Rola Józefa Łepkowskiego w pozyskaniu dla krakowskich instytucji zbiorów Karola Rogawskiego i Bolesława Podczaszyńskiego

Abstract

The Role of Józef Łepkowski in Acquiring the Collections of Karol Rogawski and Bolesław Podczaszyński for Krakow Institutions During many years of scientific activity, Józef Łepkowski (1826–1894), archaeologist, the first Polish professor of this discipline and protector of monuments, looked after the collections belonging to the Krakow Scientific Society (the predecessor of the Academy of Arts and Sciences), the Jagiellonian University, and the Czartoryski dukes for whom he acquired the collection items. The archaeological artifacts, works of art, works of artistic craftsmanship, collections of weapons, and other artifacts obtained by him constitute a valuable part of the resources of Krakow institutions to this day. The article shows the methods by which, in the 19th century, objects were acquired for state institutions, scientific societies and large, aristocratic collections. The author takes as an example the fate of the collections of Karol Rogawski (1820–1888) and Bolesław Podczaszyński (1822–1876). Encouraged by Łepkowski, Rogawski donated the book collection, archaeological artifacts, and works of art and crafts to the Jagiellonian University and the Czartoryski dukes. However, a specialized part of Podczaszyński’s collection – archaeological artifacts with notes on prehistoric finds from the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – was purchased by the Academy of Arts and Sciences as a result of Łepkowski’s efforts. Therefore, thanks to the long and complicated measures taken by this tireless researcher, museum expert, and protector of monuments, the collections survived in their entirety to the present day, avoiding the dispersion to which many other private 19th-century collections were subjected.