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The catalogue which represents Polish old master drawings contains 306 drawings from the Print Room of the University of Warsaw Library. These are works made by: Józef Sierakowski (1766 – 1831), Wincenty Smokowski (1797 – 1876), Antoni Smuglewicz (1740 – 1810), Franciszek Smuglewicz (1745 – 1807), Łukasz Smuglewicz (1709 – 1980) and Jan Szeymecler (ok. 1763 – po 1794). The publication comprises the biographical notes of each artist and the current research on their œuvre. Drawings were described in 306 catalogue entries; each includes a detailed description, i.a. inscription, information about technique, paper, historical mountings provenance, bibliography, including hand-written sources, as well as a descriptive commentary. Each set of drawings was described separately and the common features of the group of works were emphasised. The current state of the research was taken into consideration according to the literature. Many drawings were published for the first time. Moreover, new attributions were added.

Watch a short video about the working process on the catalogue and selected findings of the Author.

The catalogue of the old master drawings of the Netherlandish, Flemish and Dutch schools from the Print Room of the University of the Warsaw Library holdings is the first complex publication of the set. Eventually, it consists in 211 drawings associated with 106 authors, including 21 anonymous drawings, which could not be attributed to any particular name. Both famous masters (P.P. Rubens, J. Jordaens, Rembrandt) and great artists who are rarely mentioned in the collections (Jacob de Backer, Meindert Hobbema, Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem) are included in the catalogue. The biographical notes comprise the short biographies as well as the draughtmen’s manner and their favourite techniques. Each drawing was precisely described (technique, paper, inscriptions, collector’s marks, historical mountings), analysed and verified according to the present knowledge (i.a. authorship, subject, iconography), related to a particular artist or school, with full bibliography (in the case of the published drawings) and an extensive descriptive commentary. Additionally, the catalogue includes photographs of the watermarks, index of persons and index of collections and museums. The introduction gives reader a chance to learn more about the collection of the Netherlandish drawings in the Print Room, including the current research and the provenance.

Watch a short video about the particular methods of research on drawings and the process of working on the catalogue.

The catalogue which represents the architectural drawing department describes drawings by Tilman van Gameren from the Print Room of the University of Warsaw Library. He was a Dutch architect active in Poland in the second half of the 17th century. The research was made on the whole Tilman’s Archive found in 1934 in the University of Warsaw Library. Some of the drawings and prints, which had already been regarded as works of other artists, were not taken into consideration. The authorship of all other works on paper from this archive was verified by the method of comparison based on the technique of drawing and the method of representation used by the architect as well as the character of the handwriting of the inscriptions.
As a result, 559 pages with more than 840 drawings have been distinct from Tilman’s Archive which gathers 801 objects at the moment. Catalogue information includes a full description as well as a commentary and bibliography. All illustrations, including recto and verso were compiled for the first time in the catalogue. In many cases the inscriptions were read for the first time. Also, the Author commented on the scale and not well-visible elements of the composition, which were omitted until now and set print prototypes for the perspective studies of architectonic elements and solids.
The watermarks which can be found on the papers with Tilman’s drawings from the Print Room were included in an extensive appendix.
The results of the work are numerous, new identifications of drawings, both unpublished and published but known as unrecognised. Moreover, some mistaken information given in the literature have been corrected.

Watch a short video which presents work process on the catalogue and chosen Author’s findings

The catalogue represents the old master prints department and it includes the description of 248 print by Barthel Beham (1502-1540) and Sebald Beham (1500-1550) from the University of Warsaw Library. Although the graphic œuvre of Beham brothers has been discussed widely, especially in German literature, there was no monography in Polish language. This gap has been filled by this publication with its scientific tools and taking all the Behams’ prints from the Print Room into consideration. It must be emphasised that the engravings and woodcuts which were included in the catalogue, excluding few single cases, were not published so far. The vast majority of them comes from the album with prints by the little masters. Twenty four Behams’ prints come from the royal collection. A comprehensive research resulted in: verifying the authorship and subjects, creating new Polish titles in many cases, identifying the state of the print and presenting the latest interpretations related to the iconography of the prints.

Watch a short video about the main assumptions and the results of the working process on the catalogue

Rules of ordering catalogues

1. The following publications can be ordered:
   1. Biłozór-Salwa Małgorzata, Old Master Drawings From the 15th Century to the 1820s. Polish School: S. Catalogue of the Collection. Warsaw: University of Warsaw, University of Warsaw Library, 2019 [2020]. ISBN 978-83-953825-0-5 (series). ISBN 978-83-953825-2-9.
   2. Łazicka Małgorzata, Old Master Prints. From the 15th Century to the 20s of the 19th Century. German School. Barthel Beham and Sebald Beham. Catalogue of the Collection. Warsaw: University of Warsaw/ University of Warsaw Library, 2019 [2020]. ISBN 978-83-953825-4-3.
   3. Talbierska Jolanta, Old Master Drawings. From the 15th Century to the 20s of the 19th Century. Netherlandish, Flemish and Dutch Schools. Catalogue of the Collection. Warsaw: University of Warsaw/ University of Warsaw Library, 2019 [2020]. ISBN 978-83-953825-6-7.
   4. Wątroba Przemysław, Architectural and Decorative Drawings. Tilman van Gameren, t. 1, 2; series The Print Room of the University of Warsaw Library. Catalogue of the Collection. Warsaw: University of Warsaw / University of Warsaw Library, 2019 [2020]. ISBN 978-83-953825-0-5(series), 978-83-953825-8-1.
2. Catalogues are distributed free of charge and cannot be sold.
3. Catalogues are sent only as a part of the courier service – purchased and ordered by the Customer.
4. It is possible to collect ordered catalogues in person. The ordering party selects this option in the order form.
5. The Customer may order a maximum of two copies of a given title.
6. The Customer fills in the order form and sends it to gabryc.buw@uw.edu.pl.
7. The Customer shall bear the shipping costs in accordance with the table of fees of the indicated courier company.
8. The University of Warsaw Library is responsible for packing the ordered catalogues.
9. After receiving the order, the library provides the Customer with the data necessary to order the service to the courier company, i.e. information on the availability of the ordered copies, weight and dimensions of the shipment, email contact to the person at the library responsible for handing over the shipment to the courier and indicates the date of receipt of the order prepared for shipment.
10. The University of Warsaw Library is not responsible for paid and unrealised courier services, i.e. for such situations in which the courier company shows up for pickup beyond the date of receipt of the order agreed with the Customer.
11. The University of Warsaw Library shall consider the order canceled if the Customer or the courier company does not confirm the acceptance of the order within 5 working days from the date of transfer to the Customer by the library of the data for the ordering of the courier service.
12. Handing over the parcel to the courier is possible only during the working days and working hours of the library / the Print Room.