Provenance As a Bibliophilic Value (Case Study)
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FOLIA 210 Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia ad Bibliothecarum Scientiam Pertinentia XIV (2016) ISSN 2081-1861 DOI 10.24917/20811861.14.9 Edyta Gałuszka Provenance as a bibliophilic value (case study) Introduction sought,Among bibliophiles,collected and booksellers purchased and on antiquariansauctions it is generally agreed that signed prints are of particular value. Provenance makes1 them attractive, as well as being . Numerous examples confirm that higher attractiveness of such copies causes higher prices, which suggests that they are subject to the traditional rules of the market (supply and demand). However, it is- worth noting that the valuation of antiquarian objects is a complex substantive process factors and (the the historical,test factor scientific,“provenance” artistic is only value), one factorsof the componentsof bibliophilic affecting nature its value. The esti- ties),mation technical of property factors takes (condition), into account spiritual a variety factors of factors: . (bibliophilic quali2 (the emotional value, prestige) Therefore, it is difficult to accurately separate the impact of bibliophilic values from the other components of the price. Auction value is difficult to operationalize. In the case of antiquarian market it is even more complicated because of various motives which bibliophiles are guided by. They gather books from a variety of reasons. Items of their collector’s passion – notes Grzegorz Nieć – “can be ‘beautiful books’, masterpieces of the seers,3 but also works of scribblers, examples of kitsch, and a variety of ‘rara et curiosa’, which for centuries have been a kind of quintessence of sophisticated collecting” . It is worth adding that the bibliophilia does not need to be accompanied by intense reading of purchased works. Bibliophiles can complete works in a languages they do not know- and draw knowledge on their interest areas mainly from the subject literature. Many times bibliophilic passion is irrational and transforms into bibliomania. Such cus tomers – as we read – “undertakeCeny intensive zabytkowych and książek systematic na aukcjach purchases, bibliofilskich often taking- 1– See: J. Miliszkiewicz, A. Osełko, , „Rzeczpo spolita”, suppl. „TygodnikWtórny rynek Plus książki Minus” w(12 Polsce. July 2012), Instytucje, [online] asortyment, http://www.rp.pl/artykul/958479– uczestnicy Ceny-zabytkowych-ksiazek-na-aukcjach-bibliofilskich.html2– [accessed 21.05.2016]. G. Nieć, , Kraków 2016, p. 313.3– Translated by the author of this artice. Ibidem, p. 314–315. [138] Edyta Gałuszka - 4 attractiveserious, sometimes bibliophilic alarming advantage and and worrying affects proportions, the decisions which of the are auction. beyond the com mon sense” . Aside from the observations, it is difficult to deny that provenance is an- - In the wake of these findings appears a question whether the impact of prov enance on auction decisions is objective in nature, whether bibliophiles are con sciously guided by this advantage, and, finally, are these decisions meaningful. If in fact provenance is an important bibliophilic value, these theses can be verified empirically. This study is an attempt to confirm these hypotheses. It was assumed that the provenance, which manifests itself in the form of bookplates, supralibros, stamps, notes etc., is an important element of attracting attention of book collectors, affects their purchasing decisions and is measurable. In order to verify the validity of this- assumption, was made the analysis of the assortment (auction catalogues) of one of the largest Polish antiquarian bookshops – Cracow’s Rara Avis Antiquarian Book shop, which has been operating continuously since 1992, and regularly organizing- auctions. Due to the large size of the offer (more than 77 thousand prints, which were exposed on 109 auctions organized in years 1992–2014), non-random test re search which covered 30 557 descriptions – approx. 41% of the whole assortment – was examined in detail. - A big challenge was posed by the selection of research methods and techniques.- Difficulties arose at the stage of the analysis and concerned unambiguous determi nation and qualifications of units. The main problem was to determine the typolog ical affiliation, which was not facilitated by the material itself (descriptions were created according to different methods and in varying degrees of detail), as well as- subject literature where different types of values were defined too generally. - A relatively sparse literature did not facilitate the research. Particularly prob lematic was the shortage ofWtórny studies rynek on the książki analysis w ofPolsce the modern (Secondary antiquarian book market mar inket. Poland The only major Polish-language scientific paper on this subject is a monograph, by Grzegorz Nieć entitled 5 ), in which one section is devoted to the problems of bibliophilic values where the author makesThe theirUses ofgeneral Provenance classification, emphasizing the important role- they play in making purchase decisions. The second important6 paper is the work of Frederick B. Adams, (Berkeley, 1969) . It has a highly educa tional and practical value, as it outlines a typology of values and research methods. Its particular usefulness to this research results from the recognition of the subject,Taste & Techniqueas provenance in Book was Collecting characterized there from the bibliophile’s point of view. In these studies extremely useful was also a monograph7 by John Carter (London 1938 and others) , containing, among others, in-depth definitions and an original typology of bibliophilic8 values. In addition to these works appeared a wide variety of papers and monographs relating to, among others, selected, p. 348. types of provenance (e.g. dedications) , forms of the functioning 4– Wtórny rynek książki…, 5–Ibidem The Uses of Provenance 6–G. Nieć, Taste & Technique in Bookp. 284–289. Collecting 7–F. B. Adams, Dedykacje – proweniencje, Los Angeles – bibliofilia: 1969. o dedykacji rękopiśmienniczej, 8–J. Carter, , London 1970. E.g. E. E. Śmiłek, „Gazeta Antykwaryczna” 1997, no. 1/2, p. 7–8. Provenance as a bibliophilic value (case study) [139] , their circulation (e.g. underground prints, , and9 papers treating bibliophilia on a high lev- elof ofantiquarian abstraction objects (e.g. auctions)10 sensu largoworks of prominent11 writers etc.) . Definitely different is the state of research on provenance (including its methodology), and with using provenance methods to research historical collections. When we think12 of the first one, very useful13 turned out to be- classic articles of Kazimierz14 Piekarski , Bronisław Kocowski15 and a methodological studypublishers of Maria turned Sipayłło out to be and helpful Maria Pidłypczak-Majerowicz . When analyzing var ious narrower problems, also works16 of bibliophiles, collectors and lexicographical . These works were primarily used to construct a catalogue of bibliophilic values (typology) and to define them. Taxonomy of bibliophilic values and types of provenance In order to confirm the hypotheses posed at the beginning it is necessary to establish a catalogue of bibliophilic values, as well 17as their definitions. Because there- is no full agreement in this field among authors , a reviewTaste of & stancesTechnique was in madeBook Collectingand dominant categories were created. The starting point were John Carther’s state- ments contained in the frequently reprinted monograph. (1948, 1949, 1950, 1970, 1972, 1977,18 2014), where he included an origi nal classification of bibliophilic valuestypographic (rarity) form - According to Carther,material the main medium bibliophilic and external value layout of a book is artistry which manifests itself in three areas: a (ornamentation, layout of the col umns, type of font),Handel the aukcyjny. Rynki, metody, technologie of the book (a kind of 9– Druki zakazane i bezdebitowe jako atrakcja bibliofilska (na polskich10D.– aukcjachT. Dziuba, antykwarycznych lat 1994–2014 i w bieżącej ,ofercie Warszawa rynku) 2008. G. Nieć, P. Podniesiński, Zakazane i niewygodne: ograniczanie wolności słowa od XIX do XXI wieku Sienkiewicziana na, [in:]współczesnym D. Degen, polskimG. Gzella, rynku J. Gzella antykwarycznym (eds.), Henryk Sienkiewicz w szkole,, Toruń bibliotece 2015, i muzeump. 275–295; G. Nieć, P. Podniesiński, Bibliofilstwo, –[in:] perspektywa T. Bujnicki środkowoeuropejska i J. Majchrzyk (eds.), - 11– , Warszawa 2015, p. 307–325. E.g. J. Dunin, Książka w Polsce XV i XVI wieku Kultura staropolska, „Acta Universitatis Lo dziensis.12– Folia Librorum”, O zadania 2003, i metody vol. 11, badań p. 203–208. proweniencyjnych. Marginalia do pracy R. Kotuli „WłaścicieleK. Piekarski, rękopisów i starodruków zbiorów Z. Czarneckiego”, [in:] , Kraków 1932, p. 350–382; idem Zadania i metody badań proweniencyjnych, „Przegląd w zakresie Biblioteczny” starych druków 1929,, vol. 3,13 iss.– 3, p. 388–415. B. Kocowski,O metodzie badań proweniencyjnych - „Przegląd14– Biblioteczny” 1951, no. 1/2, p. 72–84. M. Sipayłło, Polska literatura bibliologiczna, „Z Badań nadna temat Polskimi badań Księgozbiora prowenien- cyjnychmi Historycznymi”15– w zbiorach starych1975, iss. druków. 1, p. 9–30. Zarys problemu - M. Pidłypczak-Majerowicz, Exlibris, godło bibliofila, „Kraków – Lwów: biblioteki XIX iBibliofil XX wie- skieku” 2014,silva16– rerum: vol. 13, szkice, p. 7–21. notatki, wypisy O współczesnym eks- librisie E.g. M. J. Wojciechowski, , Wrocław 1978; A. Kempa, , Warszawa 2002; A. Znamirowski, , „Konspekt” 2004,Polskie