The museum has brought these scattered works back from Italy and the United States to mark the 30th anniversary of Karolina Lanckorońska's donation of valuable family art pieces.
The exhibition, held on the upper floor of the former royal residence, will feature Saint Andrew by Masaccio, on loan from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles; The Annunciation, attributed to Pesellino, from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and Saint Ansanus, painted by Bartolomeo di David, from the private Italian collection of Fondazione Cavallini Sgarbi.
“These may be just three works, but what masterpieces they are," said Andrzej Betlej, director of Wawel Castle, at a press conference.
He added: "My dream was to bring Masaccio’s painting to Wawel, having seen it years ago during a Getty Museum scholarship. I’m always deeply moved by it, and Pesellino’s work rivals its beauty. These are truly exceptional masterpieces."
Betlej told reporters that although the exhibition is small, its "true star is Karolina Lanckorońska," an exceptional Polish art historian and benefactor, whose gift is being celebrated on its 30th anniversary.
The paintings were once part of the vast collection of Count Karol Lanckoroński, which included works by Italian, Dutch, German, French and Spanish artists, as well as ancient and Oriental art, textiles and porcelain.
Although much of the family’s art was sold and dispersed worldwide, Karolina Lanckorońska donated 87 paintings to Wawel Castle in 1994, including the most treasured Italian works that her father held dear.
Curator Joanna Winiewicz-Wolska described the donation as a remarkable moment: "The Lanckoroński Palace was almost mythical, and suddenly over 80 paintings, once adorning that now-lost residence, arrived at Wawel."
She added: "It’s impossible to overstate Karolina Lanckorońska’s generosity in giving what remained of the family collection, particularly the Italian masterpieces her father cherished most."
The three paintings now on display at Wawel Castle are part of the temporary exhibition Masterpieces from the Lanckoroński Collection: A Second Look, which runs until February 2.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP