User:ADTkocz/Royal Collection at the Royal Castle Warsaw

The art collection of the Royal Castle in Warsaw is a collection of artworks, decorative arts as well as historical weaponry owned and exhibited in the Royal Castle Museum (Polish: Zamek Królewski w Warszawie – Muzeum) in Warsaw, Poland. The collection consists of over 800 European paintings, over 3,000 objects in the department of prints an drawings, a numismatic cabinet consisting of more than 15,000 objects, as well as a collection of archaeological artefacts acquired as part of research carried out by the research team of the Royal Castle in Warsaw between 1993 and 2014.

The Former Royal Collection of Stanisław August Poniatowski
The royal collection of the last Polish monarch Stanisław August Poniatowski comprised 2,478 works, most of which were displayed at the Royal Castle in Warsaw and his summer residence the Palace on the Isle. Nowadays the Royal Łazienki Museum in the Palace on the Isle houses 137 of those paintings, additional although smaller collections can be found in the National Museum and Royal Castle in Warsaw. Apart from the artworks spread across museums within Poland and abroad, the fate of nearly 2,000 works sold to public and private collections between 1814 and 1821 when Maria Teresa Tyszkiewicz inheritated the artworks after Józef Poniatowski's death. Shortly after the museum's opening in 1979 around 100 works associated with the former royal collections returned between 1980–84, most of which were stored in the National Museum after they left the castle during World War II to save them from the systematic destruction of Warsaw. This group of artworks included three sets of paintings commissioned by Stanisław August for the palace: 10 portraits of famous Poles and 6 history paintings for the Knights' Hall with an additional 22 paintings of Polish rulers for the Marble Room including a monumental portrait of the ruler himself, all by Marcello Bacciarelli, and 22 canvases by Bernardo Bellotto. Notably the two mythological marble statues of Saturn Chronos by Giacomo Monaldi and the personification of Eternal Glory (Fama) by André-Jean Lebrun returned to the Knights' Hall as well. All of these objects were implemented into the newly rebuild interiors according to their original plans and thus can be seen in the historic rooms on the first floor of the castle.

Similar to Stanisław August's collection, the whereabouts of many objects from earlier Polish royal collections are unknown to this day. A painting commissioned in 1626 by then Prince Władysław IV Vasa documents part of the prince's art collection. None of the artworks seen on the painting are currently in the collection of the Royal Castle Museum. Namely the central painting depicting The March of Silenus by Peter Paul Rubens was looted by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and displayed in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin until it was lost and most likely destroyed in 1944 during World War II.

Early Start of the Museum's own Collection
After the decision was made to rebuild the royal castle in 1971, a team of curators began to source suitable artworks for the collection. The first donations to the collection were already made in the time between the announcement of the planned museum and its opening 8 years later. In the meantime, the museum started purchasing objects on the art market. However, by the time of the museum's opening in 1979, much of the exhibition still consisted of deposits by the National Museum of Warsaw. The base of the just newly established collection comprised of the permanently reinstalled paintings and artworks commissioned for the interiors of the royal palace which were bequeathed to the museum for the reconstruction of the palace. Additionally, in the mid 1990s the National Museum of Warsaw donated a selection of paintings which previously belonged to the state collection of the Second Polish Republic and were exhibited at the Royal Castle during the interwar period.

Lanckoroński Collection
On 26 October 1994, Karolina Lanckorońska donated a sizeable part of the Lanckoroński collection to the Republic of Poland. Previously, parts of the collection were sold to fund Polish institutions like the Polish Library in Paris during times of hardship and can be found in museums like the National Gallery, London or the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The beginnings of the family's collection can be traced back to a purchase made by Lanckorońska's ancestor Kazimierz Rzewuski in Warsaw in 1815, through which he obtained paintings from the royal Polish collections from Maria Teresa Tyszkiewicz, the sister and heiress of Prince Józef Poniatowski. The donation was split between the Polish royal residence in Warsaw and the Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection in Kraków. Thus, 15 more paintings from the original royal collection of King Stanisław August Poniatowski returned back to Warsaw, together with an additional collection of family portraits of the Lanckorońskis and Rzewuskis, while 76 Italian paintings enriched the art collection in Kraków. Among these paintings, which were famously shown in the Palais Lanckoroński at the beginning of the 20th century, are some of the most well known exhibits of the Royal Castle Museum in Warsaw such as the two works by Rembrandt van Rijn. Authorship over these two paintings was confirmed by the Rembrandt Research Project in 2006, before they were exhibited at Het Rembrandthuis and the Gemäldegalerie during an exhibition commemorating the painter's 400th birthday.

The Ciechanowiecki Foundation
Established on 8 October 1986 by Andrzej Ciechanowiecki, the foundation collects and manages a sizeable collection of over 4,000 objects including paintings, drawings and watercolours, sculptures, silverware and bronzes, porcelain, faience and glass wares, furniture, textiles, engravings, miniatures, pastels, a collection of coins, medals and gemstones, as well as a library and archive. Aside from its continues donations to the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Foundation also supports other Polish and European museums through long-term loans. The foundation, as Ciechanowiecki's earlier private collection, focuses on objects related to the historical collections of the castle and the cultural heritage of his homeland. In May 2022 the foundation gifted 278 of its drawings and 5.164 volumes and items from Andrzej Ciechanowieck's library and collection of archival material to the museum's permanent collection.

The Teresa Sahakian Foundation
The collection of the Teresa Sahakian Foundation comprises 747 works of art, mostly tapestry, and 35 additional objects predominantly used for research, conservation and maintenance. It was established on 4 February 1993 by Teresa Sahakian (née Schmidt) as a place to maintain and organise the exhibition of oriental carpets. The exhibits are not part of the collection of the Royal Castle Museum which only takes care of the safety and storage of the collection and displays select exhibits in the Copper-Roof Palace.

New Art Gallery
On 4 November 2011 the Royal Castle Museum opened their newly renovated art gallery in the former courtiers’ lodgings of the building. The newly arranged rooms opened the possibility to showcase all of the paintings from the Lanckoroński collection in one designated permanent exhibition. It marks the first major renovation of the museum's exhibition space since its opening in the 1970s. Some of the exhibition space was deemed unfit for the now enlarged collection of the museum and not on par with the high standards of the reconstructed representational rooms on the upper floor. At the opening, the permanent exhibition in the new gallery consisted of the 35 paintings donated by Karolina Lanckorońska and 55 additional paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries among approximately 200 pieces of decorative arts, furniture and sculpture.

Expanded Collection and Record Numbers
The newly arranged space and renovated interiors made it possible for the museum to organise bigger exhibitions and broaden the range of artworks presented in the castle. The current museum's director Fałkowski stated in 2020 that the Royal Castle Museum has the aim to broaden its appeal by branching out from the sole focus on the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski and the end of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Since then the museum pursues two main objectives: one focusing on the castle's history and polonica, to further complete the collection and interiors of an authentic Polish royal palace, and an additional, new stronger focus on establishing an internationally significant collection of works by European artist. This resulted in expanding the museum's collection with additions such as Italian Caravaggisti, early renaissance masters and further works by renowned european artists, enabling the museum to strengthen its collaborate with leading European art galleries and the world's best museums for research projects and future exhibitions. Since then, the museum has enjoyed a record increase in visitors in recent years. Recently, the museum started hosting periodical exhibitions entitled 'Creme de la Creme ' showcasing their new acquisitions.

Paintings from Stanisław August Poniatowski's Royal Collection
The Royal Castle Museum recovered many works which were commissioned by Stanisław August Poniatowski for the interior of the palace for its opening in 1979. Also worth mentioning are the 15 works from the Lanckorinski collection, which were bequeathed to the museum in 1994. Since then, the museum keeps tracing the art market and conducting research to further complete the former royal art collection. Recent examples for such additions are Melchior d'Hondecoeter's Hen, rooster and chickens (acquired in 2020) and Bernardo Bellotto's Equestrian Portrait of the King of Poland's Page Gintowt (acquired in 2022).

European Painting
The Museum owns a notable collection of European paintings which were not part of the former royal collection or the donations by Polish aristocracy. The collection mostly consists of Italian, Flemish, Dutch and German painting from the 14th – 18th century. Many of the recent additions by notable European painters aim to elevate the museum's collection on international scale.

Portrait Painting
The museum is in possession of a sizeable portrait gallery consisting of paintings and busts mostly depicting Polish and European aristocracy. Besides the portraits of former Polish monarchs by Marcello Bacciarelli explicitly commissions by Stanisław August Poniatowski for the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the gallery also contains paintings by noteworthy European portraitists such as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Peter Lely, François Gérard, Louis de Silvestre, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Jean-Baptiste van Loo, Thomas Gainsborough and many more.

Polish Painting
Apart from artworks by painters working at the royal court of Poland such as Daniel Schultz and Herman Han, the Royal Caslte Museum also holds a large collection of 19th century Polish painting. Multiple monumental history paintings from the series History of Civilization in Poland are exhibited in rooms designated to the Polish painter Jan Matejko.

Sculpture
Many of the historic rooms of the Royal Castle Museum are adorned by works commissioned by Stanisław August Poniatowski for the interior of the residence. Apart from works by artists working at the royal court such as André-Jean Lebrun and Giacomo Monaldi, the museum also holds works by François Dieussart, Prospero Spani and Gilles Guérin among others.

Prints and Drawings
With over 3,000 objects, the department for prints and drawings holds the second largest collection of items in the Royal Castle Museum, most of which are stored in the archives of the museum. Select exhibits are shown in the changing permanent galleries or special temporary exhibitions. The collection consists of more than 530 drawings of which more than 280 were bequeathed to the museum by the Ciechanowiecki Foundation. Wanda Wolska-Conus accounts for another generous donation of nearly 100 drawings by old European masters which were once part of a Parisian private collection. The Royal Castle Museum holds the so called Stockholm Roll depicting the wedding procession of King Sigismund III Vasa in Kraków in 1605. It was donated to the museum by the Swedish Government in 1974 after it was robbed during the Swedish deluge into Poland in the 17th century. The prayer book from Polish Queen Bona Sforza was gifted to the Royal Castle in 1933 and returned to its collection in 1984.

Notable Temporary Exhibitions

 * "Bernardo Bellotto. On the 300th Anniversary of the Painter's Birth" 23 September 2022 – 10 January 2023
 * "Botticelli Tells a Story. Paintings by the Great Masters of the Renaissance from the collections of the Accademia Carrara" 21 June 2022 – 18 September 2022
 * "The Time of Caravaggio in the Collection of Robert Longhi" 10 November 2021 – 10 February 2022
 * "Rembrandt’s World. Artists. Burghers. Explorers" 28 June 2021 – 19 September 2021
 * "Captured Genius. Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Exhibition on the 300th Anniversary of His Birth" 28 September 2020 – 5 January 2021
 * "Dolabella. Venetian Painter of the House of Vasa" 11 September 2020 – 6 December 2020
 * "Modernism in Hungary. 1900–1930." 23 September 23 2017 – 7 January 2018

Directors of the Royal Castle Warsaw – Museum

 * 1979–1991 – Aleksander Gieysztor
 * 1991–2015 – Andrzej Rottermund
 * 2016–2017 – Przemysław Mrozowski
 * from 2017 – Wojciech Fałkowski