Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(Příloha):91-100

Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld, collector and bibliophile

Anežka Hůlková, Matouš Jirák¹

¹ NPÚ, ÚOP v Josefově

The article focuses on the collector and bibliophilic activities of Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld (1866-1957). The first part is devoted to extra-European hunting and ethnographic collections while the second part deals with the historical library.
The hunting and ethnographic collections form a specific component of the mobiliary of the State Castle in Opočno. These are collections of African and American origin that Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld brought from his overseas journeys between 1901 and 1906. The main objective of his African and American trips was most likely wildlife hunting. Collecting as such was probably the result of his enchantment of the countryside he visited and a "by-product" of his hunting and travel expeditions.
Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld completed his first African journey in the first quarter of 1901, the other in the beginning of 1902. During both African trips, he traveled through four African countries - Egypt, Sudan, Abyssinia, and Eritrea, or today's Egypt, Sudan, the Republic of South Africa, Ethiopia and Eritrea. The preserved maps show that the destinations of his journeys were primarily those with a high concentration of wild game. He spent much of his time with his caravan in the Blue Nile basin, specifically at the rivers Rahad and Dinder. Most of his abundant ethnographic collections were probably bought at African and European markets or auctions. There is no evidence that some items would have been collected directly from local residents.
His American hunting collections come either from Alaska and Yukon (the first journey), or Wyoming (the second journey). In addition to a large number of Alaska and Yukon game, Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld also imported a significant amount of ethnographic material from America. These are items of daily necessities (clothing, tools, etc.) as well as articles specifically created as souvenirs (totem models, boat models, etc.). For some exhibits, the method of acquisition is unquestionable; an item may bear a tag with specific information about the place of purchase, but for other items, the manner of acquisition can only be presumed, with many of them lacking clues altogether.
While the collections of paintings and weapons have been processed and are accompanied by period catalogs, the African and American collections have not been processed in this way. A substantial part of the items was imported directly from Africa and America between 1901 and 1906. The reasons for the collections are not easy to decipher concerning the African and American journeys, and therefore it is impossible to clearly determine the purpose for which Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld purchased the collections: whether it was first and foremost about decorating representative areas, or whether he was aware that the souvenirs themselves had (or may have had in the future) collectible value.
The cataloging and recording of the African and American ethnographic and hunting collections did not happen in a standard way. There is no comprehensive catalog or list of the African or American items. The strongest ambitions were clearly related to hunting exhibits. This corresponds to Josef's effort at thoroughly processing hunting trophies and marking their date and place of origin. The other items that Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld gathered were not marked and described in this way. The only exception to this rule is a few pieces of weapons or accessories that Julius Scheurer included in his catalog.
A complete professional registration and cataloging of the African and American exhibits began in the 1970's. The professional description and classification of the ethnographic exhibits and their subsequent relocation to the ethnographic hall was handled by the staff of the Náprstek Museum, Erich Herold, Josef Kandert, and Olga Kandertová. The ethnographic collection was sorted according to the appropriate geographical-ethnic key. The collection was modified and sorted into its final form in 1981. The basic scheme of the current collection has not changed in principle.
Professional interest among domestic and foreign researchers in the Opočno ethnographic collection increased in the 1990's, but no comprehensive catalog has yet been created to consolidate the themes of the African and American ethnographic and hunting themes into one. Towards the end of the 20th century, the UFAND program was launched to electronically register the collection, while at present the electronic records are kept in the CastIS program.
Several books were already mentioned as being in the possession of the Trčka family of Lípa, to whom Opočno was confiscated in 1635. Other Colloredo owners gradually enriched the library with their private interests: Rudolf Colloredo († 1657) with military books and Louis Colloredo († 1694) with religious literature. The contribution of Jerome Colloredo († 1726), who unified the visual form of the library (supralibros, exlibris) and is considered as its founder, was also important. After his death, the first preserved inventory recorded the scope of the library and its thematic focus. The first actual catalog (Bibliotheca Collorediana) was created in 1742 (1744?) by the pen of an otherwise unknown C. G. Stívé. Other catalogs followed, in particular those of a partial nature, until the Catalogus librorum Bibliothecae... Principis Gundacari a Colloredo-Mannsfeld was written in 1793. The recording endeavors of the feudal owners culminated in 1907 with the Catalog der Fürst Colloredo-Mannsfeld vom J. 1907, written by the Opočno Dean Jan Nepomuk Řehák.
The further supplemented catalog was created by the enthusiastic bibliophile Prince Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld (1866-1959), who built a new private library (1913), which he gradually furnished with a number of extraordinary books purchased mainly in foreign auctions. He was also active in literature (Journal de captivité du comte Pierre-Ernest de Mannsfeld écrit au donjon de Vincennes 1552-1554, Paris 1933).

Keywords: Josef Colloredo-Mannsfeld, collections, aristocratic travel, ethnographic collections

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation