1905 Mausoleum of Catherine Opalinska Nancy France Vintage Postcard

About This Vintage Postcard

This striking phototypie postcard captures the Mausoleum of Catherine Opalinska, located in the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours in Nancy, France. Catherine Opalinska (1680–1747) was the Queen of Poland and Duchess of Lorraine, and her elaborate funerary monument was commissioned by her husband, Stanislas Leszczynski. The white marble sculpture, a masterpiece of 18th-century funerary art, was created by Nicolas-Sébastien Adam between 1747 and 1749. It depicts the queen kneeling in prayer as an angel guides her soul toward heaven, all set against a dramatic pyramid-shaped backdrop of dark veined marble. The Church of Bonsecours serves as the royal necropolis for the Leszczynski family and remains a premier example of Baroque architecture in the Lorraine region.

Details

Era: Divided Back (1905–1906)
City: Nancy
State or Region: Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine
Country: France
Topic: Catherine Opalinska, Funerary Art, Nicolas-Sébastien Adam, Church of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Polish Royalty in France
Condition: Uncirculated
Postage: None
Address Side: divided back
Orientation: Vertical (Portrait)
Artist / Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: Imprimeries Réunies de Nancy (No. 153)
Printer: Imprimeries Réunies de Nancy
Print Type: Collotype

Additional Information

The manufacturing date for this card is narrowed to 1905–1906. The publisher, Imprimeries Réunies de Nancy (IRN), was formed in May 1905 through the merger of three major local firms: Bergeret, Humblot, and Helmlinger. This card features the early transitional divided back layout with no international disclaimers, a style used by IRN immediately following their formation. The tomb itself is a listed Monument Historique and is considered one of the finest 18th-century sculptures in eastern France. This card, numbered 153 in the IRN series, was produced during the peak of "postcard mania" when Nancy was a world-renowned center for high-quality photographic printing. The church also holds the tomb of Stanislas Leszczynski and the heart of his daughter, Marie Leszczynska, Queen of France.

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