The rooms on the ground floor display collections of European painting, sculpture and decorative art, as well as valuable specimens of historical weapons. In total, over 600 exhibits. The most important part of the Gallery of Masterpieces is the Lanckoroński Gallery.
Royal Castle in Warsaw - Gallery of Masterpieces, photo: Royal Castle
The 37 objects exhibited there were part of a gift made in 1994 to the Royal Castle in Warsaw by Prof. Karolina Lanckorońska, the last heir of an aristocratic family that had gathered one of the largest private collections of works of art in Europe in its Viennese palace over the course of two centuries. Of particular importance within this collection are 15 works that were the property of King Stanisław August in the 18th century and were sold by his heirs after the monarch's death.
The undisputed pearls of this collection are two portraits by Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the most outstanding painters in the history of European art, these are: Girl in a Picture Frame and Scholar at a Lectern. They are among the most valuable paintings permanently located in Poland. Other paintings exhibited in the Masterpieces Gallery also deserve a mention: Adam and Eve from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder, Stoker and Drinker by Adriaen van Ostade, Saint Mary Magdalene by Peter van Lindt, Sea Storm by Ludolf Backhuysen or Still Life with Violin, Painting Accessories and Self-Portrait of Cornelius Norbertus Gysbrechts. A separate batch of exhibits consists of works of decorative art gathered in the Gallery, selected from the collection of the Castle and the Ciechanowiecki Collection Foundation: candlesticks, cups, mugs, tableware, clocks, trinkets and jewellery. One of the most valuable objects from this group is a sapphire and diamond medallion with the image of Stanisław August – one of the royal gifts from the time of the last king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Another important segment of the Gallery is the permanent exhibition of historical militaria – cold steel and firearms, as well as protective armament from the 17th and 18th centuries. More information>The collection of works of art at the Royal Castle is constantly expanding, the latest acquisitions include paintings: The Virgin Mary Enthroned with Child Surrounded by Saints by Taddeo Gaddi, The Virgin Mary with Child and Angels by Rossella di Jacopo Franchi, The Virgin Mary with Child Enthroned with St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. John the Baptist by Pietro Lorenzetti (attributed), Madonna and Child by Andrea di Neria, and St. John the Baptist by Giovanni Battista Carraciolo.
source – Royal Castle
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