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Did you know that The history of furriery in Myślenice Furriery in Myślenice, despite this region not being as rich in natural resources as Podhale, traces its history back to the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, the number of furriers in the town and the volume of their handicraft production were subject to fluctuations arising from many factors, for example, from natural disasters destroying the city or excessively detailed and restrictive statutes. |
 “Obesłanie” – wooden plate bearing the emblem of the guild Obesłanie (plate bearing an emblem of a guild) was a characteristic element existing in the organisation of individual guilds. It was a sign used to authenticate the message being conveyed. If a messenger summoning, for example, guild members to a meeting, had an obesłanie with him, it was used to confirm that the message was from the guild master. Without this sign, the information was considered unreliable. |
 Stamp of the drapers’ guild On 30 March 1615, Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza, the heir to Bobrek and Chrzanów, approved the articles of the guild of Chrzanów drapers, establishing, e.g., the rights and duties of the guild members. This charter is stored in the museum collection (just like the charter issued by Andrzej Samuel Dembiński in 1642). The document says, among others, that capmakers, shearers, dyers, hosiers and fullers could also belong to the guild of Chrzanów drapers, as they all used wool in their products, just like drapers did. |
 “Obesłanie” – metal plate bearing the emblem of the grand guild of Tarnów One common object which was very useful in the life of a guild was the obesłanie – a sign used to authenticate transferred messages. The Obesłanie was used by a messenger when he had to pass a message from the guild elders to other members of the guild. They were informed of all important issues concerning the guild: meetings, funerals, celebrations and the like, and obesłanie had a similar function to a contemporary membership card. |
 A Persian helmet – a prop from the School of Fine Arts The present helmet is of eastern origin. It was popular, among others, in Persia and Turkey, from where it was adopted in Poland. In the 17th and 18th centuries, such helmets were worn, among others, by towarzysze pancerni [literally: armoured companions], a type of Polish cavalry unit. The bascinet presented on the website probably comes from Persia. |
 A leather belt decorated with metal ornaments: a prop from the School of Fine Arts A leather belt fastened with two buckles, covered with fittings made of brass sheet decorated with cast plant ornaments. The belt fittings consist of alternating plates in the shape of rectangles with... |
Did you know that History of toy manufacturing in the Myślenice region The tradition of manufacturing toys in the region of Myślenice started between World War I and World War II. An important place for manufacturing toys — even if it was for a short time — was Poręba and then the villages of Trzemeśnia, Łęki and Osieczany.
Production was started by the three Witas brothers from Poręba... |
 Cabinet A decorative and portable piece of furniture in the form of an angular box closed with a pair of small doors and containing eight drawers.
Furniture of that type, made of exotic materials, was not commonly used in Poland of the 17th century. |
 “Hakuji” vessel by Manji Inoue The process of producing vessels of white porcelain is regarded as being exceptionally difficult, since, as it is baked in a furnace, small particles can easily permeate inside, and they can dye the porcelain forms, thus disrupting the whole process. One of the most outstanding contemporary hakuji artist is Manji Inoue (born 1929), the Japanese creator who was awarded, in 1995, with the honourable title of “The Living National Treasure” (Ningen Kokuhō). |
 Necklace from Czersk Silver necklace made of several strands of double stranded wire. The ends of the necklace are forged in the lenticular plate form, decorated on one ornament, completed with hook and eye fastening. |
 Hutsul saddle “tornycia” The saddle consists of two saddlebows, a seat in the form of two runners, two stirrups, and two straps. The front and rear saddlebows and the seat are geometrically ornamented (with a motif of a floral rosette). The stirrups are in the shape of bows tied with leather straps (stirrup leathers). There is no saddle cloth. |
 Cabinet with pictures of saints This piece of furniture is an example of the small cabinets that were popular in the 2nd half of the 17th and the 1st half of the 18th century. Its typical elements include a small wooden body with a folding door, small drawers, a hiding place, and a metal open-work decoration on the sides made of engraved iron sheet with a set of stylised plant motifs, figures of people, angels, and animals. |
 Welcoming goblet Welcome cup was a decorative container for drinking beer in guild inns during important celebrations. Its Polish name wilkom comes from the German greeting willkommen [welcome]. Each newly arrived guest had to empty the cup filled with an alcoholic beverage in honour of the guild. The production of such cups developed in Germany in the 2nd half of the 16th century, and later spread throughout Europe. |
 Cross of tailors’ guild in Kęty This guild sign, in the shape of a cross, from the guild of tailors in Kęty, was made in 1912. Such signs were called, among others: obesłania, bieguny, cechy . They served as messages, calling tradesmen belonging to the guild for deliberations. Obviously, the guild brothers were also informed about the funerals and ecclesiastical and secular holidays in which they were obliged to participate. |
 Cross of butchers’ guild in Kęty The guild sign belonging to the butchers in Kęty was used for summoning the craftsmen brothers to meetings and various celebrations. The information provided by carrying such a sign was very important, and it had to be recognised with due care and attention. A messenger walking with the sign — usually the youngest foreman — appeared in a workshop or craftsman’s house and informed the man of the order of the guild elders. If he did not find anyone at home, he would leave a sign written in chalk on the door or table. |
 A royal crown – a prop from the School of Fine Arts A children’s crown, open-work, closed by two yokes, on the junction of which there is a sphere with a trace of a broken-off cross. The ring is decorated with eight fleurons: four with palmetto-ribbon patterns at the base of the yokes, and four leaf-like ones. The crown, on the other hand, is decorated with colourful glass imitations of gemstones of a cabochon cut and various faceted cuts. |
 The Book of Records of Apprentices, Promotions and Entries of the Grand Guild in Koszyce As a city founded under the Magdeburg law, Koszyce had favourable conditions for the development of craftsmanship. In addition, the development of craftsmanship was influenced by trade routes passing through Koszyce (the royal trade route and the route to Kiev), the river port in Morsko, a weekly market taking place on Mondays... |
Did you know that “(...) and it was the famous Saxon porcelain from Myszna (Meissen)” Two curved and crossed cobalt swords are the hallmark of the porcelain factory in Meissen and have marked its products for over three hundred years. The Meissen Royal Factory first started the production of European porcelain. Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, in collaboration with Johann Friedrich Böttger, discovered the closely guarded secret of its production in 1708. Under Böttger’s supervision, pursuant to the Royal Decree, in 1710, Kursächsische Manufaktur started to function in the castle of Albrechtsburg in Meissen. |
Did you know that Applied arts in the Zakopane style “Inside of this cottage everything bears the imprint of artistic preferences (...)”, wrote Stanisław Witkiewicz with regard to a highlander’s house. Applied arts, inspired by the region of Podhale, developed simultaneously with Zakopane style architecture. From the very beginning, Witkiewicz’s concept assumed the principle of completeness, i.e. creating architecture along with interior design, ranging from furniture equipment to the finest decorative details. Just as much as a highlander’s cottage was a model for architecture, its furnishing with particular items of equipment inspired stylish designs for furniture and applied art, because “all this had to be made of the material found in the forms existing in folk art”. |
 Spoon rack Spoon rack — a small narrow wooden shelf with holes for spoons, covered in the front with a decoratively carved board, used for storing spoons; hung on the wall of the room. It comes from Józef Lesiecki’s collection created in Zakopane in the years 1912–1914, and was transferred to the collections of the Tatra Museum in 1920. |
