In 1890, Jan Matejko—Poland’s most celebrated historical painter—turned his attention to an unusual project: designing the polychrome decorations for Kraków’s St Mary’s Church, a medieval landmark. Among his preparatory works is the Carton for the polychrome from St Mary's Church - console in the shape of a male head (portrait of T. Stryjeński), a study for a sculpted architectural detail.

What makes this piece remarkable is that the head depicted is not a generic figure, but a portrait of Tadeusz Stryjeński, the architect overseeing the church’s restoration. Here, the collaboration between painter and architect is immortalized in art, blending personal tribute with public commission. The carton captures the precise moment of transformation: Stryjeński’s features, rendered with attentive realism, are set to become part of the church’s very structure, gazing down from a console high above the nave. The strong jaw, thoughtful brow, and carefully modeled hair convey both the individuality of the sitter and the dignity of his role.

Matejko’s choice to depict his friend and collaborator in this way is a nod to medieval tradition, where donors and craftsmen sometimes appear in church ornamentation. Unlike the more anonymous faces in Gothic consoles, here the identity is clear, turning a functional support into a quiet celebration of the people behind the restoration. As a physical object, the carton is a rare survival from the vast decorative campaign that transformed St Mary’s interior at the end of the nineteenth century. While the final polychrome and its sculpted consoles remain in situ in Kraków, Matejko’s original design drawings have become prized artifacts in their own right, offering insight into his creative process.

The exact medium of this carton is uncertain, but its careful execution suggests it was intended as a working model for the artisans. Today, works like this stand as a testament to the collaborative spirit of the period, and to Matejko’s enduring influence on Polish cultural heritage.