
Jan Wnęk became famous not only because of his outstanding sculpting skills, but also thanks to his ingenuity and courage. He was born in 1828 in the village of Kaczówka near Dąbrowa Tarnowska; he was the son of a peasant serf and a carpenter by profession. He gained recognition as a sculptor thanks to collaboration with Rev. Stanisław Morgensztern, a parson in Odporyszów.
Time and place: mid–19th century, Odporyszów, Poland
Creator: Jan Wnęk
Museum: The Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Kraków
Inventory number: 6557/MEK
https://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/objects-list/2254
Digitalisation: RDW MIC, Virtual Małopolska project