Graphics As Good As New

Protection and preservation of the collection is one of the PMM’s most important missions and it is especially challenging when it comes to the works of art. Due to the efforts made by the Management, the museum has acquired additional resources from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and has conducted the conservation of nearly forty historical graphics and paintings from the rich collection of the Maritime Art Department.

Among them, there was a collection of historical city maps and panoramas, i.a. the Gdańsk panorama by Matthew Deisch, panoramas and maps of port cities based on the drawings by Matthew Merian, and also maps drawn by eminent European cartographers of the baroque period, such as John Speed – the author of the map of Poland issued in London in 1627, and Willem Blaeu – a representative of the famous dynasty of cartographers and publishers of maritime atlases, who worked in Amsterdam.

Another conserved historical item is a unique copperplate engraving by Justus Danckerts, dating back to around 1688, which represents main fortresses of Morea, which is a name for Peloponnese used in ancient and medieval periods. The graphic was created during the war between the Venetians and the Ottoman Empire of 1684-1699, fought over Peloponnese. Due to the conducted conservation, the engraving has regained its former beauty and has also been protected from the destructive influence of external factors.

	“Dangers Involved in Whaling”, H. Hessen, Weimar, 1821, paper, engraving coloured with watercolour, CMM/SM/2088. Engraving, depicting a dramatic scene of a whaling boat being capsized by a whale, comes from the tenth volume of an illustrated educational book entitled: „Bilderbuch für Kinder enthaltend eine angenehme Sammlung von Thieren, Pflanzen, Blumen, Früchten, Mineralien, Trachten…”. The book, intended for children, was written in two languages – German and French – therefore the engraving is inscribed in both of them.
	“Armoury Seen from the West”, Matthaeus Diesch (1724-1789) after Friedrich Anton August Lohrmann (1735-1800), 1761-65, Gdańsk, paper, etching, later coloured, CMM/SM/261. In the years 1761-65 Matthaeus Diesch made series of fifty views of Gdańsk after drawings by Friedrich Anton August Lohrmann. Etchings were sold to subscribers based on payments of 10 florens. They were dedicated to the Gdańsk City Council, who responded by rewarding the author with 300 florens. Etchings by Deisch are considered to be of moderate artistic value but invaluable as historical sources of information about life in the mid-18th century Gdańsk. The etching shown here depicts the Gdańsk Armoury seen from the west side, i.e. from the Coal Market.
	“New map of Poland”, John Speed (1635-1701), Dirck Grijp (1602-65), 2nd half of 17th century, London, paper, engraving, later coloured, CMM/SM/176. In 1627 a London cartographer and publisher John Speed published an atlas entitled: “A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World”, which included a map of Poland based on the map by Gerhard Mercator (1512-94). The map was decorated by added views of major Polish cities and Polish noblemen and women in traditional costumes. The map shown here comes from a later edition from the 2nd half of the 17th century, sold by London booksellers Thomas Basset and Richard Chiswell.
	Map depicting the mouth of the river Elbe, Willem Blaeu (1571-1638), 1628, Amsterdam, paper, coloured engraving, CMM/SM/3371. The author of the map – Willem Blaeu – is a founder of the famous family of cartographers and publishers from Amsterdam. The map is divided horizontally in the middle and depicts in the upper part the river Elbe around the city of Hamburg, and in the lower – the mouth of the river Elbe. The map comes from the atlas: “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive Atlas Novus in quo Tabulae et Descriptiones Omnium Regionum”, published by Willem and Johann Blaeu (1596-1673) in Amsterdam in 1635.
	“Principal strongholds of Morea”, Justus Danckerts (1635-1701), Amsterdam, paper, engraving, coloured, CMM/SM/127. Rare engraving by Justus Danckerts created around 1688, depicts principal strongholds of Morea. Morea is the name of the Peloponnesus used from Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. The engraving was created during the war between Venetians and Turkish Empire for domination over the region in the years 1684-1699.
	Map of the Molucca Islands, Joannes Janssonius (1588-1664), 1636, Amsterdam, paper, coloured engraving, CMM/SM/3341. The map, published in Amsterdam, was based on the map by Gerhard Mercator (1512-94). It depicts the Molucca Islands, a group of islands of eastern Indonesia. The Moluccas were discovered in the early 16th century, and first settled by the Portuguese. In the 17th century the Dutch took over, and used them as the basis for their monopoly of the spice trade – therefore the Moluccas were also known as Spice Islands.