La Padova di August Fryderyk Moszyński

This article is dedicated to the image of Padua in the diary of August Fryderyk Moszyński (1731-1786), a close collaborator of King Stanislas August Poniatowski, architect, director of royal buildings, and promoter of the Warsaw theatre. The diary, which covers a journey to France and Italy (1784-1786), has been partially published in the original French version (1930; 2010) and Polish translation (1970). The diary is remarkable for Polish 18th-century odeporic literature due to its critical approach, quasi-scientific character, and interest in contemporary developments. In this article, the author establishes the dates of Moszyński’s stay in Padua and then analyses elements such as the descriptions, impressions, and assessments of urban environments; buildings, pictures, people, and events; as well as cultural and scientific life. The portrait of Padua drawn by Moszyński is compared with that which emerges from other travelogues and texts presented to the Polish public at the time, in particular with the description of Italy that appeared in the Warsaw journal Pamiętnik historycznoPolityczny in 1787. The analysis of the travelogue passages relating to the two stays in Padua confirms the versatility of the traveller. The description of Padua by Moszyński is multifaceted, often ironic and personal. He wrote as an expert in architecture and urban spaces; a connoisseur of theatre; a builder of scientific instruments; an admirer of Renaissance artists; a lover of truth in art; and a sharp and critical observer. The last part of the article is dedicated to the circumstances of Moszyński’s death, which, contrary to what may be suggested by the diary, did not occur in Padua but in Venice (on 3 July 1786, at the famous Leon Bianco inn).