ul. J. Piłsudskiego 14
tel. 4225434, fax. 4222733
General Information
The Paper and Leather Conservation Studio protects and conserves these items of the extremely diversified collection of the National Museum in Krakow which have been recorded on paper, parchment or leather - such as drawings, gouaches, watercolours, pastels, posters, documents, books, globes, fans, engravings, drawings on tracing paper, bindings, cordovans, leather sheaths and casings. Some of them are truly non-standard items including a leather strap from a cradle of Polish historian and politician Joachim Lelewel, a leaf from a tree planted on the birthday of politician and military leader Tadeusz Kościuszko (sic!), or various curiosities from the time of WWII.
The studio conserves also numerous large-size works on cardboard paper – designs of stained glass windows and polychromy works, such as the cycle of Freiburg cardboards by Józef Mehoffer (of average size 680 x 160 cm), Apollo in Bounds by Stanisław Wyspiański (350 x 151 cm), Wanda (242 cm x 148 cm), polychromy designs for the Mariacki Church of Krakow, by Jan Matejko.
The studio extends also permanent supervision over the huge collection of Japanese engravings, kept in the manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology.
In addition to the conservation of damaged works, the studio makes also descriptions of the condition of items sent to external exhibitions (more than a thousand per year), and inspects and monitors the climatic conditions in selected branches of the Museum. The conservators also participate in various conferences and workshops and accept students of paper and leather conservation faculties for holiday traineeships.
The binding workshop works on binding modern books and performs renovations of 19th and 20th century books, and also makes protective boxes for historic items after conservation, starting from little boxes for medals and miniatures and ending with large ones (1m x 1m x 25 cm!) for larger items, such as for example funeral wreaths of A. Mickiewicz and also special shape boxes – for fans, or a box for earrings of Matejko’s wife Teodora.
The bookbinding workshop makes also passe-partout bindings for engravings and drawings.
Major achievements of the Studio
Conservation of items for monographic exhibitions Opus Magnum - 70 works by Józef Mehoffer (the National Museum in Krakow - MNK 2000), 262 by Stanisław Wyspiański (MNK 2000) and 156 works by Jan Matejko;
Conservation of exhibits for monographic exhibitions of Piotr Michałowski (77 items; MNK 2000), Leon Wyczółkowski (220 items, MNK 2003);
Conservation of 54 posters for Europalia 2001 exhibition in Brussels;
Conservation of a stained glass window design Apollo in Bounds by Stanisław Wyspiański (MNK 2001);conservation of polychromy work design for the Franciscan church – Fallen Angels by St. Wyspiański (2001);
Conservation of fans for the Elusive Beauty exhibition (MNK 2001);
Conservation of 320 drawings by J.P. Norblin (2003);
Conservation of tracing paper work Santa Disciplina by St. Wyspiański – a copy of polychromy works from the Wawel castle (2003);
Conservation of Netherlands drawings and engravings for Netherlands Treasures exhibition (MNK 2004);
Conservation of 82 Japanese woodcuts by Utagawa Hiroshige from the series of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (manggha Centre 2005);
Conservation work on the Palm Sunday triptych by Kazimierz Sichulski (2005).
News:
Preparation of exhibits for the Gallery of the 20th Century Art (to be opened in October 2005) – conservation work protecting various modern art works (Max Ernst, F. Leger, Jean Arp, J. Panek, Z. Stryjeńska, T. Kantor, S.I. Witkiewicz and Z. Pronaszko) and conservation work on three cardboard designs by Stanisław Wyspiański, featuring stained glass windows for the Wawel Cathedral (Casimir the Great, St. Stanislas, Henry the Pious).
Conservation of a collection of Japanese woodcuts to be exhibited in Budapest and at a new exhibition in the manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology.
Director of the Studio - Łucja Skoczeń- Rąpała
Conservators:
Zofia Maniakowska-Jazownik
Dorota Okrągła
Ewa Sobiczewska
Marta Winiarczyk
Renovators:
Małgorzata Burda
Janina Cholewa
Bookbinder: Anna Kozłowska
