Dawne oprawy książek w świetle inwentarzy i korespondencji Radziwiłłowskiej

Abstract

The article presents book bindings in the Radziwiłł collection, mainly based on preserved catalogues. The largest amount of information covers various copies of the Bible. They were opulently bound and stored in the treasury, but also in mobile and personal libraries. Copies offered to kings and other notables were bound in velvet and silver. The value of various editions of the Bible is also manifested by prices exhibited alongside descriptions in the Salomon Rysiński library inventory. The considerable registry of the Nieśwież library from the year 1651, Jan Hanowicz noted many interesting details related to book bindings. He described the fabric (leather, satin, silk, paper, parchment), sometimes distinguished the type of wood (sycamore boards), and added information on fittings. There are also interesting notes on the condition of books in the 17th century — some were already dirty, rotten, and incomplete. In the Biržaiinventory, we can also find information on bindings, especially of books stored in the cabinet of curiosities. The creator of the Nieborów library — Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł — not only designated a unique location for his collection, but also gathered books bound by European bookbinding masters. Some copies from the Radziwiłł collection remained in library llections to this day; in their contemporary descriptions, bindings are also included.