Dział Zabytków Ruchomych ODZ

This Division is responsible for preparing of documentation and dealing with theoretical problems of conservation of monuments that are preserved outside the museums. Ais the movable monuments or works of art are considered all objects of plastic art except for those of architecture or townplanming. Documentation problems. As the basis of all works carried on by the Division serves the inventory of movable monument's covering more than 2/3 of the total number of objects within the country’s territory. The inventory consists of special index cards prepared for each movable monument bearing a photograph, measurements, a detailed description, and s.o., and, in addition a classification or evaluation of a given piece within one from among four groups . The Division has at its disposal a Central File containing over 100,000 cards. This File by itself constitutes an unusually rich documentary material that is steadily improved and made up to date through verifications carried out in field. None the less, this File is to be considered as only the first stage preceding more detailed documentation of selected groups of monuments of whom three are already under preparation, namely (a) Polish wall paintings, being a subject in stage of working discussions, (b) Polish ancient organs and organ prospects; on the basis of index cards for movable monuments and also of special questionnâmes dealing mainly with the organ mechanisms an isolated file has been established of ancient organs and organ prospects in Poland which after its supplementing with the available bibliographical, illustrative and archival sources will be published by the Centre. This publication will be preceded with a comprehensive work by Dr. Jan Chwałek titled „Organ building, an Introduction to Inventory of Ancient Organs in Poland”. Parallely with works of documentary character the Division deals with organization of conservation work in that field of activities being entirely new one in Poland. Already at present in collaboration with the State Ateliers of Historical Monument Conservation the first Atelier for Conservation of Ancient Organs has been called into being in Cracow. (C) ancient goldsmith’s art in Poland; as a result of works devoted to this subject a bibliographical card index of goldsmiths and that of goldsmith’s marks is being established and the „Terminological Dictionnary of Goldsmith’s Art” prepared (its author being M. Gradowski). The chief among the planned works will, however, consist in publication of a detailed inventory of pieces of ancient goldsmith’s art. There is also under preparation a comprehensive book by M. Gradowski and J. Rochacki „Techniques and Technologies used in the Ancient Goldsmith’s Art”. Conservation problems. It must be pointed out that neither the Centre nor its Movable Monument Division do not carry out the conservation work. It is this Division, however, that is responsible for preparing of a central, country-wide plan for conservation of movable monuments and at the same time for supervision of its execution through the participation of its representatives in Conservators’ Commissions outlining the scope of works to be undertaken or approving the work already executed. Another Division’s task consists in programming and financing the methods and media whose results are conveyed to Publishing Division for publication. Where particularly valuable monuments are Involved, requiring especially complicated conservation treatments or using the new conservation media (as it was the case with the Romanesque flooring plate at Wiślica) the Division organizes the meetings of the most narrowly specialized experts in a subject to take the proper decisions and then to supervise their execution. More general as to their character are the Conservators’ Conferences organized by the Division with their sessions attended by representatives of conservation authorities and guests from abroad. Seven such conferences have been held up to now devoted to conservation of monumental objects made from wood, metal, textiles, leather, wall paintings, stone, paper and parchment, and easel paintings. Organizational measures have been already taken for preparation of a conference on conservator’s documentation. Proceedings of these conferences are published in form of reports and discussions in the Centre’s series „Biblioteka Muzealnictwa i Ochrony Zabytków, seria B” („Library of Museums and Monument Protection, series B ”).