NOWY TOM Z SERII ZBIORY MUZEUM NARODOWEGO W GDAŃSKU. KOLEKCJA JACOBA KABRUNA

• Authors: Rudzińska, Wanda M

Abstracts

PL

The article reviews the catalogue of prints by Daniel Chodowiecki (1726–1801) from the collection of Jacob Kabrun (1759–1814), a merchant, diplomat and bibliophile from Gdańsk, which he offered as a bequest to his home town. This comprehensive and richly illustrated publication by Kalina Zabuska is the second part of a catalogue comprising prints by the German school from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century, from this collection which survived in the collections of the National Museum in Gdańsk. The volume presents 858 verified works by Chodowiecki which have been meticulously analysed with regard to the latest state of research. The author presents the artist’s achievement through his personal life, and brings us closer to the historical period of his activity. Chodowiecki was born in Gdańsk and worked in Berlin. He was also an outstanding watercolour painter, a popular illustrator and the author of 2000 prints. The works from Kabrun’s collection reveal a representative selection of the artist’s achievement and draw special attention to the variety of subjects of his illustrations which accompanied scientific works, editions of novels, as well as diverse periodical and occasional publications. The catalogue entries include extensive comments which refer to the literary plotlines or historical events which are being illustrated, which makes it easier to understand Chodowiecki’s prints for the contemporary viewer. The author presents Jacob Kabrun and emphasises his merits as the creator of the artistically valuable collection of European-school prints which formed the nucleus of the collections in Gdańsk. Moreover, the review points out that the collections of prints in Polish museums and libraries have to a large extent been created thanks to such donations, and that they house exquisite representative sets of prints by the most eminent artists of European prints in all periods. They deserve to be popularised further by the organisation of temporary exhibitions.

• Publisher: Krajowy Ośrodek Badań i Dokumentacji Zabytków
• Journal: Muzealnictwo
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 57
• Pages: 99-102

Contributors

author

Rudzińska, Wanda M

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/04641086.1208135