The Origins. Ancient Art Gallery

The exhibition of antiquities of ancient art consists of the collections of the National Museum in Krakow and the included collections of the Potocki families from Krzeszowice and Władysław Czartoryski (1828–1894), acquired until the end of the 19th century. The presentation is complemented by artefacts from the collections of the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University.

In the spaces of the Arsenal – a preserved and renovated fragment of the city walls, it was possible to collect and present examples illustrating the history of the art of the most important ancient cultures of the Mediterranean basin: Egypt, Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, from the beginnings of civilization to the period of Roman influence, supplemented by a set of objects from the prehistory of Poland and a selection of collections of Greek and Roman coins.

While visiting the exhibition, we can see examples of art and crafts: stone sculpture – architectural, decorative, portrait and funeral, figures made in wood, bronze, silver and gold. Delicate, unique artefacts made of ceramics and glass, wattle products, paintings on wood, formerly served as utility, cult and decorative functions, were elements of grave equipment.

The most valuable objects shown in the exhibition include cardboard with the mummy Asetemakhbit, dated to the period of the 22nd-23rd dynasty in Egypt (9th century BC), gold spiral earrings from the 4th century BC and a collection of Roman sculptures from the first centuries of our era.

Curator: Dorota Gorzelany-Nowak

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Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage

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