The conservators at the Painting and Sculpture Studio at the Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace provide care for objects in the collections of the Department of Polish Painting and Sculpture before 1764 and the Department of Orthodox Church Art. The most valuable parts of the collections have been on display in the historic interiors of the Palace since 2007, in two permanent exhibitions: 'The Art of Old Poland. 13th–18 th Centuries' and 'The Orthodox Church Art of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth'

Both departments hold collections of medieval polychromed wooden sculptures in the Gothic style, late Renaissance and Baroque sculptures, panel paintings, early modern oil paintings, and a sizable collection of icons and other Orthodox artefacts. Most of these works come from the Malopolska region. Many of them are unique on a global scale.

The studio’s primary activities include the conservation and restoration of works of art, preventive conservation, research, and care of loaned objects.


CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

The team of experienced conservators and renovators work according to the highest standards, both technical and ethical, taking into account the original nature of each work of art and the history of its renovations.

Conservation work is performed in reliance on detailed historical and technical research. The conservators work together with recognized professionals from the scientific laboratory at the National Museum in Krakow called LANBOZ (Laboratory of Analysis and Nondestructive Investigation of Heritage Objects), who perform physicochemical analyses and take specialist photographs in various electromagnetic ranges: visible light (VIS), ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation, and sodium light. The investigations provide the basis for initiating suitable procedures as they facilitate assessing the state of preservation of the examined artwork, which – in its five-century-long history – has undergone a number of restoration and conservation procedures. All the activities performed by the studio staff are photographed and documented in writing at all stages of the procedure.


PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

The conservators’ activities also include creating adequate conditions for the storage and display of objects, to slow down the degradation processes, and the ongoing monitoring of the state of preservation of objects exhibited in the museum’s galleries and kept in storage facilities, in addition to systematic preventive conservation procedures and cooperation with curators during the preparation of exhibitions.

An important task for the conservators is to provide care and supervision over works of art during packing, transport, installation and deinstallation in exhibition spaces. They also review the state of preservation at the dispatch shipment and return of loaned objects, and are responsible for the documentation of loans.


RESEARCH

The conservators’ team work with specialists representing various sciences on interdisciplinary research projects, some completed in less than one year, some spanning several years, covering the historical, conservation and exhibition aspects of museum objects undergoing renovation. The results of the studio’s research are published in scholarly and scientific periodicals, and also presented during conferences and symposiums.



Team:

• Head: dr Monika Tarnowska-Reszczyńska
• Maria Labut mlabut@mnk.pl
• Barbara Olesiak bolesiak@mnk.pl
• Beata Górnisiewicz-Gadzinowska bgornisiewicz@mnk.pl
• Bożena Knecht bknecht@mnk.pl
• Ewa Słoczyńska esloczynska@mnk.pl
• Ekateryna Gracheff ekgracheff@gmail.com