The Lanckoroński Gallery in a new version
From 28 February, we invite you to the Royal Castle in Warsaw for the new opening of the Lanckoroński Gallery. Among the works on display in the gallery, there are the two well-known paintings by Rembrandt, but also a new space dedicated to Italian art.
In accordance with Karolina Lanckorońska’s will, we have named the gallery on the ground floor of the Royal Castle in Warsaw after the entire family to emphasise the merits not only of the donor, but also of her ancestors who built this collection.
The majority of the Royal Castle’s collection, shown in the ground floor gallery, consists of works donated by Professor Karolina Lanckorońska. She was a member of the Lanckoroński family, whose successive generations gathered one of the most outstanding private art collections in Poland. In 1994, Professor Lanckorońska donated part of this collection to the Wawel Castle and part to the Royal Castle. This included portraits of the Rzewuski and the Lanckoroński families, as well as several paintings from the former collection of King Stanisław August. The most valuable works donated by Karolina Lanckorońska are two paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn: The Girl in a Picture Frame and The Scholar at the Lectern.
In addition to works donated by Prof. Karolina Lanckorońska, the gallery also exhibits paintings from other donations and purchases, such as: Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Winter Landscape with Travellers by Jacob van Ruisdael, as well as repurchased works once belonging to King Stanisław August: The Sea Storm by Ludolf Backhuysen and A Rooster, A Hen with Chicks and Pigeons by Melchior de Hondecoeter.
The Lanckoroński Gallery has expanded with a new space, the Italian annex, consisting of three rooms where we present works of art from the 14th to the mid-18th century. Here we can find, among others, A Game of Backgammon by Mattia Preti, The Miracle of Striking Water from the Rock by Jacopo Bassano, 32 Renaissance majolica plates from Montelupo, or the only deschi da parto in Poland – beautifully decorated Renaissance birthing trays on which symbolic gifts were given to women in labour after the birth of their firstborn, in Tuscany.
We have also taken care to provide better information about the works and, above all, about their origin, in order to distinguish the gifts of Karolina Lanckorońska and other donors from purchases.
The Arx Regia Publishing House of the Royal Castle, wishing to commemorate Karolina Lanckorońska’s donation and her scientific activity, published a book entitled Karolina Lanckorońska. Noblesse oblige. The lavishly illustrated publication takes a closer look at the fate of the Lanckoroński family and the donor herself, as well as the history of the collection.
Undoubtedly, the most interesting new acquisition is the painting A Game of Backgammon. This eye-catching work by Mattia Preti, a follower of Caravaggio, is an example of the convention of sharp chiaroscuro, realism and theatrical presentation of the scene. The painting is probably an allegory of life, where youth, maturity and old age face each other in a symbolic game.
The gallery also features three works by Agostino Tassi. The first of these, Festival on the Shores of the Bay, is a donation from Karolina Lanckorońska and depicts a scene of celebration to mark the beginning of spring, the so-called Calendimaggio. The remaining two, this time with a dark atmosphere – The Shipyard and The Capture of Troy – have been recently purchased.
Queen Bona’s prayer book, which had previously been exhibited only occasionally, now has its permanent place on display in the Italian annex. It is a Renaissance illuminated manuscript with 259 pages, decorated with 12 spectacular full-page miniatures. For conservation reasons, each week the prayer book will be opened on a different page.
In the newly opened Italian annex, there are also some magnificent examples of applied art, such as a richly carved sarcophagus chest, a terracotta model of an arabesque wall decoration and an olive oil lamp by Andrea Riccia, in the bizarre form of an African head on a chicken’s foot.
