National ISSN 0867-6976 Library Warsaw POLISH LIBRARIES2005 TODAY Vol. 6 FOREIGN COLLECTIONS IN POLISH LIBRARIES Biblioteka Narodowa w Warszawie The National Library in Warsaw Biblioteka Narodowa (+48 22) 608 23 30 al. Niepodleg∏oÊci 213 (reference centre) 02-086 Warszawa (+48 22) 608 29 99 (information) (+48 22) 825 52 51 [email protected] (Director’s office) www.bn.org.pl Pa∏ac Rzeczypospolitej Dzia∏ Zbiorów Specjalnych Biblioteki Narodowej The Palace of the Commonwealth Home of the Special Collections of the National Library Biblioteka Narodowa (+48 22) 831 32 41 – 45 Pl. Krasiƒskich 3/5 (+48 22) 635 55 67 (fax) 00-307 Warszawa [email protected] 2 Foreign Collections in Polish Libraries Table of Contents From the Editor (Joanna Pasztaleniec-Jarzyñska) 3 Foreign Collections in Polish Libraries Alicja Kar³owska-Kamzowa The Genesis and Description of a Miniature Dutch Prayer Book from the National Library in Warsaw 5 Katarzyna P³onka-Ba³us The Traité de la forme et devis dun tournoi of King René dAnjou from the Czartoryski Library in Cracow 11 Halina Tchórzewska-Kabata A Thirteenth Century Christ Cycle of the Potocki Master. An Attempt at its Reconstruction 19 Piotr Tylus The Jagiellonian Librarys Collection of French Manuscripts 24 Jan Piro¿yñski Early Imprints from the Gutenberg Press at the Jagiellonian Library 30 Maria Brynda The National Librarys La Sforziada. An Incunable with Illuminations by Giovanni Pietro Birago 35 Andrzej Kaszlej The Lvov Manuscript of Danilo IIs ivoti Kraljeva i Arhiepiskopa Srpskih... 38 Wanda M. Rudziñska The Brussels Album from the Print Room of Warsaw University Library 42 Marianna Czapnik Edward Monings Account of a Visit to Hessen and the Forgery of the Shakespeare Library 52 Krystyna Szyku³a Anthony Jenkinsons Map of Russia (1562). A Research Summary 57 Ewelina Bykuæ Geographicae tabulae in charta pergamena. Antonius Millos Nautical Atlas 70 Ma³gorzata Tomaszewska A Topographical Map of the Region of Versailles 79 Foreign Collections in Poland: A Historical Overview Zdzis³aw Pietrzyk Book Collections from the Former Preussische Staatsbibliothek in the Jagiellonian Library 81 Beata Gryzio Incunabula in the Collection of the Gdañsk Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences 88 Miros³awa Zygmunt A Brief History of Polish-Persian Relations through Documents from the National Library 96 On Display: Foreign Collections from the National Library Maria Wrede Thesauri Poloniae at the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum 106 Marcin Polkowski Our Neighbours A New Perspective. Other Cultures at the National Library 109 Reviews Illuminations of the Potocki Psalter from the Wilanów Collection (Katarzyna Zalewska-Lorkiewicz) 115 Catalogue of Early Printed Books in the Cyrillic Alphabet from the 15th to the 18th c. in the Collection of the National Library (Aleksander Naumow) 118 Johannes Gutenberg and the Beginnings of the Age of Print (Jan Tomaszewski) 120 The Castle Library of Prince Albrecht of Prussia in Königsberg (Janusz Ma³³ek) 122 Jewish Ephemera in the Second Republic of Poland in the Collection of the National Library (Jolanta ¯yndul) 124 The Contributors 127 3 From the Editor The Polish National Library brought out the first of other European nations. They reveal the regio- volume of Polish Libraries Today in 1991. Since nal and ethnic dimension, and historical complexi- then, the magazine has evolved in a variety of ty of these relationships. For the last ten years, ways. In the previous issue we highlighted some the National Library has striven to re-examine of the most memorable and unique treasures from these links, and to stimulate reflection on the in- the collections of the National Library, and added herent diversity of Polish culture. In response to a colour insert to enhance what until then had this trend, apart from academic research, the cur- been a purely black-and-white layout. Additionally, rent issue features a section outlining some of the a new graphic design was selected for the title National Librarys international exhibitions, both page. In this issue we went a step further, with those displayed in other countries, and those that, a full-colour presentation of the wonderful books, like the series Our Neighbours A New Perspec- maps and prints from the collections of Polish tive, helped viewers in Poland comprehend their libraries that have originated in other countries. outlook on other cultures. Finally, we conclude this Also, wishing to give the publication a more mo- issue by reviewing a series of books that deal with dern character, we have decided to issue it in two rare and valuable collections of non-Polish prove- versions, on paper and in digital form. nance, with themes ranging from a medieval We hope that this volume of Polish Libraries French illuminated Psalter to Jewish ephemera Today, with its broad scope of articles by scho- from the period between the two World Wars. lars and librarians, will provide our readers with As Polish Libraries Today keeps changing, new information on Polands foreign collections. our goal remains the same, and that is to share Many of these collections, and the works found in with our readers a sense of the beauty and rich them, have not received much attention beyond intercultural heritage of Polish library collections. the borders of our country. They are, however, an We hope that we have been able to achieve this, enduring legacy of the strong links between Po- and that this issue will open a new perspective on lands cultural heritage and the cultural traditions this aspect of libraries in our country. Joanna Pasztaleniec-Jarzyñska 4 Foreign Collections in Polish Libraries 5 Alicja Kar³owska-Kamzowa Foreign The Genesis and Description Collections in of a Miniature Dutch Prayer Book Polish Libraries from the National Library in Warsaw Abstract This small illuminated prayer book was created around 1440 in the scriptorium of the St. Agnes Convent in Delft. The author focuses on the miniatures executed en grisaille, discussing their themes, composition and significance. After comparing the codex with a book of hours from the Belgian Royal Library in Brussels, she ends by giving a short iconographic description of the most artistically refined works in this seldom-employed technique. Fashioned in the 15th century, this small Dutch detail, the artist choosing instead to focus upon prayer book, or Gebedenboek, shelfmark Rps I the small number of figures. 3779, comes from the Za³uski collections. In 1938 This formal asceticism has significance with- it was analysed by Stanis³awa Sawicka who pre- in the context of the whole prayer book itself. sented its description, formal analysis and dating. The selection of the texts and their decoration are She considered that the codex could have origi- typical, whereas the figural compositions distin- nated in the 1440s in the region of Utrecht, and guish one form from another. They were expres- drew attention to the fact that the manuscript had sive paintings which brought joy to those praying, been executed en grisaille, a method applied at just like so many books of hours particularly the the time by French and Dutch artists.1 French books of hours, in that they were specifi- Over the past thirty years, a number of stu- cally intended to enhance the religious experience. dies have taken place on the illuminatory craft of The first eight illustrations present the Pas- the northern Dutch artists, enabling us to better sion of Christ. Here the artist focused upon the understand the origins of the prayer book. In par- bloodied body of our Lord, the evilness of his tor- ticular, great attention has been given to its minia- mentors, the suffering of Mary, the pain of Christs ture figures and as well as to other similar works female companions and St. John. The realism held in the Belgian Royal Library in Brussels. served to recreate not the richness of the earthly The Za³uski prayer book comprises a calen- scenery, but rather to picture the specifically reli- dar (unadorned), the Hours of the Holy Cross, gious aspect of the images. This diverged from The Hours of Our Lady, penitential prayers, lita- the artistic tendencies present in Dutch panel nies, prayers to various saints, and prayers for va- paintings in the first half of the 15th century and rious occasions. Certain parts of the manuscripts found its reflection in the illuminatory works of are gilded with large golden initials, covering at the northern regions of the country in the second least three margins. Gilded margins and small in- half of the century. itials, typical of the Northern Dutch style, also dis- The significance of the illustrations in the pray- tinguish the canonical hours, drawn with a quill er book is clear. Christ was made manifest upon and painted with matted colours of blue, red and this earth so as to experience great suffering. Evil green together with moderate touches of gold people tortured Him, and His tormentors are por- and white. The layout of the pages was fashioned trayed with deformed faces. In opposition to this in accordance with the en grisaille technique, we have the delicate face of Pontius Pilates wife involving full page miniatures that had no orna- during Christs hearing by the Roman procurator, mental margins whatsoever, whereas the shades the focused, serious faces of Mary, the faithful of grey coupled with the shape and vividness of maidens and St. John all of whom embody mans certain images accentuated the discreet encrusting. ability to feel Christs suffering. In the prayer The presented scenes were void of descriptive book, particular attention is given to the face of Our 6 ForeignForeign Collections Collections in in Polish Polish Libraries Libraries Lady, together with the sensibility of the scene, northern Netherlands established its own iconogra- strengthened by the expressive draping of the phic tradition.