Franciszek Piekosiński (1844–1906), his collection of ancient coins, the National Museum and 19th-century Krakow

Abstract

Interest in ancient coins in Krakow dates back to the Renaissance. They were primarily present in the community associated with Jagiellonian University. Interest in ancient coins flourished in Kraków again in the 19th century. At that time, Poland, divided between Austria, Prussia and Russia, did not exist as an independent state. In the second half of this century, as a result of the relatively liberal policy of Austria, Krakow was the place where many Polish scientific and cultural institutions were established, among others, the Kraków Numismatic Society (1888) and the National Museum (1879). In 1903, the great collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski was donated to the museum, which made its collection the most important in the field of Polish numismatics. In terms of ancient coins, however, it remained insignificant. Franciszek Piekosiński (1844–1906) was an outstanding researcher of the history of medieval Poland and an important figure in the scientific milieu of 19th-century Krakow. However, he was at the same time a coin collector with particular love for Greek and Roman coins. The acquisition of his collection of ancient coins in 1906–1907 changed the status of the National Museum’s collections in this respect and opened up new opportunities.