DOI issue:
Artykuły
DOI article:Kilijańska, Alicja: Kolekcja srebrnych łyżek Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie: nabytki z lat 60 i 70 XX w.
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21225#0074
72
Alicja Kilijańska
The Collection of Silver Spoons (The National Museum in Kraków):
Acąuisitions in the 1960s-1970s
Summary
Apart from its silverware items, the goldsmithery collection of the National Museum in
Kraków contains many pieces of cutlery, especially spoons dating from the 16th - 18th
centuries. As a result of many donations and acąuisitions, it has become one of the most
extensive and diverse collections in Poland. The items have been gradually gaining morę
coverage thanks to notes, catalogue mentions, and broader publications. A comparative
analysis coupled with a preliminary synthesis was attempted by Bronisława Marekowska,
who published the results of her research in Rozprawy i Sprawozdania Muzeum Narodo-
wego w Krakowie (Dissertations and Reports of the National Museum in Kraków) in 1954.
The publication categorizes the spoons into four typological groups, with a detailed ana-
lysis of individual items contained in the Museums collection.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the spoon collection of the Museum was significantly enlarged
thanks to a number of new acąuisitions. The most valuable items were a set of ten spoons
with the “Korwin” coat of arms and another set of three with the “Łabędź” coat of arms.
The set of the “Korwin” spoons constitutes the largest museum collection of cutlery in
Poland, formally associated with Group I in the classińcation by Marekowska. The set of
three spoons bearing the “Łabędź” coat of arms, formerly owned by the abbot Andrzej
Karwicki of the Cistercian monastery at Wąchock, represents Group III.
The same typological classińcation also distinguishes Group IV of spoons. In 1965,
the Museum obtained another noteworthy representative of this group: a spoon adorned
with the “Leliwa” coat of arms, possibly owned by Krzysztof Żurowski, the chief steward
(stolnik) of Żydaczów in the years 1757-1764.
The spoon collection of the National Museum in Kraków also obtained a number of
other specimens that cannot be easily categorized according to Marekowskas groups. In
1964, the Museum purchased two spoons from a set in which each item was decorated
with an Apostle figurine - in this case, of Matthew and James the Lesser.
In 1966, the collection obtained a spoon whose origin was attributed to a workshop
active in Gdańsk in the latter half of the 17th century. However, this hypothesis was sub-
seąuently revised.
In 1968, the Museum purchased another specimen allegedly dating from the latter half
of the 17th century. Despite a number of elements drawing on 17th-century spoon forms,
the origin of this particular item should be perhaps associated with the circles of Lviv
goldsmiths active in the late 19th century.
The presentation of the items purchased in the above-mentioned period is supplemen-
ted with the information on specimens acąuired earlier but ultimately omitted in Mare-
kowskas study for yarious reasons, e.g. two spoons from the collection of Stanisław Ur-
syn-Rusiecki, Xawery Boreyko and Marian Kempner.
The research on the Museums spoon collection initiated by Bronisława Marekowska in
the 1950s contributed significantly to the first description of this section of the goldsmithery
Alicja Kilijańska
The Collection of Silver Spoons (The National Museum in Kraków):
Acąuisitions in the 1960s-1970s
Summary
Apart from its silverware items, the goldsmithery collection of the National Museum in
Kraków contains many pieces of cutlery, especially spoons dating from the 16th - 18th
centuries. As a result of many donations and acąuisitions, it has become one of the most
extensive and diverse collections in Poland. The items have been gradually gaining morę
coverage thanks to notes, catalogue mentions, and broader publications. A comparative
analysis coupled with a preliminary synthesis was attempted by Bronisława Marekowska,
who published the results of her research in Rozprawy i Sprawozdania Muzeum Narodo-
wego w Krakowie (Dissertations and Reports of the National Museum in Kraków) in 1954.
The publication categorizes the spoons into four typological groups, with a detailed ana-
lysis of individual items contained in the Museums collection.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the spoon collection of the Museum was significantly enlarged
thanks to a number of new acąuisitions. The most valuable items were a set of ten spoons
with the “Korwin” coat of arms and another set of three with the “Łabędź” coat of arms.
The set of the “Korwin” spoons constitutes the largest museum collection of cutlery in
Poland, formally associated with Group I in the classińcation by Marekowska. The set of
three spoons bearing the “Łabędź” coat of arms, formerly owned by the abbot Andrzej
Karwicki of the Cistercian monastery at Wąchock, represents Group III.
The same typological classińcation also distinguishes Group IV of spoons. In 1965,
the Museum obtained another noteworthy representative of this group: a spoon adorned
with the “Leliwa” coat of arms, possibly owned by Krzysztof Żurowski, the chief steward
(stolnik) of Żydaczów in the years 1757-1764.
The spoon collection of the National Museum in Kraków also obtained a number of
other specimens that cannot be easily categorized according to Marekowskas groups. In
1964, the Museum purchased two spoons from a set in which each item was decorated
with an Apostle figurine - in this case, of Matthew and James the Lesser.
In 1966, the collection obtained a spoon whose origin was attributed to a workshop
active in Gdańsk in the latter half of the 17th century. However, this hypothesis was sub-
seąuently revised.
In 1968, the Museum purchased another specimen allegedly dating from the latter half
of the 17th century. Despite a number of elements drawing on 17th-century spoon forms,
the origin of this particular item should be perhaps associated with the circles of Lviv
goldsmiths active in the late 19th century.
The presentation of the items purchased in the above-mentioned period is supplemen-
ted with the information on specimens acąuired earlier but ultimately omitted in Mare-
kowskas study for yarious reasons, e.g. two spoons from the collection of Stanisław Ur-
syn-Rusiecki, Xawery Boreyko and Marian Kempner.
The research on the Museums spoon collection initiated by Bronisława Marekowska in
the 1950s contributed significantly to the first description of this section of the goldsmithery