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5 - The Theatre of Affectionate Hearts : Izabela Czartoryska’s Musée des Monuments Polonais in Puławy (1801–1831)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 June 2021
Summary
Abstract
This chapter discusses the so-called Temple of the Sibyl, the first Polish museum, opened in 1801 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska in Puławy. The idea of the creation of the temple originated from the reaction to the loss of Polish independence in 1795. The temple offered an exceptional, very emotional way of experiencing history, which here is called affective. It is argued that this manner of experiencing is the key to understanding the remarkable success of the Puławy museum among Poles. The intensity of feelings that visitors experienced was achieved by appealing to religious rhetoric and through theatrical references. Making it similar to a religious ritual ensured a sublime, solemn atmosphere, the theatrical nature of which allowed guests to freely express their feelings.
Keywords: historical collecting in the nineteenth century, collections of historic memorabilia in the early 1800s, the Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, the Czartoryski collection
Introduction: Musée des Monuments Polonais
Just a few years after establishing the famous Musée des Monuments Français in 1795, another, relatively similar museum, was created on the other side of Europe. Just like Alexandre Lenoir's establishment, it collected the memorials of the past, and was an answer to a great historical turmoil. Also like the Musée, it aimed at evoking memories of and sentiments about the national history. Finally, similarly to the French museum, although it was doomed to ephemeral existence, surviving only thirty years, memory of it remained vivid and reverberated for many decades. This museum was the Temple of the Sibyl (Fig. 5.1.) opened in 1801 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska (1746–1835) at her estate in Puławy, around 100 kilometers south of Warsaw, which was then part of Russia.
The analogy with the Parisian Musée des Monuments Français should not lead us too far, however, as there were significant differences between the two sites. The museum in Puławy was a private aristocratic initiative on a smaller scale. On the other hand, the collections were displayed in a specially created building, originating from a unique, individual historical experience, namely the reaction to the loss of Polish independence in 1795.
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- The Home, Nations and Empires, and Ephemeral Exhibition Spaces1750–1918, pp. 133 - 160Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2021
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