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InBrodowski’scanvas,paintedtocommemoratethetenthan-
niversaryofthefoundingoftheUniversity,Napoleon’svanquisher,Al-
exanderI,tsarofRussiaanduncrownedkingofPoland,isseenhanding
thedocumenttothefirstrectoroftheUniversity,theReverendWo-
jciechAnzelmSzweykowski.4Tismomentouseventiswitnessedbythe
MinisterofState,StanisławStaszic(seeFig.5),theMinisterofPublic
Enlightenment,StanisławKostkaPotockibothontherightandJan
WincentyBandkie,FeliksJanBentkowski,JacekAugustDziarkowski,
PawełSzymański,andMichałSzubert.Tecompositionofbothpaint-
ingsfollowsthesameconvention,butitisnotclearwhethertheevents
reallytookplace.TeconstitutionoftheDuchy,althoughsignedby
Napoleonon22July1807inDresden,washandedtothedelegates
notbytheemperorhimself,butbythesameHugo-BernardMaretwho
isdepictedinthepainting.WhenAlexanderIsignedthedocument
foundingtheUniversityon19November1816inSt.Petersburg,Szwey-
kowskihadnotyetbeenappointedrector.Norwasthetsarpresentat
theUniversity’sofcialinaugurationwhichtookplaceinWarsawon
14May1818,althoughhehadvisitedthecityinthelastdaysofApril
andbeenshownaroundtheuniversity’sgrounds.5Inthesupplementto
No.35ofGazetaWarszawskaweread:
Onthesameday[28April]aroundnoon,HisImperialMajesty
condescendedtovisitthelocalpublicLibrarylocatedintheKazi-
mierzowskiPalace.TemembersoftheRoyalUniversityofWar-
saw,apprisedofthisintentionbeforehand,gatheredinthemain
hallofsaidLibraryandawaitedhisarrival:whenithadtakenplace,
theMonarch,whowasreceivedattheentrancetothepalaceby
HisExcellencyCountStanisławPotocki,MinisterofReligiousDe-
nominationsandPublicEnlightenment,withtheassistanceofTeir
ExcellenciesStaszic,Sierakowski,Lipiński,andLinde,Membersof
theGovernmentCommission,viewedtheperistyleandthemarble
plaque,installedonthewallabovethestairs,withtheLatininscrip-
tion:RegnanteAlexandroI.ConsiliumInstitutionispublicae,aedes
has,vetustateetflammisdirutas,restituit,auxit,Musisdicavit1817
[‘InthereignofAlexanderIthisbuilding,despoiledbytimeand
ames,theCouncilofPublicInstitutionshasrebuilt,enlargedand
giventotheMusesastheirresidenceintheyear1817’].Having
passedthroughthefirstroom,assignedfortheuseofthereaders,
heviewedtheroomwherethereisacollectionofSlavicandPolish
booksincludingalsotheincunabulaandmanuscripts;fromthere
hepassedintotheGreatRoom,whichcomprisedthreeroomsput
togetherandwhichhousesforeignliterature.TeretheRectorofthe
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