Konstanty Aleksander Wiktor Schmidt-Ciążyński (born February 18, 1818,In the sources listed in the bibliography of the article, there are discrepancies regarding the year of birth. Jan Grzegorzewski provides the year 1818 (without specifying the month). Joachim Śliwa, based on information obtained by himself from the authorities of Gorizia, provided the date of 3 October 1817 (, and ). However, this date (excluding the year) and the alleged birthplace (Warsaw) actually refer to the baptism. In the article , Joachim Śliwa provided the date of 18 February 1818. died January 5, 1889, in

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

) Death certificate. Death book of St. Ignatius Parish in Gorizia, year 1889, no. 4 (copy). was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

collector and art connoisseur, who donated a large collection to the

National Museum in Kraków The National Museum in Kraków (), popularly abbreviated as MNK, is the largest museum in Poland, and the main branch of Poland's National Museum, which has several independent branches with permanent collections around the country. Established in ...

. He likely studied in

Dorpat Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. Then, from 1839 to 1851, he resided in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, where he worked at the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

as a restorer of paintings by Italian old masters, among others. It was during this time that he began to create his private collection of

engraved gem An engraved gem, frequently referred to as an intaglio, is a small and usually semi-precious gemstone that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major lux ...

s, paintings, and prints. From 1851 to 1859, he was involved in art trade in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, running a renowned

antique shop An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops generally have a physical presence in a shop where the wares are stored and displayed, but some antique shops are online, with no phy ...

. He obtained a patent as a supplier to the court of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. In 1859, he moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he gradually sold off his collection, retaining only the engraved gems and some favorite paintings. In his later years, he decided to donate his remaining collections to Polish museums. Initially, he planned to gift them to the Polish Museum in Rapperswil, but due to difficulties in negotiations with

Władysław Plater Władysław Ewaryst Plater (actually Broel-Plater; Vilnius, 7 November 1808 – 22 April 1889, Broelberg by Kilchberg, Zurich, Kilchberg, near Zurich, Switzerland) was a Polish count, patriot, insurrectionist, and a cousin of Emilia Plater. Togethe ...

, the collection ultimately ended up in the National Museum in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, thanks to Karol Estreicher. In 1883, an exhibition was held in the

Kraków Cloth Hall The Kraków Cloth Hall (, ), in Lesser Poland, dates to the Renaissance in Poland, Renaissance and is one of the city's most recognizable monuments. It is the central feature of the Main Market Square, Kraków, main market square in the Kraków ...

, showcasing the donated collections. They are currently housed in the Department of Artistic Crafts and Material Culture of the National Museum in Kraków.

Parents

Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński's father was Louis (Ludwik) Schmidt, a physician originally from

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

. As a surgeon, he served as a personal physician to

Empress Joséphine The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rule ...

and later as a doctor in

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's army. He was a fencer, a draftsman, a musician proficient in several instruments, and a polyglot fluent in twelve languages. He soon became a favorite of Napoleon and accompanied him on several campaigns. He was present at the

cavalry charge A charge is an offensive maneuver in battle in which combatants advance towards their enemy at their best speed in an attempt to engage in a decisive close combat. The charge is the dominant shock attack and has been the key tactic and decis ...

in the

Somosierra Somosierra is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located at 83 km north of Madrid, in the mountain pass with the same name, at an elevation of 1433 metres above sea level, being the northernmost town of Community of Madrid ...

gorge and later fought in the

war of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. After the defeat of the ''

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

'', he was imprisoned multiple times but managed to regain his freedom each time. Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński's mother was Ludwika Rozalia Ciążyńska, a woman from

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

described as a "famous beauty", which explains the second part of his surname, adopted later in life. After their marriage, the parents first settled in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, where Louis worked as a visiting physician in military hospitals in Kraków,

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

Miechów Miechów is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about north of Kraków. It is the capital of Miechów County. Population is 11,852 (2004). Miechów lies on the Miechówka river, along European route E77. The area of the town is , a ...

, and Warsaw. Later, he held the same position in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

. Louis also participated in the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

in 1828.. This fact is supported only by this source and is disputed by Prof. J. Śliwa.

Childhood

Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński was born on 18 February 1818. His godparents were Countess Aleksandra Lubomirska and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, after whom Schmidt-Ciążyński received his name. This fact confirms the privileged social status of his parents among the Warsaw elite. As a ten-year-old boy, he accompanied his father not only on medical journeys throughout the country but also on the Eastern campaign, i.e., during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, serving as a

dragoman A dragoman was an Interpreter (communication), interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish language, Turkish-, Arabic language, Arabic-, and Persian language, Persian-speaking countries and polity, polities of the Middle East and ...

. His proficiency in languages such as French, Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian was comparable to his command of his native Polish language. His talent for languages proved useful later in life when mastering additional important European languages opened up the whole world to him.

Russia

He studied at Dorpat (now

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

) from 1835 to 1839. However, archival records of students at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

do not confirm this fact, raising speculation that he may have been a student there briefly, perhaps as an auditor. Shortly thereafter, in 1839, he found himself in Saint Petersburg, where he became associated with the Hermitage Museum as an extraordinary, non-staff employee, having a free hand in choosing the objects of his work and the right to abandon them at any time. His stay in Petersburg lasted for 12 years, until 1851. During these years, his artistic personality took shape, earning him a reputation as one of the few outstanding restorers of paintings of masters from the old Italian schools. He became an expert not only in painting but also in glyptics, the art of carving precious and semi-precious stones. During this time, he also became the owner of a private collection of rare and valuable paintings, prints, and a significant number of engraved gems. In his pursuit of financial independence, he was active in the art market, exchanging works of art. During this period, he embarked on an artistically inspired journey through Europe, organized an exhibition of prints acquired during this journey in Petersburg, and subsequently sold some of them at a significant profit. With the amount obtained, he gradually expanded his collection of ancient art. He also amassed an increasing number of rare and valuable paintings and

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...

s. At that time, his collections were estimated to be worth at least 500,000 francs. During his time in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, Schmidt-Ciążyński married Leontyna, but there is no further information about his wife in the sources. A serious illness forced him to change his surroundings in 1851. With a sum of 10,000 rubles obtained from the hastily sold collection, he traveled through

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Paris

During his stay in France, which lasted from 1851 to 1869, encompassing almost the entire period of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

, Schmidt-Ciążyński arrived in Paris on the eve of

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

's December coup d'état, which soon led to his becoming Napoleon III. This period marked significant political changes posing serious threats to landowners. Valuable works of art were available on the antique market for small sums, as their owners considered leaving the capital or even the country. Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński wisely invested his funds from Russia, significantly enriching his collections (again, through several trips across Europe) and establishing an

(named ''Schmidt Antiquaire'' at 3 Quai Voltaire, with branches in

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

and

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million which soon gained great renown, attracting even crowned heads as clients. Napoleon III himself appointed Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński as a supplier to the court in 1863. During his time in Paris, on 15 March 1854, Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński was appointed corporal of the 8th company of the 17th battalion of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

Department

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

().

London

After the loss of his only son, ''a young man of great virtues and extraordinary talents'' who had already established his own position in the artistic world, Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński left Paris in 1869 and moved with his wife to London, where he found a permanent residence. During the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

in 1881, the family, along with a servant, lived at 24

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

. He gradually withdrew from business affairs, disposing of the accumulated collections, leaving himself only a collection of favorite paintings and engraved gems. The replenishment and improvement of this collection consumed him entirely and provided satisfaction to ''his troubled soul in lonely moments of life''. Towards the end of his life filled with travels around the world, and with no close family, Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński decided to donate the fruits of his many years of work and sacrifices to his homeland, the country of his childhood. As he recalled: ''In the beginning of the year 1883, I fell seriously ill, which lasted for several months. Living abroad at that time, namely in London and being of advanced age, I feared that in case of my death, the rare collections of works of art and precious artifacts, which I had amassed over 50 years of my life spent in wandering, at the cost of hard work and all my fortune, and which had gained European fame among connoisseurs and enthusiasts of ancient monuments, would fall into foreign hands''.

Donations to Polish museums

Rapperswil

During this period, Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński had no direct connections with the country of his childhood and youth. Therefore, in February 1883, he wrote a letter to one of his

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Viennese classicism * Viennese coffee house, an eating establishment and part of Viennese ...

friends, the antiquarian and antiquities expert Tobias von Biehler, inquiring whether there were any museums in Polish lands. He received a reply stating that such a museum did not exist, but since 1870, there had been the Polish Museum in Rapperswil, founded at the initiative of Count Władysław Plater and operating under his direction. On 6 April 1883, he wrote from London to Count Plater, declaring his readiness to donate his collections to Rapperswil, ''for perpetual ownership by the Polish Museum, the country in which I was born and to which I had always been, am, and will remain, a loving and grateful son''.Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński, letter to Count Plater, London, 6 April 1883 (). In this letter, he inquired about the possibility of receiving in return from the museum a place to live and a modest salary, declaring his willingness to provide services to the museum within the limits permitted by his health. Hoping that these modest conditions would be accepted, without waiting for a response, he sent ''paintings ..and other items such as bronzes, books, etc.'', to Rapperswil. He sent the gifts in two shipments: on April 26 and May 19. He considered the engraved gem collection too valuable to entrust to the postal service and wrote that he would bring it with him. His arrival depended on the count's response to the letter and the acceptance of the conditions offered. Among the items transferred to Rapperswil were:Notarial deed dated 31 December 1886, granting legal power to the donation agreement dated 19 June 1885, between Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński and the municipality of Kraków – State Archives in Kraków, collection 882/0: "Acts of notary Stefan Muczkowski in Kraków", signature 29/882/26, document number 24419. See also: Legalization protocol for this agreement – signature 29/882/24, document number 21746. * 43 paintings and drawing artists such as:

Joachim Patinir Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier ( – 5 October 1524), was a Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Flemish Renaissance painter of History painting, history and Landscape painting, landscape subjects. He was Flanders, Flemish, from the ar ...

Lucas van Leyden Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), also named either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very ac ...

Michiel van Mierevelt Michiel Janszoon ( Jansz.) van Mierevelt (; also spelled Miereveld or Miereveldt; 1 May 1566 – 27 June 1641) was a Dutch painter and draftsman of the Dutch Golden Age. Biography Van Mierevelt was born and died in Delft, as a son of a goldsm ...

, Pieter Neefs I, Leonaert Bramer,

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

Jan Davidszoon de Heem Jan Davidsz. de Heem or in-full ''Jan Davidszoon de Heem'', also called ''Johannes de Heem'' or ''Johannes van Antwerpen'' or ''Jan Davidsz de Hem'' (c. 17 April 1606 in Utrecht – before 26 April 1684 in Antwerp), was a still life painter wh ...

Jan Fyt Jan Fijt, Jan Fijt or Johannes Fijt (or Fyt) (19 August 1609 – 11 September 1661) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and etcher. One of the leading still life and animaliers of the 17th century, he was known for his refined flower an ...

Jürgen Ovens Jürgen Ovens (1623 – 9 December 1678), also known as Georg, or Jurriaen Ovens whilst in the Netherlands, was a portrait painter and art-dealer from North Frisia and, according to Arnold Houbraken, a pupil of Rembrandt. He is best known for hi ...

Nicolaes Berchem Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and genre ...

Jacob van der Ulft Jacob van der Ulft (; 1621–1689) was a Dutch painter, glass painter, print artist, architect and mayor. He was known for his architectural and city views, landscapes and topographical views.Nicolaes Maes Nicolaes Maes (January 1634December 1693 (buried 24 December 1693)) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch painter known for his Genre painting, genre scenes, Portrait painting, portraits, religious compositions and the occasional still life. A pupil of Re ...

Jan van Huchtenburgh J(oh)an and Jacob van Huchtenburg (also known as ''Hughtenburg'' or ''Hugtenburg(h)'') were two Dutch Golden Age painters in the second half of the seventeenth century. Both brothers were natives of Haarlem, moved to Paris, but died in Amsterdam ...

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder ( ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German ...

, Johann Michael Büchler,

Jacques Callot Jacques Callot (; – 1635) was a baroque printmaker and drawing, draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine. He is an important person in the development of the old master print. He made more than 1,400 etchings that chronicled the life of his peri ...

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (; 17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695), called "Mignard le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas Mignard, was a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits. He was a ...

Abraham Bosse Abraham Bosse ( – 14 February 1676) was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolor painting, watercolour.Gerard de Lairesse Gerard or Gérard (de) Lairesse (; 11 September 1641 – June 1711) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and art theorist. His broad range of skills included music, poetry, and theatre. De Lairesse was influenced by the Perugian Cesare Ripa and ...

Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (; 14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. His son, Carle Vernet, was also a painter. Life and work Vernet was born in Avignon. When only fourteen years of age he aided his father, Antoine Vernet (1689–1753) ...

Jean-Baptiste Greuze Jean-Baptiste Greuze (, 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting. Early life Greuze was born at Tournus, a market town in Burgundy. He is generally said to have formed his own ...

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard (; 5 April 1732 (birth/baptism certificate) – 22 August 1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific art ...

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ( , ; late December 1617, baptized January 1, 1618April 3, 1682) was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contempor ...

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

Parmigianino Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, ...

Rosalba Carriera Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was an Italians, Italian Rococo painter. In her younger years, she specialized in portrait miniatures. Carriera would later become known for her pastel portraits, helping popularize the medium ...

Giovanni Paolo Pannini Giovanni Paolo, also known as Gian Paolo Panini or Pannini (17 June 1691 – 21 October 1765), was an Italian Baroque painter and architect who worked in Rome and is primarily known as one of the '' vedutisti'' ("view painters"). As a painter, Pan ...

; * 106 prints (including 54 engravings by

Daniel Chodowiecki Daniel Niklaus Chodowiecki (16 October 1726 – 7 February 1801) was a Polish painter and printmaker with partial Huguenot ancestry, who is most famous as an etcher. He spent most of his later life in Berlin, and became the director of the Ber ...

); * 35 bronze objects; * more than a thousand impressions of cameos and Gothic seals.

Poznań

Almost at the same time, Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński turned his attention to

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

, the capital of Greater Poland, the region from which his mother originated. In May 1883, he donated many works of art (paintings and prints) to the

Poznań Society of Friends of Learning The Poznań Society of Friends of Learning or Poznań Society for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences (, ''PTPN'') is a learned society in Poznań, Poland, established in 1857, by scholars and scientists in all branches of learning. It has be ...

(currently in the

National Museum in Poznań The National Museum in Poznań (), Poland, abbreviated MNP, is a state-owned cultural institution and one of the largest museums in Poland. It houses a rich collection of Culture of Poland#Art, Polish painting from the 16th century on, and a coll ...

). The donation included the following works of art: * an oil painting by

Cesare da Sesto Cesare da Sesto (1477–1523) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance active in Milan and elsewhere in Italy. Life Cesare da Sesto was born in Sesto Calende, Lombardy. He is considered one of the ''Leonardeschi'' or artists influenced by Leo ...

in gilded frames depicting Madonna with child; * an oil painting by

Bernard van Orley Bernard van Orley (between 1487 and 1491 – 6 January 1541), also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a versatile Flemish artist and representative of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, who w ...

of a similar theme; * a collection of 132 prints by artists including

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

, van Ostade, Sadeler, Teniers; * four watercolors probably depicting portraits of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

women and men; * a collection of small shells.

Kraków

Also in May 1883, Schmidt-Ciążyński learned from Miss Anna Wolska, who was staying in London and was a friend of Karol Estreicher, that the

was already operating (it was established on 5 October 1879, and after a four-year period of formation, it obtained its statute in March 1883). However, Schmidt-Ciążyński did not believe her, so she wrote a letter to Karol Estreicher to convince him to donate his collections to

instead of Rapperswil. The argumentation proved effective because, still not receiving a decisive response from Count Plater regarding the proposed conditions (despite the exchange of intensive correspondence), Schmidt-Ciążyński decided to donate the items already sent to Plater to the National Museum in Kraków and to send further packages there, which were already prepared for shipping to Rapperswil, addressed to Estreicher.Letter from Anna Wolska to Karol Estreicher, London, 1 June 1883 – Archives of the correspondence of Karol Estreicher Sr. held by the

Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts (, TPSP) is a social group of artists, artisans and their supporters founded in Kraków in 1854, under the Austrian Partition of Poland. Today, the Society operates from the Art Nouveau Palace of Art ere ...

, position 5406. These packages included: * a painting by

van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of Frans van Dyck, a wealt ...

, a portrait of Count Digby, * two portraits of the Mayor of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

with his wife, probably by van der Helst, * a painting by Vernet depicting the

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

quayside, * a painting by Mieris, * dozens of watercolors by Rocchi, * two watercolors of

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

, * books on art history, including ancient books on engraved gems. During the correspondence with Estreicher, it was agreed that the engraved gem collection would be evaluated in Vienna by representatives of the Kraków museum and the city authorities. Schmidt-Ciążyński arrived in Vienna on 12 July 1883. The experts examining the collection were Zygmunt Cieszkowski, , and the curator of the imperial museums in Vienna, Friedrich von Kenner. They concluded that in terms of size, the collection could only be compared to the resources of the Hermitage Museum and Vienna. With a favorable assessment of the collection, a preliminary agreement (preliminary act) for its transfer was signed. According to this agreement, upon its approval by the city council, Schmidt-Ciążyński was to receive a lifelong annuity of 300 pounds sterling annually (equivalent to 3600

Austro-Hungarian gulden The Austro-Hungarian gulden ( German), also known as the florin ( German & Croatian), forint ( Hungarian; ), or zloty (; ; ), was the currency of the lands of the House of Habsburg between 1754 and 1892 (known as the Austrian Empire from 1804 to ...

), in exchange for which his engraved gem collection would become the property of the museum. Meanwhile, the value of the collection was estimated at up to one million francs or 100,000 Austro-Hungarian gulden. On 5 August 1883, Schmidt-Ciążyński arrived in Kraków with his engraved gem collection (and the remaining part of his collection). The first public display of the collection took place in the

during the inauguration of the museum's exhibition of artifacts from the time of

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

on the 200th anniversary of the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

. This exhibition was opened on 11 September 1883. In the following days, successive engraved gems from Schmidt-Ciążyński's collection were unpacked and displayed. The gem collection was presented in six cabinets, each containing 12 to 20 panels, with jewels arranged in the manner used by

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

s. In addition to the panels, various other objects of

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

art were exhibited. These included: ''enamel, Egyptian excavations, miniatures, cups, etc., as well as carved stones, such as

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

n and

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

n busts and gems, Babylonian and

Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...

n cylinders,

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

bas-

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

, Greek and

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

scarabs, and

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s (

talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

s) in various Eastern languages, vessels,

vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non- rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree specie ...

s, etc., carved deeply into stones, animals similarly represented as Greek and Roman relics, Greek and Roman gold, silver, iron, and bronze rings; Gnostic stones (abraxas gems) from the early Christian centuries, religious objects from the Middle Ages; coats of arms of distinguished European families carved in precious stones, and finally, proper gems (including masks and chimeras) such as cameos and intaglios, Greek, Roman,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, as well as the newest from the 18th and 19th centuries''. After the closing of the anniversary exhibition, the collection of engraved gems was transferred to the Kraków city hall, from where it returned to the Kraków Cloth Hall on 18 April 1884, where it was exhibited in '. The city authorities made efforts to obtain a subsidy from the or the

Provincial Diet The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

, facilitating the acquisition of Schmidt-Ciążyński's collection by the city, given its high material and artistic value. Ultimately, on 21 November 1884, the Provincial Office informed the city council that the Provincial Diet had included an amount of 1000 Rhenish guilders in the budget for this purpose. With such support, the council adopted a resolution on 1 April 1885, regarding the purchase of the collection. On 19 June 1885, in the presence of notary Stefan Muczkowski, an agreement was signed for the transfer of the engraved gem collection to Kraków. The lifelong annuity for the previous owner of the collection was granted from 1 January 1885 (1000 Rhenish guilders from the subsidy, 2600 Rhenish guilders from the city's own funds). The engraved gems taken over from Schmidt-Ciążyński (numbering 2507 pieces) were deposited in the city treasury. On the same day, an agreement was signed transferring the items previously sent to Rapperswil to the Kraków City Council. In the first half of 1886, the complete engraved gem collection of Schmidt-Ciążyński was again exhibited in the museum's halls. The collection was placed in a special cabinet designed by . From June 5 to 27, 1886, the museum, represented by director

Władysław Łuszczkiewicz Władysław Łuszczkiewicz (3 September 1828 – 23 May 1900) was a Polish historian and painter of the late Romanticism in Poland, Romantic era from Kraków, active in the period of the foreign partitions of Poland. He was a professor at the Jan ...

and curator Teodor Nieczui-Ziemięcki, in the presence of Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński, entered the engraved gem collection into the inventory, preparing an accurate list, which included 2517 items. There were voices criticizing the acquisition of Schmidt-Ciążyński's collection by the museum. In the ', a note appeared pointing out that the collection did not fit into the National Museum, as it was not related to Polish history or the Polish nation (especially since it lacked works by Jan Regulski), and its artistic value had been diminished before the settlement, as Schmidt-Ciążyński ''removed the most valuable pieces and then took them abroad''. The director of the museum, Łuszczkiewicz, was opposed to the transaction with Schmidt-Ciążyński. In addition to the engraved gems, the collection transferred to Kraków included, among other things, 82 paintings and drawings by artists such as (except the ones mentioned above)

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder ( , ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter and Draughtsmanship, draughtsman. He was the younger son of the eminent Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Flemish ...

, Frans Pourbus (the younger), Willem van Bemmel. Count Plater consistently refused to transfer the objects already received to the new owner of the collection, namely the National Museum in Kraków. He wrote, among other things: ''It is impossible for me today to assume that gifts offered to the Museum in Rapperswil could later be offered again to the Kraków Museum''. Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński argued, however, that in his correspondence with Plater, he only expressed his intention to transfer the items, and the conclusion of the transaction depended on the fulfillment of the conditions he had specified, which were not clearly accepted or fulfilled. Plater only accepted these conditions in a letter dated 5 June 1884. At the same time, he upheld his decision to refuse the return of the gifts. In this situation, on 30 December 1886, the city council decided to sue Plater for the return of the works of art located in Rapperswil, which were transferred to the museum by Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński.

Death

Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński died at the age of nearly 71 on 5 January 1889, in Gorizia, where he resided at Via Santa Chiara 6. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was buried on January 7 in the local cemetery. The deceased had no close family and did not leave a will. He left behind valuable glyptic collections similar to those already transferred to Kraków. At the end of 1889, further relatives of Schmidt-Ciążyński were found, who had rights to the inheritance. The management of the National Museum in Kraków obtained the consent of the heirs for these engraved gems to be exhibited in Kraków.

Further fate of engraved gem collection

At the turn of 1901 and 1902, as part of the reorganization of the National Museum's headquarters in the Cloth Hall, Langierówka was renovated, where, in addition to watercolors, oil studies, prints, and miniatures, engrved gems from the Schmidt-Ciążyński collection were exhibited. Initially, 141 objects were shown, but it was planned to display the rest shortly thereafter. In the following years, after further reorganizations prompted by the steadily expanding collections of the museum, items from the collection were exhibited in the

Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum The Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum (), also known as the Czapski Museum () is a branch of the National Museum of Kraków, 12 Pilsudski Street, Kraków. Count Emeryk Hutten-Czapski (born 17 October 1828 in Stankow near Minsk, died 23 July 1896 in K ...

in Kraków (a second branch of the National Museum), specifically on the upper floor of the mansion, which formerly housed the founder's private apartment. During this time, when the Schmidt-Ciążyński collection was stored in the Numismatics Department, the engraved gems had their markings and numbers corresponding to the list drawn up in 1886 removed. During subsequent inventories, they were cataloged together with items from other glyptic collections, such as

Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Emeryk Hutten-Czapski (), Leliwa coat of arms (17 October 1828 – 23 July 1896) was a Polish Count, scholar, ardent historical collector and numismatist. Hutten-Czapski was born Emeryk Zachariasz Mikołaj Hutten-Czapski in the town of Stańkava ...

's (transferred to the Museum in 1903) and Leon Kostka's. As a result, some objects from the Schmidt-Ciążyński collection are now difficult to identify. In this form, the glyptic collection, after being separated from numismatic objects, was transferred to the Department of Artistic Crafts and Material Culture of the National Museum in Kraków in the 1950s, where it is currently stored in the warehouses. The collections of this department also contain some documents related to Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński's collection and activities, such as lists of suppliers and objects, correspondence with museums and with Count Plater, etc.

Scientific studies of the collection

Since then, the collection containing numerous and diverse objects, both in terms of historical periods and cultural affiliations, has not been thoroughly studied as a whole. Only certain categories of objects have been preliminarily examined: * The work of Professor from 1989, referenced here, attests to the extraordinary scientific value of the described collection. The work comprises 103 pages of text with detailed descriptions of 155 objects and 27 tables with their photographs. Chapter 2 contains descriptions of 50 Egyptian scarabs, scaraboids, and plaques, while Chapter 3 describes 105 so-called magical engraved gems. * The research conducted by Dr. Barbara Kaim from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

from the same period describes scientific studies of another category of objects from Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński's collection, namely seals from the

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

n and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian regions. This category includes 104 objects: 24 Mesopotamian

cylinder seal A cylinder seal is a small round cylinder, typically about one inch (2 to 3 cm) in width, engraved with written characters or figurative scenes or both, used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, generally ...

s, 7

Neo-Babylonian The Neo-Babylonian Empire or Second Babylonian Empire, historically known as the Chaldean Empire, was the last polity ruled by monarchs native to ancient Mesopotamia. Beginning with the coronation of Nabopolassar as the King of Babylon in 626 BC ...

seals, and 73

Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...

seals. * In 2011, engineer Krzysztof Ziomko (a graduate of the

AGH University of Krakow AGH University of Krakow, (abbreviated as ''AGH University''; formerly: AGH University of Science and Technology or ''AGH UST'') is a public university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1913, its inauguration took place in 1919. The university foc ...

) described cylinder seals and stamp seals from Mesopotamia, Iran,

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, as well as from the Neo-Babylonian and Sasanian states in his diploma thesis. In addition to a detailed catalog of the aforementioned objects, the thesis also includes the results of scientific research ( X-ray analysis,

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...

, optical studies) of several of them.

References

Bibliography

* * * * – The content of the article indicates that the author obtained materials for it directly from Schmidt-Ciążyński (). * * Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński: Letter to Feliks Szlachtowski, president of Kraków, Gorizia, 1888 – In the collection of the

Jagiellonian Library The Jagiellonian Library (, popular nickname ''Jagiellonka'') is the library of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and with almost 6.7 million volumes, one of the largest libraries in Poland, serving as a public library, university library an ...

. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Archive of correspondence of Karol Estreicher senior in the possession of the

: ** letters from Anna Wolska: positions 5405, 5406, 5416, 5421, 5431, 5564, 5585, 5613, 5616, 5638, 5658, 5677, 6047, 6132; ** letters from Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński: positions 5429, 5430, 5444, 5455, 5473; ** drafts of letters to Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński: positions 5429a, 5430a, 5444a, 5473a. * Notarial deed from 31 December 1886, confirming the donation agreement from 19 June 1885, between Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński and the municipality of Kraków, with the power of a notarial act – State Archives in Kraków, collection 882/0, "Acts of notary Stefan Muczkowski in Kraków", signature 29/882/26, document number 24419.

External links

* {{Cite web , title=Quai Voltaire 3 w Paryżu, gdzie mieścił się "Schmidt Antiquaire" , url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&geocode=&q=Quai+Voltaire+3,+paris,+france&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.275297,75.058594&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr&layer=c&cbll=48.858416,2.332723&panoid=1eekAx7_LU0X9DWmSiV-Qw&cbp=12,202.57804098471092,,0,0.09953161592505896 , access-date=2009-03-13 Kraków Polish art collectors 1818 births 1889 deaths Art collectors from the Russian Empire