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A branch of the Muzeum Narodowe, the Palac Czartoryskich (Czartoryski Palace) houses Krakow's finest art collection, the Muzeum Czartoryskich (Tues-Thurs, Sat & Sun 10am-3.30pm, Friday 10am-6pm; 7zl, free on Sun). Its core was established by Izabella Czartoryska at the family palace in Pulawy and was then moved to Krakow following the confiscation of the Pulawy estate after the 1831 Insurrection, in which the family was deeply implicated. The family were legendary collectors, particularly from the Paris salons of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and it shows, despite the Nazis' removal, and subsequent loss, of many precious items, including Raphael's famous Portrait of a Young Man , which has never been recovered. The ancient art collection alone contains over a thousand exhibits, from sites in Mesopotamia, Etruria, Greece and Egypt. Another intriguing highlight is the collection of trophies from the Battle of Vienna (1683), which includes sumptuous Turkish carpets, scimitars, tents and other Oriental finery. The picture galleries contain a rich display of art and sculpture ranging from thirteenth- to eighteenth-century works, the most famous being Rembrandt's brooding Landscape with the Good Samaritan and Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine . A double pun identifies the rodent-handler as Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Leonardo's patron, Lodovico il Moro: the Greek word for this animal is gale - a play on the woman's name - and Lodovico's nickname was "Ermelino", meaning ermine. There is also a large collection of Dutch canvases and an outstanding array of fourteenth-century Sienese primitives, the whole thing arranged following nineteenth-century tradition to form distinct artistic and decorative groupings. As in all Polish museums, you may find several galleries closed off, ostensibly for lack of staff.
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