Sztuka introligatorska w Warszawie w pierwszej połowie XIX wieku

Abstract

Between 1929 and 1930 Aleksander Birkenmajer published two papers, Rocznik Woyskowy Królestwa Polskiego 1817-1830 [MilitaryAnnals ofthe Kingdom ofPoland 1819-1830} and Frag menty Belwederskiej Biblioteki W. Ks. Konstantego Pawłowicza w moim księgozbiorze [Fragments ofGrandDuke Constantine Pavlovich ’s Belvedere Library in my book collection], devoted to the art of book binding in Warsaw in the period before the November Uprising. Lack of any other studies on this topic led scholars to believe that the 15 year-period before the outbreak ofthe Uprising was the apogee ofbookbinding in Warsaw, followed by a marked decline. However, analyses ofvarious library collections which contain luxurious, richly decorated bindings made by Warsaw craftsmen after the Uprising force us to revise this opinion. As in western Europe, the style of book binding decoration in the 1830s and 1840s veered towards historicism. Warsaw binders rarely produced neo-gothic bindings, in the so-called “à la cathédrale” style, which was regarded as the most typical decoration pattern ofthe romantic era. In most cases, they would use the neo-baroque style which changed and evolved over the years. Luxurious bindings, relatively rarely encountered today, are accompanied by a huge number of more modest products - half leather library bindings. These bindings too are characterised by high quality craftsmanship; the spines are richly decorated, resembling those of luxurious full leather bindings. Bindings signed by their binders as well as the surviving archive documentation and notes that can be found in various publications allow us to extricate the products ofparticular workshops from the anonymous mass and to take a closer look at the fate and work oftheir creators.