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FOREIGN TRAVELLERS ABOUT LIBRARIES AND CURIOSITY CABINETS IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES

Radu-Ciprian ERBAN, “Lucian Blaga” University of ,

Abstract. Foreign travellers inŞ Romanian Countries often met intellectuals and their properties, and in their travel relations they went over describing wealth and statute, but also described the intellectual level of Romanian elite and society. Transylvanian libraries and curiosity cabinets were especially a place were the visitors could easily ‘read’ the interests of their landlords and to have conversations on certain topics. Thus, they were able to make appraisals of men and their belongings.

Keywords: library, travel, literature, identity, Transylvania.

A long time ago, Priscus of Panion accompanied Roman embassy at the court of Attila the Hun, keeping in mind a stereotypical image of the barbarians that Ammianus Marcelinus created in his History (Res Gestae). Historians today regard to Pricus’ travelling impressions as the most reliable contemporary account about Attila the Hun, which changed a lot the way the Romans perceived the barbarians afterwards 1 . During centuries, the travel literature often represented a complement and an updating of information about the other2. However, not each traveller was so open-minded, so objective and a well-meaning visitor as Priscus was. Be it with diplomatic purposes, or only in transition, travellers in Romanian Countries who chose to put down and print their experiences transferred them to the collective memory of their homelands. Thus, different travellers provided lot of accounts about Romanian countries and their society, many of which were contradictory, other generating stereotypes that would last for long time. As a result, someone could build an image of the Romanian society using puzzle pieces from many different “maps” drawn by strange travellers. There’s no doubt, they had interest not only for geographical location, relief, organization or infrastructure of habitations, but also for the cultural and intellectual level of the society, meaning cabinets of curiosity, private libraries, or the ability to organize education in schools. This information is more valuable as it balance out some gaps in the local historiography, and when it turns out to be false, it helps understanding how literature about the other was written. As a home for many ethnic groups (, Hungarians, Saxons, Székely, Cumans, Armenians, Jews, etc.) and denominations (Catholics, Reformed, Calvinists, Orthodox, Trinitarians etc.), Transylvania especially was more than a Romanian country; it was also the homeland of some brothers of faith or brothers of the nation and a transitional space – a border – between East and West. On the other side, depending on traveller’s belief, Transylvania could appear also as corrupted by heretics, and from this point of view, a space to be recovered: first

1 Kristopher Kelly, The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome, Norton, New York, 2009. 2 The existence of Albert Montémont’s monumental work on travel relations – Montémont, Albert (1788-1861). Histoire universelle des voyages effectués par mer et par terre dans les cinq parties du monde sur les divers points du globe, contenant la description des moeurs, coutumes, gouvernements et arts, industrie et commerce, productions naturelles et autres. Paris: Armand-Aubrée, s.d. [1833-1837]), in 46 volumes; a book that M. Kogălniceanu also bought for himself – demonstrates that the genre enjoyed the public interest and was appreciated by the audience for much time. 164

SECTION: HISTORY LDMD I for God (they said), and second, for the Habsburgic Empire practicing a retrieval policy, a real Reconquest3. Beyond all this finalities, Occidental travellers through Romanian Principalities – be they German, French, Italian or Englishman – prospects East-European area with a curiosity that stem from the desire to know better the other. In fact, in their relations, many travellers were influenced by the way these were greeted and treated. Thus, the image of intellectuality in Romanian countries varies from the metaphor of a ‘bear’ to that of ‘very wise scholars’. While a ‘modern’ traveller swore that he would never more enter in the house of a boyar, because those had been “like bears” that scarcely talk to you and don’t invite you eat with them, there were others who were tempted to exaggerate in great appreciations. In 13 of September 1581, the Jesuit priest Ioan Leleszi noted down: “the benevolence and kindness of magnates and counsellors is so great, even though they’re heretics, that I had not the slightest feeling that they refused me anything. They gladly came to me and spoke to me friendly [...]”4; the same preliminary impressions had almost always a great say in appraising people and realities around. For example, in Descriptio vitae Stephani liberi Baronis de Daniel et Vargyas, the visitor remembered that the High Steward Constantin Cantacuzino received him ‘sedens super stratum suum modo orientali tapetibus ornatum, erat circumcintus sua bibliotheca, singularem in libris habens animi sui obiectationem’5. In his report on the Kingdom of Hungary covering the period 1519-1523, Francesco Massaro, secretary of Venice orator at Buda, integrated news about Transylvania. He had fever (with shakes) and used some celery leaved crowfoot; that’s why he couldn’t write to his friends, as he said: “therefore I could not write you my friends, and since you have written to me that you’re willing to find out about the ones here: like books, weeds of cure and others, I will share with you what I have found here up to now”6. Massaro knew about the library of King Matthias Corvine, that was the largest in Europe, and in its contents it was only second to the Vatican Library in Europe7. There were 3000 codices including 4000-5000 works, many of classical Greek and Latin authors. But at that moment, the library itself was like ruins: “As for the library, I say that I was there and there is not any good book, all the best were stolen”8. When Georg Reicherstorffer9 – a Saxon born in Sibiu who was secretary of Queen Maria of Hungary and then of Ferdinand I (in 1526) – visited Braşov (also called Kronstadt or Corona), he found a great library that he also compared with the one of Matthias. In his Transylvanian

3 See Mihaela Grancea, Trecutul de astăzi. Tradiţie şi inovaţie în cultura română (Today’s past. Tradition and Innovation in Romanian Culture), Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2009. 4 Maria Holban (ed.) et alia, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. 2 (Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, 2nd vol)., Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1970, p. 464. 5 Mario Ruffini, Biblioteca Stolnicului Constantin Cantacuzino, Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1973, p. 41. 6 Maria Holban (ed.) et alia, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. 1 (Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, 1st vol)., Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1968, p. 167. 7 See N. Iorga, Istoria românilor prin călători (History of Romanians through Travellers), 2nd edition, vol. 1, Editura Casei Şcoalelor, Bucharest, 1928, p. 76. He mentions one of the routes that Italian travellers followed, passing through Buda, where they could find the great library in the palace of King Matthias, with walls ornated by the Italian Filippino Lippi. 8 Maria Holban (ed.) et alia, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. 1 (Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, 1st vol)., Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1968, p. 169. 9 See Maria Holban (ed.) et alia, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. 1 (Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, 1st vol)., Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1968 p. 181. 165

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Corography10, he refers to the library11 founded by the Humanist Johannes Honterus, who also founded a school and a printing house. Thus, in the 18th century, the interest in books and libraries was already characteristic for travellers who made a tour through Transylvania. One of the curiosity cabinets most referred to in travel literature was that of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal from Sibiu. However, as none of the visitors was an expert in the field of art, we have to take their statements with a grain of salt. Some of these were extremely exalting things; other’s comments were rather discouraging. A very interesting and complex relation belongs to the scholar Domenico Sestini, who left Constantinople in 1779, hoping he would enter in the service of the Wallachian vaivod, which he didn’t. Leaving Romanian countries, in his transition through Transylvania, he met men and places that offered him varied opportunities for his intellectual delight. For example, he met Loeffler, a Saxon concerned about natural history; the colonel von Rosenfeld and the noble Ehrenreich von Fichtel were also possessors of impressive collections of natural history. And the earl Sori also had a cabinet of natural history12. As, also, in case of many clergyman with great influence in society (like the bishop Batthyany), it is easy to observe that libraries and cabinets of curiosity were often not only the proof of scientific curiosity, but also an expression of their wealth and power, and a mean to show this to visitors who could spread their fame in the world. But in his peregrination, Domenico Sestini found the governor of Transylvania to be most interesting. He saw Brukenthal’s palace, cabinet of curiosity, library and garden and ascertained they competed those in European countries. In the library he really finds the evidence of Brukenthal’s passion for erudition and bibliophily: “If this man will manage to fulfill his high purposes, I think it could be called legitimately a genius of Dacia. The city of Sibiu would get a rich library, a collection of paintings, a history museum, and a botanical garden, if the plans and intentions of this brilliant Mecena were fulfilled”13. It was known, indeed, that Samuel von Brukenthal was a polymath: he attended classes in German universities, at Halle and Jena, he was an initiate in basic disciplines of Illuminist culture (political and legal sciences, philosophy, theology, history) and he was in contact with European high society. The traveller finds the library a model for the European spirit, and not incidentally he chooses to make an inventory of bibliographical rarities. Returning in Sibiu, he was interested especially interested in ‘reference books on antiques, collections of Roman and Greek medals made of gold, silver and bronze, medieval coins, statues and busts, bas-reliefs discovered in Transylvania, the collection of minerals’14. (This collections, called Naturalia,

10 Meaning Physical, Political and Historic Descriptions of Transylvania. 11 Unfortunately, this one will be almost totally lost in the fire from 1689. 12 See more about these in Mihaela Grancea, Trecutul de astăzi. Tradiţie şi inovaţie în cultura română (Today’s past. Tradition and Innovation in Romanian Culture), Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2009, p. 33 and the next. 13 Mihaela Grancea, Trecutul de astăzi. Tradiţie şi inovaţie în cultura română (Today’s past. Tradition and Innovation in Romanian Culture), Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2009, p. 47, apud Domenico Sestini, Viaggio curioso-scientifico-antiquario per la Valachia, Transilvania e Ungheria fino a Viena, Florenţa, 1815, p. 75-76. Sestini also remarks the ‘great dinner’ in Sibiu. 14 Ibidem, p. 47. The author observes that almost every visitor in Sibiu (John Petty, Lady Craven, Robert Stockdale, D. Clarke) wrote in his travel book that the landlords were very hospitable and a good company. 166

SECTION: HISTORY LDMD I was much appreciated by Lazzaro Spallanzani15, the great author of ‘Saggio di Osservazioni Microscopiche sul Sistema della Generazione de' Signori Needham e Buffon’. His interest in minerals is perfectcly vindicalbe, as Spallanzani was invited by Maria Theresia herself to teach natural history at the University of Pavia, where he also founded a museum with pieces that he collected in his journeys on the Mediteraneean coasts.) On this occasion, he notes that the baron made great expenditures to acquire, especially from the Viennese book market, books, manuscripts and incunabula printed in Transylvania or elsewhere in Europe. Might he know or not, most of these books were recommended by librarians of Brukenthal or other librarians from typographic centres that he corresponded with. There are some English travellers (John Jackson, Lady Elisabeth Craven, G. D. Clarke) who passed through Sibiu and saw the library or the palace of Brukenthal 16 . One of the first mentions about Brukenthal cabinet of art/curiosities (Kunstkabinett) belongs to German Johann Lehmann. In his work, he recommended the gallery as model for any knight whose income was over some hundred thousand guilders (gulden)17. John Jackson wrote (in 1797) that “the one who comes at Sibiu and got some hours, should pay a visit the broad collection of the baron von Brukenthal, where they can find many valuable pictures, of which many signed by greatest masters like Guido [Reni], Rubens, Rembrandt etc. His antique coins and medals and also many other curiosities are very valuable”. It is interesting to see that some of the visitors preferred to assume others’ evaluation. Even Jackson mention that the baron owns a rich library, “which is said to be very precious”. On the other hand, some English visitors chose to walk heavy. The superiority of their culture had to emanate from their appraisals. Thus, John Paget found the paintings under his expectations, but appreciated that they deserve attention, “since they are part of the only one collection in this country”. As for Charles Boner, he had a nasty surprise and he was outraged by the number of non-values gathered in Brukenthal Palace in such measure that he thought they “should find themselves in a junk shop” 18. But how should we perceive these images created in the British travel literature? Reading a study of historian Carmen Andraş, entitled Romania and its images in British travel literature, it is easy to notice that England – and, after 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain – has always considered itself a cultural model to follow. But Englishmen would still represent a bipolar Europe that was “civilized” on one hand and “primitive” on the other hand, while Romania was of both sides, or of none19. The English consul William Wilkinson detects the monotony of the boyars that don’t hold the rein spending their “leisure” in a perfect laziness and visit each others “to kill time”. Just like as Moldavia or Wallachia did 20 , Transylvania also pulled through due to some

15 See also N. Iorga, Istoria românilor prin călători (History of Romanians through Travellers), 2nd edition, vol. 2, Editura Casei Şcoalelor, Bucharest, 1928, p. 213. 16 See Gudrun-Liane Ittu, Scurtă istorie a muzeului Brukenthal (A Short History of Brukenthal Museum), Alba- Iulia, Altip, 2008, p. 31-33. 17 Gudrun-Liane Ittu, Op. cit., apud: Johann Lehmann, Reise von Preβurg nach Hermannstadt in Siebenbürgen, published in1785. 18 Gudrun-Liane Ittu, Op. cit., apud Charles Boner, Siebenbürgen, Land und Leute, Leipzig, 1868, p. 89. 19 Carmen Andras, România şi imaginile ei în literatura de călătorie britanică (Romania and Its Images in British Travel Literature), Dacia, Cluj-Napoca, 2003, p. 174. 20 See Elena Olariu, Mentalităţi şi moravuri la nivelul elitei din Muntenia şi Moldova (sec. XIX) (Mentalities and manners at elite in Wallachia and Moldavia in the 19th century), Bucharest, Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti, 2006, p. 135. 167

SECTION: HISTORY LDMD I remarkable individuals. Often, travellers in Romanian country describe some individuals as very pleasant and enchanting in comparison to other members of the society. British visitors like Doctor Robert Walsh (1821) are very pleasantly surprised when they here someone speaking English or reading English literature. They are overjoyed to notice that many ladies in Cluj could have an interesting conversation about Byron or Scott, to see novels of Walter Scott, or to admire, in Sibiu, the very well endowed library of Pop’s family who spoke also English. In such cases, detection of more similarities with English customs gave Romanian society more chances to go under the name of European, civilized world. Even so, Walsh prefer to put this on Walter Scott’s talent, as he says: “certainly, there’s no more convincing proof for the celebrity of our novelist than to find his portrait in an obscure city, at the limit of civilized Europe. All of his novels, translated in French and German, were to be found in that shop”21. It comes clear that strange travellers in Romanian countries were looking especially for things in common with their place of origin, as differences often created them discomfort. But there’s still one thing to be pointed. Just like many visitors from German-speaking or Hungarian-speaking world did, John Paget also exclusively mention in his accounts the greatest Illuminist libraries from Transylvania, grand cultural edifices of Hungarian or Saxon nobility. There’s nothing about valuable collections of some Romanian scholars, as, for example, the library of Theological Seminary from Blaj. However, he does not forget the Library Teleki from Targu-Mures, that he considers “the pride of the city”22. This probably happens because each one tried to show the importance and benefits of their culture and confession. On the other hand, it is true that many Orthodox priests couldn’t read or write at that time. For our study, we chose especially the relevant case of the cabinet of Samuel von Brukenthal, with collections that growth in time, from the collections in the Library of the Chapel (including ‘town library’ – documentary attested in the year 130023 –, the library of Dominican monastery and that of the Evangelic College in Sibiu24) until the last acquisitions. But travellers talk also about great collections like that of Ignác Batthyány in Alba Iulia25 or about the library of the College from Aiud that hosted collections of Hungarian protestant society. It’s enough to mention that there were the works of Benkő Ferenc, the great professor of natural sciences, or of Lorenz Weidenfelder, the Saxon priest who focused on discovering Roman antiques in Transilvania. Jako Zsigmond mentions that ‘public opinion in the 30’s of the 19th century considered the library of the college from Odorhei as the most significant for the

21 Carmen Andraş, Op. cit., p. 180. 22 Carmen Andraş, România şi imaginile ei în literatura de călătorie britanică (Romania and Its Images in British Travel Literature), Dacia, Cluj-Napoca, 2003, p. 180. 23 Muzeul Brukenthal. Mic ghid (Brukenthal Museum. A Short Guide), Sibiu, s.a. 24 See Remus Câmpeanu, Intelectualitatea română din Transilvania în veacul al XVIII-lea (Romanian Intellectuality in Transylvania of the 18th Century), Presa Universitară Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca, 1999, p. 157 and 269. In 1702 the Evangelic College had a rich library and a numismatic collection was made. 25 See, for example, studies like: Volker Wollman, Eine römische Wachstafel (tabula cerata) in der archäeologischen Sammlung der Bátthyaneum-Bibliothek, p. 231-234, Vasile Moga, Considerations on some artefacts of Roman Period from the collection of the Batthyaneum Library, p. 235-238 or Viorica Suciu, Inventory of the monetary collection belonging to the Roman Catholic Bishop of S.A. Stojka, p. 239- 250, in Batthyaneum: omagiu fondatorului Ignatius Sallestius de Batthyan (1741-1798) (Batthyaneum: an omagium for the founder Ignatius Sallestius de Batthyan), Editura Bibliotecii Naţionale a României, Bucharest, 2011. 168

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Szeklery beyond Tîrgu-Mures’26 and that that ‘the library was a renowned institution, worthy to be visited by intellectuals and notables who passed through that town’. It is not important to make a positivistic study. The main idea was to show that libraries and cabinets of curiosities were a kind of stations on the cultural corridors27 for the travellers passing through Romanian countries. In conclusion, founders of libraries and wise men that travellers met in Romanian countries helped counterbalancing the images prevalent preconceived of Romanian culture. Fortunately, some travellers like Patrick O’Brien had the privilege to know an aristocracy with intellectual qualities similar to the occidental ones: “among them, I found men as wise and qualified as those of the same rank in England or France”28.

Bibliography

*** Samuel von Brukenthal. Viaţa şi opera (Samuel von Brukenthal. His Life and Work), after Carl Göllner inspired from Samuel von Brukenthal. Sein Leben und Werk in Wort und Bild, Bukarest, Kriterion, 1977 (translated by Gudrun-Liane Ittu), F.D.G.R., Sibiu, 1999. Andraş, Carmen. România şi imaginile ei în literatura de călătorie britanică (Romania and Its Images in British Travel Literature). Dacia, Cluj-Napoca, 2003. Câmpeanu, Remus. Intelectualitatea română din Transilvania în veacul al XVIII-lea (Romanian Intellectuality in Transylvania of the 18th Century), Presa Universitară Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca, 1999. Grancea, Mihaela. Trecutul de astăzi. Tradiţie şi inovaţie în cultura română (Today’s past. Tradition and Innovation in Romanian Culture). Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2009. Holban, Maria (ed.) et alia. Călători străini despre Ţările române (Foreign Travellers in Romanian Countries), vol. 1. Editura ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1968. Holban, Maria (ed.) et alia. Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. 2 (Foreign Travellers about Romanian Countries, 2nd vol). Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest, 1970. Iorga, N. Istoria românilor prin călători (History of Romanians through Travellers), 2nd edition, vol. 1 and vol. 2, Editura Casei Şcoalelor, Bucharest, 1928. Ittu, Gudrun-Liane. Scurtă istorie a muzeului Brukenthal (A Short History of Brukenthal Museum). Altip, Alba-Iulia, 2008. Jakó Zsigmond. Philobiblon transilvan (Transylvanian Philobiblon). Kriterion, Bucharest, 1977. Neuman, Victor. Tentaţia lui homo-europaeus. Geneza spiritului modern în Europa centrală şi de sud-est (Tentation of Hommo Europaeus. The Genesis of Modern Spirit in Central and South-East Europe). Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest,1991.

26 Jakó Zsigmond, Philobiblon transilvan (Transylvanian Philobiblon), Kriterion, Bucharest, 1977, p. 304. 27 In the acception given by Victor Neumann in Tentaţia lui homo-europaeus. Geneza spiritului modern în Europa centrală şi de sud-est (Tentation of Hommo Europaeus. The Genesis of Modern Spirit in Central and South-East Europe), Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucharest,1991. 28 Carmen Andraş, Op. cit., p. 180. 169

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Olariu, Elena. Mentalităţi şi moravuri la nivelul elitei din Muntenia şi Moldova (sec. XIX) (Mentalities and manners at elite in Wallachia and Moldavia in the 19th century). Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti, Bucharest, 2006. Ruffini, Mario. Biblioteca Stolnicului Constantin Cantacuzino (Library of High Steward Constantin Cantacuzino). Minerva, Bucharest, 1973.

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