Museum
Come and visit our newly opened private museum. The museum houses The Popiel Family Mementoes Exposition as well as a J贸zef Czapski paintaing Collection.
The Popiel Family Mementoes Exposition houses paintings, objets d鈥檃rt and family mementoes which survived the ravages of World War II and depredations of the communist regime. It bears testimony both to the family鈥檚 past and to the determination of each generation to salvage something of value, sentimental or otherwise, for its future.
The most important exhibit is undoubtedly the Quattrocento Madonna and Child by the Viterbo painter, Francesco d鈥橝ntonio Zacchi, known as il Balletta. This work was acquired by Kazimierz Popiel, who travelled Italy in the 1860s in Grand Tour fashion, buying up paintings for the collection of his father, Pawe艂 Popiel.
Other paintings include:
- two portraits by Walenty Wa艅kowicz, a close friend of the Polish national poet, Adam Mickiewicz, and himself a national hero both of Poland and Belarus,
- an interesting early XIXth century copy of a Marcello Bacciarelli portrait of Stanis艂aw August Poniatowski, the last King of Poland,
- works by the distinguished Polish painters, Piotr Michalowski, Jozef Mehoffer and Henryk Siemiradzki.
Examples of fine craftsmanship include a large silver tea and coffee service from the famous Warsaw workshop of Karol Malcz, as well as armorial plates from the now-defunct Baran贸wka porcelain works.
The J贸zef Czapski Gallery.
Following the confiscation of their estate after World War II, Stanis艂aw Popiel and his wife, Irena (n茅e Wa艅kowicz) emigrated to the West. Her sister Jolanta ended up in France, where, moving in Polish 茅migr茅 cultural circles, she formed a close friendship with the painter and writer, Jozef Czapski, one of the pillars of the Kultura Literary Institute, based in Maisons-Lafitte near Paris.
The collection includes:
- 20+ oil paintings arranged according to the different creative periods of his life,
- a collection of his sketches,
- a collection of watercolours,
- some of his personal effects, including paintbrushes, all of which present a more complete picture of the artist himself.
The museum is very much worth a visit and you will also discover a lot about the Popiel family including the link between J贸zef Czapski and the Popiel family through the Marquis of Boisgelin.
