museum curator, head of the Art of Old Poland Dept. at the National Museum in Krakow, Poland Phone: +48 12 43-35-930 Address: Pałac biskupa Erazma Ciołka / Bishop Erazm Ciolek Palace ul. Kanonicza 17, 31-002 Kraków, Poland
In 2017–2021, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam raised Depot, its new storage facili... more In 2017–2021, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam raised Depot, its new storage facility. Located centrally, the Depot is surrounded by the park close to the main Museum building. A unique 40m-high ovoid bowl-like shape is covered with mirrors reflecting everything around, and the facility is to house the Museum’s entire collection (over 150,000 exhibits). Fully accessible to the public, the Deport features a rooftop city viewing platform and a restaurant. The costs and challenges implied by the construction of a storage facility located in the city centre, and in a park, substantially exceeded those of ordinary facilities of the kind in city outskirts. However, owing to its bold and fascinating design, the Depot can undeniably become one of Rotterdam’s architectural icons, turning into an unquestionable tourist attraction. At the same time, the Depot has provided the solution to the problem of the collection storage, previously amassed in underground rooms vulnerable to ...
For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisat... more For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisation which is a tool for an effective and improved management of the collections. Our plans and realisations are concerned with equal emphasis on the image of a given exhibit and its suitable description. First attempts at a computerisation of the resources were totally devoid of illustrations and consisted of a timeconsuming introduction into the system of data concerning the exhibits. From the time of purchasing and systematically implementing the MONA NG programme, the effects of years-long painstaking labour have been reconverted for the sake of a new programme and are gradually supplemented with images. All projects realised by the Museum intend to widen the existing repository of knowledge by including both digital photographs and descriptions of the illustrated monuments. In recent years, the organisational structure of the Museum has been modified for the sake of effective activity. Several parallel projects, whose outcome will be the introduction of images of exhibits together with their descriptions (including extensive popular-scientific descriptions) comprise a complex task that calls for a holistic analysis of the objectives and the institution’s potential. So far, there is no “good practices catalogue” available in Poland to be employed for solving problems stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.
Velis quod possis : studia z historii sztuki ofiarowane profesorowi Janowi Ostrowskiemu, 2017
Jan Szczęsny Herburt (1567–1616), a wealthy Polish nobleman, founded a printing house in Dobromil... more Jan Szczęsny Herburt (1567–1616), a wealthy Polish nobleman, founded a printing house in Dobromil in 1609 or 1610, after having been released from prison, to where he had been sentenced for his participation in the rebellion of 1607. Herburt hired Jan Szeliga, a professional printer from Cracow, and made a point of editing and publishing sources for Polish history, poetry, as well as didactic writing with some political tint. Th e device of his printing house features the motto “Prawdą a pracą” (“By Truth and Labour”), which is probably a variation of Christopher Plantin’s famous motto: “Labore et Constantia”. Since Herburt edited and published historical sources, he promoted truth in the fi rst place, and labour in the second. Still, labour plays an important role in his columnar device, because the columns refer to Hercules and his labours. The visual source for this sign was probably the device of emperor Charles V. Th e third column was added because in the 15th-century chronicle by Jan Długosz — one of the sources published by Herburt — the historian compares Polish King Bolesław Chrobry (the Brave) to Hercules, after Chrobry had planted three (not only two) columns to mark the realm of the Polish kingdom. Herburt compared himself to Hercules too, which appears to be self-explantory with reference to the poetry that he published in Dobromil. Here he followed the thought of Erasmus of Rotterdam, who in his famous Adagia explained that the labours of Hercules included the publication of ancient pieces of literature. According to Erasmus, such labour is usually met not with reward but with condemnation. This was indeed the fate of Herburt himself, because his edition of Długosz’s chronicles was condemned by the king and confi scated, for it contained numerous remarks unfavourable of the Jagellonian dynasty.
Gerson Digital is the first of the digital monographies published on-line by the Dutch Rijksburea... more Gerson Digital is the first of the digital monographies published on-line by the Dutch Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Dokumentatie (RKD) in The Hague. The monography is a revised and updated version of the now classical work by Horst Gerson, Ausbreitung und Nachwirkung der holländischen Malerei des 17. Jahrhunderts, Haarlem 1942). The scope of the so far published fragment is the chapter on Poland and the influences of the Dutch painting here. Gerson Digital is a very fine and scrupulous piece of editorial and translation work, but its novelty lies rather in the form: it has been published as a digital text interlaced with data (pictures, bibliography, person and artist indexes) that are drawn directly from vast databases which RKD has been building up for the past decades. The text is not therefore enclosed within the borders encircled by the author and his editors, but opens up to other resources. Reader may at some point abandon the text to follow an interesting thread by themselves. Gerson Digital clearly demonstrates the importance of databases for research in art history. Bibliographies, indexes, digital libraries , digital photo collections, and the like should no longer be understood as tools appropriate only for data storage and retrieval but also - and with time maybe primarily - as cornerstones of synthetic interpretation.
The painting of Madonna and Child was donated to the National Museum in Krakow by a private colle... more The painting of Madonna and Child was donated to the National Museum in Krakow by a private collector, Stanisław Zarewicz, in 1902. He acquired the work from the parish church in Hoczew, after it had been removed from an altarpiece and substituted by a copy, because of the original’s poor condition. The picture was renovated at the Museum and put on display there. The origin of the painting is uncertain, yet its whereabouts in the 18th c. are surprisingly well documented in the reports of the Apostolic visit to the parish church in Hoczew. From there we can learn that initially the picture was located in a private chapel in the village of Rajskie near Hoczew. Since the chapel was served by wandering priests and was not subject to any church authority, the parson of Hoczew obtained an Episcopal decree which ordered the closure of the chapel in 1709. However, the ruling of the bishop was not observed, so in 1714 the parson transferred the painting as well as other liturgical utensils and vestments to the parish church in Hoczew. The owners of Rajskie appealed to the bishop W.H. Sierakowski, who visited Hoczew in 1745, but by then the chapel had been destroyed by fire, and the bishop decided that the painting would be left in Hoczew until a new shrine was built – which never happened. By the end of the 19th c. the cult of the painting had diminsished and its origins were forgotten until quite recently. The above‑mentioned documents reveal many interesting details and features of the cult of sacred images in early modern Poland. The painting in question is a copy after the famous image of the Madonna and Child in the (former) Benedictine church in Tuchów. Since this sanctuary had gained renown only in the 3rd decade of the 17th c., the picture from Rajskie could have been made about the mid‑century and probably not later than the 1660s. The painting from Rajskie reflects the state of preservation of the venerated image of Tuchów before its subsequent restorations that completely altered its original appearance. Therefore, the Madonna and Child, now in the collection of the National Museum in Krakow, can serve as an important iconographic source for the history of its more famous model – the holy image of Tuchów.
For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisat... more For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisation which is a tool for an effective and improved management of the collections. Our plans and realisations are concerned with equal emphasis on the image of a given exhibit and its suitable description. First attempts at a computerisation of the resources were totally devoid of illustrations and consisted of a timeconsuming introduction into the system of data concerning the exhibits. From the time of purchasing and systematically implementing the MONA NG programme, the effects of years-long painstaking labour have been reconverted for the sake of a new programme and are gradually supplemented with images. All projects realised by the Museum intend to widen the existing repository of knowledge by including both digital photographs and descriptions of the illustrated monuments. In recent years, the organisational structure of the Museum has been modified for the sake of effective activity. Several parallel projects, whose outcome will be the introduction of images of exhibits together with their descriptions (including extensive popular-scientific descriptions) comprise a complex task that calls for a holistic analysis of the objectives and the institution’s potential. So far, there is no “good practices catalogue” available in Poland to be employed for solving problems stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.
Kościoły, klasztory i parafie dawnego Rzeszowa, 2001
The main parish church in Rzeszow (so called "Fara") is a Gothic structure, erected perhaps in th... more The main parish church in Rzeszow (so called "Fara") is a Gothic structure, erected perhaps in the 15th c. Through the ages it has been adorned with many precious elements, like Renaissance tombstones, Baroque paintings and Rococo altarpieces. It has been considerably extended in the 17th c. and in early 18th c. a monumental bell tower was built nearby. The Fara remains one of the most important monuments of Rzeszow's past.
In 2017–2021, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam raised Depot, its new storage facili... more In 2017–2021, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam raised Depot, its new storage facility. Located centrally, the Depot is surrounded by the park close to the main Museum building. A unique 40m-high ovoid bowl-like shape is covered with mirrors reflecting everything around, and the facility is to house the Museum’s entire collection (over 150,000 exhibits). Fully accessible to the public, the Deport features a rooftop city viewing platform and a restaurant. The costs and challenges implied by the construction of a storage facility located in the city centre, and in a park, substantially exceeded those of ordinary facilities of the kind in city outskirts. However, owing to its bold and fascinating design, the Depot can undeniably become one of Rotterdam’s architectural icons, turning into an unquestionable tourist attraction. At the same time, the Depot has provided the solution to the problem of the collection storage, previously amassed in underground rooms vulnerable to ...
For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisat... more For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisation which is a tool for an effective and improved management of the collections. Our plans and realisations are concerned with equal emphasis on the image of a given exhibit and its suitable description. First attempts at a computerisation of the resources were totally devoid of illustrations and consisted of a timeconsuming introduction into the system of data concerning the exhibits. From the time of purchasing and systematically implementing the MONA NG programme, the effects of years-long painstaking labour have been reconverted for the sake of a new programme and are gradually supplemented with images. All projects realised by the Museum intend to widen the existing repository of knowledge by including both digital photographs and descriptions of the illustrated monuments. In recent years, the organisational structure of the Museum has been modified for the sake of effective activity. Several parallel projects, whose outcome will be the introduction of images of exhibits together with their descriptions (including extensive popular-scientific descriptions) comprise a complex task that calls for a holistic analysis of the objectives and the institution’s potential. So far, there is no “good practices catalogue” available in Poland to be employed for solving problems stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.
Velis quod possis : studia z historii sztuki ofiarowane profesorowi Janowi Ostrowskiemu, 2017
Jan Szczęsny Herburt (1567–1616), a wealthy Polish nobleman, founded a printing house in Dobromil... more Jan Szczęsny Herburt (1567–1616), a wealthy Polish nobleman, founded a printing house in Dobromil in 1609 or 1610, after having been released from prison, to where he had been sentenced for his participation in the rebellion of 1607. Herburt hired Jan Szeliga, a professional printer from Cracow, and made a point of editing and publishing sources for Polish history, poetry, as well as didactic writing with some political tint. Th e device of his printing house features the motto “Prawdą a pracą” (“By Truth and Labour”), which is probably a variation of Christopher Plantin’s famous motto: “Labore et Constantia”. Since Herburt edited and published historical sources, he promoted truth in the fi rst place, and labour in the second. Still, labour plays an important role in his columnar device, because the columns refer to Hercules and his labours. The visual source for this sign was probably the device of emperor Charles V. Th e third column was added because in the 15th-century chronicle by Jan Długosz — one of the sources published by Herburt — the historian compares Polish King Bolesław Chrobry (the Brave) to Hercules, after Chrobry had planted three (not only two) columns to mark the realm of the Polish kingdom. Herburt compared himself to Hercules too, which appears to be self-explantory with reference to the poetry that he published in Dobromil. Here he followed the thought of Erasmus of Rotterdam, who in his famous Adagia explained that the labours of Hercules included the publication of ancient pieces of literature. According to Erasmus, such labour is usually met not with reward but with condemnation. This was indeed the fate of Herburt himself, because his edition of Długosz’s chronicles was condemned by the king and confi scated, for it contained numerous remarks unfavourable of the Jagellonian dynasty.
Gerson Digital is the first of the digital monographies published on-line by the Dutch Rijksburea... more Gerson Digital is the first of the digital monographies published on-line by the Dutch Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Dokumentatie (RKD) in The Hague. The monography is a revised and updated version of the now classical work by Horst Gerson, Ausbreitung und Nachwirkung der holländischen Malerei des 17. Jahrhunderts, Haarlem 1942). The scope of the so far published fragment is the chapter on Poland and the influences of the Dutch painting here. Gerson Digital is a very fine and scrupulous piece of editorial and translation work, but its novelty lies rather in the form: it has been published as a digital text interlaced with data (pictures, bibliography, person and artist indexes) that are drawn directly from vast databases which RKD has been building up for the past decades. The text is not therefore enclosed within the borders encircled by the author and his editors, but opens up to other resources. Reader may at some point abandon the text to follow an interesting thread by themselves. Gerson Digital clearly demonstrates the importance of databases for research in art history. Bibliographies, indexes, digital libraries , digital photo collections, and the like should no longer be understood as tools appropriate only for data storage and retrieval but also - and with time maybe primarily - as cornerstones of synthetic interpretation.
The painting of Madonna and Child was donated to the National Museum in Krakow by a private colle... more The painting of Madonna and Child was donated to the National Museum in Krakow by a private collector, Stanisław Zarewicz, in 1902. He acquired the work from the parish church in Hoczew, after it had been removed from an altarpiece and substituted by a copy, because of the original’s poor condition. The picture was renovated at the Museum and put on display there. The origin of the painting is uncertain, yet its whereabouts in the 18th c. are surprisingly well documented in the reports of the Apostolic visit to the parish church in Hoczew. From there we can learn that initially the picture was located in a private chapel in the village of Rajskie near Hoczew. Since the chapel was served by wandering priests and was not subject to any church authority, the parson of Hoczew obtained an Episcopal decree which ordered the closure of the chapel in 1709. However, the ruling of the bishop was not observed, so in 1714 the parson transferred the painting as well as other liturgical utensils and vestments to the parish church in Hoczew. The owners of Rajskie appealed to the bishop W.H. Sierakowski, who visited Hoczew in 1745, but by then the chapel had been destroyed by fire, and the bishop decided that the painting would be left in Hoczew until a new shrine was built – which never happened. By the end of the 19th c. the cult of the painting had diminsished and its origins were forgotten until quite recently. The above‑mentioned documents reveal many interesting details and features of the cult of sacred images in early modern Poland. The painting in question is a copy after the famous image of the Madonna and Child in the (former) Benedictine church in Tuchów. Since this sanctuary had gained renown only in the 3rd decade of the 17th c., the picture from Rajskie could have been made about the mid‑century and probably not later than the 1660s. The painting from Rajskie reflects the state of preservation of the venerated image of Tuchów before its subsequent restorations that completely altered its original appearance. Therefore, the Madonna and Child, now in the collection of the National Museum in Krakow, can serve as an important iconographic source for the history of its more famous model – the holy image of Tuchów.
For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisat... more For more than ten years the National Museum in Cracow has been actively interested in digitalisation which is a tool for an effective and improved management of the collections. Our plans and realisations are concerned with equal emphasis on the image of a given exhibit and its suitable description. First attempts at a computerisation of the resources were totally devoid of illustrations and consisted of a timeconsuming introduction into the system of data concerning the exhibits. From the time of purchasing and systematically implementing the MONA NG programme, the effects of years-long painstaking labour have been reconverted for the sake of a new programme and are gradually supplemented with images. All projects realised by the Museum intend to widen the existing repository of knowledge by including both digital photographs and descriptions of the illustrated monuments. In recent years, the organisational structure of the Museum has been modified for the sake of effective activity. Several parallel projects, whose outcome will be the introduction of images of exhibits together with their descriptions (including extensive popular-scientific descriptions) comprise a complex task that calls for a holistic analysis of the objectives and the institution’s potential. So far, there is no “good practices catalogue” available in Poland to be employed for solving problems stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.
Kościoły, klasztory i parafie dawnego Rzeszowa, 2001
The main parish church in Rzeszow (so called "Fara") is a Gothic structure, erected perhaps in th... more The main parish church in Rzeszow (so called "Fara") is a Gothic structure, erected perhaps in the 15th c. Through the ages it has been adorned with many precious elements, like Renaissance tombstones, Baroque paintings and Rococo altarpieces. It has been considerably extended in the 17th c. and in early 18th c. a monumental bell tower was built nearby. The Fara remains one of the most important monuments of Rzeszow's past.
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stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.
stemming from the implementation of modern museum systems and the digitalisation of the resources.