The text describes Lviv's rich Stanislaw Zarewicz collections related to Polish culture. They are located in three rooms of the house on 29 Listopada Street. Mentioned in the text are, among others, paintings by Loeffler, Alchimowicz, Ajdukiewicz, Chlebowski, Daczyński, Gierymski or Kossak. Zarewicz also possesses a Polkowski album with a collection of watercolours depicting churches and monuments in the Kingdom of Poland. Also mentioned are collections of Polish porcelain and faience, as well as a few freemasonry related to Polish freemasonry (Source: "Ziemia. Tygodnik Krajoznawczy Ilustrowany', Warsaw 1912, no. 16, pp. 8-11, after: Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa).

A modernised reading of the text.

Polish collections
The collection of Stanisław Zarewicz in Lviv.

"Day by day it becomes less and less doubtful that in contemporary Polish society the current to collect, to use these collections for learning and for the benefit of posterity grows, develops, takes deeper and deeper roots". These words, uttered by the editors of "Ziemia" on the occasion of the opening of the column "Polish Collections" (initiated in issue 35 of this year's issue), seem to apply best to Lviv, the capital of Galicia and home to a multitude of scientific and cultural institutions, to which, first and foremost, a major influence on the lively activity in the field of scientific collecting should probably be attributed. In addition to large public collections and large-scale museums, there are many more private collections, mostly of great value, both in terms of skilful collecting and in terms of accumulated museum treasures. Suffice it to mention a whole range of other specialised collections, such as the magnificent and unique collection of Mrs H. Dąbczańska (donated to the Wawel Castle), the no less valuable and scientifically complete collection of Mr Wład. Łoziński (author of excellent monographs on Lviv's past), Dr H. Szołowski, Ed. Boi. Wysłouch, Dr. Eug. Barwiński, Dr. Ad. Sternschuss, Mr. St. Zarewicz, ed. Fr. Jaworski, Mr. St. Ryszard, Prof. Szymanowicz, Mr. Rud. Mękicki, Mr. St. Schmidt, Mr. M. Goldstein, and a whole host of others who also specialise in particular branches of collecting. Private collectors in Lwow collect everything that may testify to the development of Polish culture in past and present times. Also represented in these collections are painting, sculpture, artistic industry, folk products, national memorabilia, relics of the past, manuscripts, books, documents, medals, coins, weapons, porcelain, engravings, prints, textiles, embroideries and so on. Of the above, mostly all of them have tightened up within certain boundaries, collecting specimens either from one field only or simultaneously from several more or less related fields. In a series of articles describing private collections in Lviv, we will talk about such collections only. We will have to exclude collectors who are undecided in a certain strictly defined direction and who collect without any choice anything that comes into their hands, regardless of whether a given specimen may be of any value to a collector in general and a Polish collector in particular. "Wild" collectors of the same ilk cannot be taken seriously; their collections, which are more reminiscent of market stalls or collections of curios, have no cultural value whatsoever, owing their existence solely to a morbid mania for collecting, not driven by knowledge or scientific goals. Like the miser who keeps his gold in chests, these collectors feel a particular kind of pleasure at the sight of cupboards and shelves laden and overflowing with all sorts of trash, unsuitable not only for collecting, but for looking at or tolerating in the immediate vicinity. And, unfortunately, there is no shortage of such collectors in Lviv. It is only a happy coincidence that sometimes, thanks to a good example, a similar maniac can be guided to the right path and taught what and how to collect. Most often, however, the stubborn one sticks to his guns, satisfied with what he does and what he has. Without dealing with these individuals, who are more in the realm of psychiatrists and doctors, we will only describe the collections that are completed, first and foremost, on purpose and with a view to scientific benefits, with their owners' laborious efforts. We shall begin with a description of one of the largest and best kept private collections in Lviv - the rich collection of the Polish art historian, Mr Stanisław Zarewicz. In the spacious three rooms of the house at 29 Listopada Street (no. 45) there is a small museum, but a large private collection, owing its creation to less than ten years of efforts and endeavours of the indefatigable owner to enlarge his treasures. If Mr Zarewicz wanted to gain some kind of a saintly protector for his collection, we would advise him to ask for the grace of St Thomas, a classical unbeliever and sceptic, who would be the only and most suitable patron for such a "cold-blowing" collecionist as the owner of truly beautiful objects collected in 29 Listopada Street. It is also not for nothing that the Gospel of St. John takes the place of Mr Zarewicz's codex of collectors, worked out by Eudel and bearing an interesting title - "The Art of Counterfeiting". He reads this work most eagerly, familiarising himself in theory with the "tricks" that the most varied dark spirits prepare for the collector in their thousands, and in practice warding off, with constant luck and success, all the attacks and wiles of wily antiquarians. Like few of the collectors too, he has nothing to recount from the chronicle of failures in his collecting career, but also - and this is extremely rare among collecioners - he has given no one reason to complain about him being "dressed up" in some worthless trash. In a nutshell, Mr Zarewicz possesses all the qualities of a careful and intelligent collector who has something more to satisfy his vanity or his insatiable desire to surround himself with filled cupboards and chests in his collecting activity. One cannot be surprised, therefore, that he ended up with the best possible results - he did not allow himself to be tricked, but managed to win many a pearl to add to his impressive collection for relatively little money. He is also proud of them and would not part with them for anything in the world. In general, he is always ready to buy something good, but would never give something away under any condition. In this respect, he is a collector of the highest order. Mr Zarewicz has developed the greatest energy in completing his collection in the field of artistic painting which is also the most valuable part of his collection including miniatures, engravings, graphics, artistic industry, ceramics and porcelain as well as national, freemasonry and eminent personages' mementos. Among the painters, almost only Polish masters or those who worked in Poland are represented, mostly by the best names known with honour in the history of national art. In recent times Mr Zarevich has paid special attention to Lviv's paintings and painters of the 19th century; he collects their works in his collection if they can be bought, and is satisfied only with their description or photograph if they cannot be bought. This is how Mr Zarewicz acquired material for his work on Lviv paintings and artists, for which he expects to find many details and information also outside Lviv, in other Polish cities. In order to obtain help in familiarising himself with this inaccessible material, he published an appeal in the national dailies to all those who have any information about it, asking them to kindly indicate it to him orally or by letter. We would also like to take this opportunity to ask the readers of "Ziemia" to inform Mr Zarewicz if they have any desired information, thus facilitating his work. One of the oldest paintings in Mr Zarewicz's collection is a portrait of the Dutch painter Franciszek Mieris. From among the older masters, Italian, but connected to Poland in their production, Bacciarelli and Lampi, well-known in the history of Polish art and almost polonised, are represented in this collection. The former spent some thirty years at the court of St Augustus as a court portraitist, sent by the king to Italy around 1788 to study. In addition to two paintings by Bacciarelli (St John and St Peter), Mr Zarewicz owns a portrait of a girl by Franc. Lampi. A real pearl of the gallery is the lovely portrait of Mrs. Sawiczewska (sister of A. Grottger), the work of Leop. Loeffler. This portrait, as well as a splendid painting by Lampe, were reproduced in the Lviv biweekly "Na ziemi naszej" (1911, no. 1), where we also refer the reader who would like to become more familiar with them. Of other painters, the following are also represented: Alchimowicz, T. Ajdukiewicz ("Artyleria"), Bartuś (portrait), Brandt, Breslauer, Cegliński, S. Chlebowski, Daczyński ("Pochód lisowczyków"), Godlewski, St. Grocholski, Gryglewski, A. Gierymski, J. N. Głowacki ("View of Krakow"), Jabłoński, Al. Kotsis ("Children by the river", "Orphan girl", "Girl under the tree" - sketch), W. Koniuszko ("Shoemaker's Boy at Dinner"), J. Kossak, H. Lipiński ("Sobótka", "Limik"), A. Lange (landscape), J. Malczewski ("Dance of the Satyrs", "Girl in the Field"), P. Orlikowski, Plączyński, K. Podkowiński, Józef and Aleks. Rejchan, A. Radwański, Smuglewicz, M. Stachowicz, Strzelecki, F. Tepa, Tysiewicz-Niewiarowicz, Wodzinowski, Zabiełło, Zieliński, Żmurko ('Neron over burning Rome' and portraits), Żółkiewicz. An album of churches and monuments in the Kingdom, painted in water-colours from nature by Polkowski, is of great value to national history. We shall discuss this collection at greater length on another occasion, mentioning only here that among the dozens of drawings there are many depicting now non-existent monuments of the past, rendered with conscientious accuracy by the well-known historian of Polish culture. In addition to the above-mentioned canvases, Mr Zarewicz owns a dozen or so miniatures by Haar, Laub, Frey and Philippi, as well as over 200 drawings and sketches by various Polish painters, recent and old. This section is supplemented by a collection of engravings by Kielski, Norblin, Falck, Płoński and others. After paintings, Mr Zarewicz devotes most effort to assembling a collection of Polish porcelain and faience, of which he already owns over sixty. Represented among them are the finest brands, such as Korzec, Baranówka, Ćmielów, Nieborów, Lubartów and Glinisko - all mostly in very fine specimens. Mr Zarewicz also devoted considerable attention to very interesting relics of the mysterious association of freemasons, who played such an important role in Polish history at the time. In addition to diplomas, he has several aprons and sashes, metal badges, glasses and similar objects of ceremonial of the union brothers. Of the national memorabilia colllected by Mr Zarewicz, of great value is the collection of posthumous cards of participants in the 1865 uprising, consisting of 1541 pieces. This magnificent collection is supplemented by as many as 1500 photographs of the uprising's participants, carefully photographed and stored in a separate album. The entire collection is complemented by a collection of Polish ex-librises, theatre posters, visiting and congratulatory tickets, saints' pictures, wood engraving plates, copper engraving plates (by Müncerski, Kornacholski, Filipowicz and unknown 18th century Italian engravers), textiles, embroideries, embroideries and other objects.), textiles, embroideries, carpets, coifs, belts, gingerbread moulds, engravings, serf stamps, seal pistons, fans, children's toys, nativity figures, book bindings and a host of similar trinkets of the artistic industry. Also valuable are two ancient spinettes and several pieces of stylish furniture. Each collection is complemented by a more or less extensive hand library, which also adorns Mr Zarewicz's collec-tion; its contents, amounting to some two thousand works, not counting pamphlets and cuttings, consist mainly of books on subjects of special interest to the owner. Thus, the most prominent items are the history of art, both Polish and foreign, as well as artistic industry and cultural history; the books are all neatly bound and kept in only the best copies. Finally, it should be added that Mr Zarewicz does not stop in his collecting zeal, and in fact he is persistently working on enlarging his collection which one day is to be placed in one of the national museums. And there can be no doubt that even the largest public museum could be a welcome gift.