DOI issue:
Nr. 1-2
DOI article:Żelazowski, Jerzy: Three Roman mould-blown glasses from the Michał Tyszkiewicz and Gołuchów Collections
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18945#0010
It is all the more worthy of attention that Izabela Dzialynska of the Czarto-
ryskis concentrated her collectioning interests on the arts and crafts, documenting
“l’histoire de travail” and evaluating to a degree in the spirit of the positivist
tendencies dominating European culture in the second half of the 19th century.
Apart from the aesthetic raptures on the exquisite works of art and historic
anegdotes associated with them, it was at this time that collectioners began to
take a serious interest in academic analysis and the documentation of various
questions connected with artistic production. However, the evermore popular
word “evolution” encouraged searchings for the genesis, historic development
and conditioning of artistic phenomena.7
It is in connection with these tendencies in European collecting that Iz-
abela Dzialynska of the Czartoryskis amassed her collection of antique glass,
documenting the historic transformations in the creative methods employed,
the forms of vessels, their decoration and functions. This collection would
appear to have arisen out of antique and auction purchases in Paris during
the final two decades of the last century8 and was housed, together with the
entire collection, in a specially restored castle-museum purposely arranged
with this aim in mind in the years 1875-’85 at Goìuchów.9
Simultaneously, the widening of the collection’s antique part with objects
of handicrafts permitted Izabela Dzialynska of the Czartoryskis to signifi-
cantly expand the picture of the antique world presented at Goìuchów, no
longer limited exclusively to the wonderful but one-sided collection of an-
tique vases amassed by her husband Jan Dzialynski (1829-1880).10
The large assortment of glass tableware in the high standard collection in-
cludes a particularly worthy exhibit of a violet truncated conical beaker with
almond-shaped bosses preserved in a good state (Fig.l), decorated just below
the rim with a band of several engraved, concentric circles (inv. no. 142556
MN, height 21.7 cm, rim diameter 10.2 cm, base diameter 5cm). The vessel
was executed using the technique of mould-blowing introduced in the second
quarter of the 1st century A.D. and gaining wide popularity at this time.11
In the opinion of W Froehner, the author of a catalogue listing a significant
part of the antique objects in the Goìuchów collection, the beaker was discov-
ered in Syria;12 that is, in a region traditionally regarded as the cradle of
mould-blown glass and even free-blown glass in general.13 Nevertheless, ves-
7 Cf. note 5.
8 Cf. T. Jakimowicz, ,,Od kolekcji...” op. cit., p. 35-39.
9 Cf. T. Jakimowicz, „Ekspozycja muzealna na zamku w Goluchowie”, Rocznik Historii Sztuki, XIV,
1984,p.315-335.
10 Cf. K. Bulas, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Pologne, fase. 1: Goìuchów. Musée Czartoryski,
Varsovie - Cracovie 1931; J. D. Beazley, Greek Vases in Poland, Oxford 1928; J. de Witte,
Description des collections d’antiquités à l’Hôtel Lambert, Paris 1886.
11 Cf. J. Price, „Decorated Mould-Blown Glass Tablewares in the First Century A. D.”, in: M. Newby,
K. Painter, Roman Glass: Two Centuries of Art and Invention, London 1991, p. 56-75.
12 W Froehner, Antiquités. Collections du Château de Goìuchów, Paris 1899, no. 59, p. 137.
13 Cf. for example, Y. Israeli, “The Invention of Blowing”, in: M. Newby, K. Painter, op. cit.,
p. 46-55.
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ryskis concentrated her collectioning interests on the arts and crafts, documenting
“l’histoire de travail” and evaluating to a degree in the spirit of the positivist
tendencies dominating European culture in the second half of the 19th century.
Apart from the aesthetic raptures on the exquisite works of art and historic
anegdotes associated with them, it was at this time that collectioners began to
take a serious interest in academic analysis and the documentation of various
questions connected with artistic production. However, the evermore popular
word “evolution” encouraged searchings for the genesis, historic development
and conditioning of artistic phenomena.7
It is in connection with these tendencies in European collecting that Iz-
abela Dzialynska of the Czartoryskis amassed her collection of antique glass,
documenting the historic transformations in the creative methods employed,
the forms of vessels, their decoration and functions. This collection would
appear to have arisen out of antique and auction purchases in Paris during
the final two decades of the last century8 and was housed, together with the
entire collection, in a specially restored castle-museum purposely arranged
with this aim in mind in the years 1875-’85 at Goìuchów.9
Simultaneously, the widening of the collection’s antique part with objects
of handicrafts permitted Izabela Dzialynska of the Czartoryskis to signifi-
cantly expand the picture of the antique world presented at Goìuchów, no
longer limited exclusively to the wonderful but one-sided collection of an-
tique vases amassed by her husband Jan Dzialynski (1829-1880).10
The large assortment of glass tableware in the high standard collection in-
cludes a particularly worthy exhibit of a violet truncated conical beaker with
almond-shaped bosses preserved in a good state (Fig.l), decorated just below
the rim with a band of several engraved, concentric circles (inv. no. 142556
MN, height 21.7 cm, rim diameter 10.2 cm, base diameter 5cm). The vessel
was executed using the technique of mould-blowing introduced in the second
quarter of the 1st century A.D. and gaining wide popularity at this time.11
In the opinion of W Froehner, the author of a catalogue listing a significant
part of the antique objects in the Goìuchów collection, the beaker was discov-
ered in Syria;12 that is, in a region traditionally regarded as the cradle of
mould-blown glass and even free-blown glass in general.13 Nevertheless, ves-
7 Cf. note 5.
8 Cf. T. Jakimowicz, ,,Od kolekcji...” op. cit., p. 35-39.
9 Cf. T. Jakimowicz, „Ekspozycja muzealna na zamku w Goluchowie”, Rocznik Historii Sztuki, XIV,
1984,p.315-335.
10 Cf. K. Bulas, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Pologne, fase. 1: Goìuchów. Musée Czartoryski,
Varsovie - Cracovie 1931; J. D. Beazley, Greek Vases in Poland, Oxford 1928; J. de Witte,
Description des collections d’antiquités à l’Hôtel Lambert, Paris 1886.
11 Cf. J. Price, „Decorated Mould-Blown Glass Tablewares in the First Century A. D.”, in: M. Newby,
K. Painter, Roman Glass: Two Centuries of Art and Invention, London 1991, p. 56-75.
12 W Froehner, Antiquités. Collections du Château de Goìuchów, Paris 1899, no. 59, p. 137.
13 Cf. for example, Y. Israeli, “The Invention of Blowing”, in: M. Newby, K. Painter, op. cit.,
p. 46-55.
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