DOI issue:
Nr. 4
DOI article:Michałowski, Maciej Piotr: The Raczyński of Rogalin
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18940#0144
every year for the piircha.se of new works of art. From the start of the 1890's onwards Edward
Aleksander began to buy numerous works by Polish painters at the annual exhibitions of the
Society of Friends of the Fine Arts in Cracow, and also from the Society for the Encourage-
ment of the Fine Arts in Warsaw. As well as this, he went abroad every year to the spring Salons
in Paris and the exhibitions in Munich. From these he regularly brought back works, mainly
by French and German artists.
In time he won for himself the reputation of a superb connoisseur of art and an outstanding
collector. This undoubtedly was one of the reasons why in 1895 (after the death of Henryk
Rodakowski) hc was offered the presidency of the Society of Friends of the Fine Arts. Kaczyński
was reluctant to accept this position, stating, with assumed modesty, that "as regards my compe-
tence and expertise, they do not extend beyond ordinary dilettantism...", and agrceing to act
as president temporarily, until "you think of somebody really suited to the task".52 However,
he was to remain president of the Society for 25 years (with a break in the period 1913—18)
until his death in 1926.s3
He was highly regarded as a patron of Polish artists. Andrzej Mycielski remembered him
as "not only a true friend, but also a great protector of artists and creative people. He reseued
more than one of them from the dcpths of poverty and despair, and many's the young artist
he launched on his career. How often did he discover by accident a picture rotting in an attic
somewhere and buy it from the artist for hard cash!...".54
Edward Aleksander Raczyński's collection of contemporary art grew very ąuickly. In 1905,
during a visit to Rogalin, Konstanty Maria Górski, a well-known historian of art and art critic
from Cracow, noted 113 Polish works of art and 89 foreign ones, mostly paintings, but also
including drawings, prints and sculptures.56 Among them was a work which is at present uniąue
in Polish collections: a beautiful Art Nouveau stained-glass Fish Carp by the famous American
artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. HoW this fragile object miraculously survived two world wars-
in Rogalin remains a mystery to this day.56
The works bought by Raczyński were first gathered together in the Rogalin palące, where
"they filled several empty rooms in the guest wing and also were to be found in the old library,
in the armoury, resting against an old English billard table", in adjoining rooms on the first
floor, in the parlour, and even in the living ąuarters (Figs. 5—6).57 It was only with the building
of a special pavilion in the period 1910—12 (according to a design by Mieczysław Powidzki)06
to contain the gallery that the house was relieved of the countless canvases filling every corner.
50. Cf. Bluszcz, 1881, no. 43, p. 342.
51. E. B. Raczyński wrote a book about his famous mother:' 'Pani Róża". Synowa Zygmunta Krasińskiego, potem Edwardoica
Raczyńska, London, 1969; also see: Polski Słownik Biograficzny, XXIX/4, 123, Wrocław—Warszawa—Kraków—Gdańsk—
—Łódź, 1986, pp. 621—622.
52. In a letter from Edward A. Raczyński to K. M. Górski dated 12 January 1895, ms., The Jagicllonian Library in Cracow^
no. 7728 III, k. 3.
53. In 1924 he also beeame president of the Cracow Institute of Fine Arts and a member of the editorial board of the journal
Sztuki Piękne. From 1879 onwards he was a member of the Society of the Friends of Sciences in Poznań.
54. A. Mycielski, Chwile czasu minionego, Kraków, 1976, p. 148.
55. K. M. Górski, Notatki z podróży. Notes "XVIII. Rogalin, Roekcnau. 7.7.1905—5.6.1906", ms., The Jagicllonian Library
in Cracow, no. 7708 I, pp. 3—44. He saw the pictures in Rogalin on 22 and 23 August 1905, and wrote the notes on 24
August (Polish painting) and 26 September 1905 (foreign painling). However it appears that Górski does not mention.
ali the Works which were then in the Rogalin collections.
56. In 1912 it was framed in a spccially dejigned window in the pavilion of the Gallery in Rogalin (by the main entrance)^
dimensions: 142.5 x66 cm; at present in the Rogalin palące (branch of the National Museum in Poznań).
57. Cf. K. M. Górski, op. cii., E. Raczyński, Rogalin..., op. cii., p. 13.
58.. Cf. M. Pawlaczyk, ,,Ze studiów nad ikonografia...", part I, op. cii., pp. 97—98.
125.
Aleksander began to buy numerous works by Polish painters at the annual exhibitions of the
Society of Friends of the Fine Arts in Cracow, and also from the Society for the Encourage-
ment of the Fine Arts in Warsaw. As well as this, he went abroad every year to the spring Salons
in Paris and the exhibitions in Munich. From these he regularly brought back works, mainly
by French and German artists.
In time he won for himself the reputation of a superb connoisseur of art and an outstanding
collector. This undoubtedly was one of the reasons why in 1895 (after the death of Henryk
Rodakowski) hc was offered the presidency of the Society of Friends of the Fine Arts. Kaczyński
was reluctant to accept this position, stating, with assumed modesty, that "as regards my compe-
tence and expertise, they do not extend beyond ordinary dilettantism...", and agrceing to act
as president temporarily, until "you think of somebody really suited to the task".52 However,
he was to remain president of the Society for 25 years (with a break in the period 1913—18)
until his death in 1926.s3
He was highly regarded as a patron of Polish artists. Andrzej Mycielski remembered him
as "not only a true friend, but also a great protector of artists and creative people. He reseued
more than one of them from the dcpths of poverty and despair, and many's the young artist
he launched on his career. How often did he discover by accident a picture rotting in an attic
somewhere and buy it from the artist for hard cash!...".54
Edward Aleksander Raczyński's collection of contemporary art grew very ąuickly. In 1905,
during a visit to Rogalin, Konstanty Maria Górski, a well-known historian of art and art critic
from Cracow, noted 113 Polish works of art and 89 foreign ones, mostly paintings, but also
including drawings, prints and sculptures.56 Among them was a work which is at present uniąue
in Polish collections: a beautiful Art Nouveau stained-glass Fish Carp by the famous American
artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. HoW this fragile object miraculously survived two world wars-
in Rogalin remains a mystery to this day.56
The works bought by Raczyński were first gathered together in the Rogalin palące, where
"they filled several empty rooms in the guest wing and also were to be found in the old library,
in the armoury, resting against an old English billard table", in adjoining rooms on the first
floor, in the parlour, and even in the living ąuarters (Figs. 5—6).57 It was only with the building
of a special pavilion in the period 1910—12 (according to a design by Mieczysław Powidzki)06
to contain the gallery that the house was relieved of the countless canvases filling every corner.
50. Cf. Bluszcz, 1881, no. 43, p. 342.
51. E. B. Raczyński wrote a book about his famous mother:' 'Pani Róża". Synowa Zygmunta Krasińskiego, potem Edwardoica
Raczyńska, London, 1969; also see: Polski Słownik Biograficzny, XXIX/4, 123, Wrocław—Warszawa—Kraków—Gdańsk—
—Łódź, 1986, pp. 621—622.
52. In a letter from Edward A. Raczyński to K. M. Górski dated 12 January 1895, ms., The Jagicllonian Library in Cracow^
no. 7728 III, k. 3.
53. In 1924 he also beeame president of the Cracow Institute of Fine Arts and a member of the editorial board of the journal
Sztuki Piękne. From 1879 onwards he was a member of the Society of the Friends of Sciences in Poznań.
54. A. Mycielski, Chwile czasu minionego, Kraków, 1976, p. 148.
55. K. M. Górski, Notatki z podróży. Notes "XVIII. Rogalin, Roekcnau. 7.7.1905—5.6.1906", ms., The Jagicllonian Library
in Cracow, no. 7708 I, pp. 3—44. He saw the pictures in Rogalin on 22 and 23 August 1905, and wrote the notes on 24
August (Polish painting) and 26 September 1905 (foreign painling). However it appears that Górski does not mention.
ali the Works which were then in the Rogalin collections.
56. In 1912 it was framed in a spccially dejigned window in the pavilion of the Gallery in Rogalin (by the main entrance)^
dimensions: 142.5 x66 cm; at present in the Rogalin palące (branch of the National Museum in Poznań).
57. Cf. K. M. Górski, op. cii., E. Raczyński, Rogalin..., op. cii., p. 13.
58.. Cf. M. Pawlaczyk, ,,Ze studiów nad ikonografia...", part I, op. cii., pp. 97—98.
125.