 The works of big scale, a diversity of forms and functions and above all a perfect use of the whole range of complicated work techniques, having their origin in the unsurpassable workshops of Gdansk amber producers of 17th century are today a speciality of only one Polish workshop. It is the workshop of Lucjan Myrta in Sopot. The author produced several hundred of them for his own collection.
Although only a small part of this collection was bought by Historical Museum of the City of Gdansk for its Museum of Amber, this collection constitutes a substantial element of a permanent exhibition of Museum of Amber in the representative part of the Royal Route.
The majority of the collection (including huge jewel cases which used to play a diplomatic role as gifts exchanged between monarchs) remains a private property of Myrta family and is opened by them for the temporary exhibitions of Polish and foreign museums. The works of Myrta’s workshop have been twice in Sweden and two years ago they traveled also to Neuenstadt in Germany. Especially this last exhibition, devoted only to one author and one subject, which is the great tradition of modern artistic amber production, got a lot of publicity in our western neighbours. It was promoted among German intellectual and political elite by professor Władysław Bartoszewski, unequalled not only in this field. He personally presented this exhibition to state and federal ministries and also to ex president of Germany Roman Herzog.
At present professor Bartoszewski provides patronage for the exhibition of Lucjan Myrta’s works which will be held in Exhibition-Conference Centre at Wawel from 14th June to 16th September 2007. There are no doubts that this is going to be a very important social event. Such place like Wawel, such patron like Władysław Bartoszewski and such unique collection like that of Myrta’s, presenting a genuine beauty of amber, shall not leave the audience indifferent.
The highlight of the exhibitions will be the huge, almost three metre high amber treasures, constructed by Lucjan the master as it were against the nature of this fragile material. It seems almost unfeasible to pile up thousands of delicate relief and figurative elements as well as multicoloured mosaics in one big object having a total mass exceeding the whole décor of walls in the Amber Chamber and to provide this construction with harmony and stability.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue presenting the life of the collection’s author with colour photographs of the works and natural specimen of amber. 2007-06-07 | 
