The article recalls the role of Vienna as an art collecting centre in the 18th and 19th century and thus a place well known to both Princess Izabela Lubomirska – the Lubomirski family had a residence there, the so-called Lubomirski... more
The article recalls the role of Vienna as an art collecting centre in the 18th and 19th century and thus a place well known to both Princess Izabela Lubomirska – the Lubomirski family had a residence there, the so-called Lubomirski Schlösschen, since the 1790s – and to her outstanding son-in-law, Count Stanisław Kostka Potocki, husband of her daughter Aleksandra née Lubomirska. Their frequent visits to the capital of the Empire were connected with purchases of artworks for the Wilanów museum collection, and their contacts with a circle of artists and collectors in Italy are confirmed by many extant documents. The Habsburg collections, the reform of artistic education launched by Empress Maria Theresa, various models of collection-gathering, an interest in the ideas of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and the art collection and library of Carl Gottard Firmian held in Milan, with which Princess Lubomirska and Count and Countess Potocki were familiar; all this provided them with unquestionable inspirations in creating the Wilanów museum.
In spatial terms, revolution has often proven to be organically linked with travel, and thus in Poland’s turbulent history there is no lack of spectacular peregrinations. The Great Emigration which followed the November Uprising was... more
In spatial terms, revolution has often proven to be organically linked with travel, and thus in Poland’s turbulent history there is no lack of spectacular peregrinations. The Great Emigration which followed the November Uprising was unique on a European and probably a global scale, but in its shadow are a number of lesser known but equally exciting journeys. Thus, the nineteenth century brought to Polish history the stories of wandering pirates, Poles manning the barricades in the fight against the British in Canada, and even leading the first strike on American soil. Journeys have left a strong imprint on Polish thought and culture, offering a rich field reflection for Enlightenment thinkers such as Wojciech Gutkowski and Stanisław Kostka Potocki.
