MARYNA OKĘCKA-BROMKOWA: WITH AND WITHOUT A KNEE [1965].

Description

“With a knee and without” is one of the most beautiful and poetic albums devoted to the Warmian-Masurian handicraft tradition. The author, Maryna Okęcka-Bromkowa, documents with extraordinary sensitivity the vanishing heritage of Warmian and Masurian chambers – decorated furniture, painted chests, cut-outs, embroideries and textiles – which were already disappearing in the 1960s. The book, published by Olsztyn’s “Pojezierze” publishing house in 1965, is a priceless testimony to the material culture of the former inhabitants of these lands.

The extraordinary value of the album is enhanced by the illustrations by Hieronim Skurpski – an artist connected with Olsztyn, co-founder of the legendary “Olsztyn Group”. His black-and-white drawings, full of warmth and detail, perfectly harmonize with the text, creating a cohesive work of exceptional artistic beauty.

The presented copy has been subjected to a truly royal binding – it is an exclusive, handmade binding in natural leather, developed by the renowned Polish Antiquarian Bindery.