On 15 February, the 302nd birthday of Duke Peter of Courland and Semigallia, a significantly expanded exhibition of the Duke’s library was opened at the Rundāle Palace Museum.
At the end of last year, the museum acquired a large and historically significant sample of a private library of 17th–19th century aristocrats, consisting of several thousand volumes. This collection was compiled over a period of 17 years (2004–2021) by Riga resident, lawyer, and bibliophile Konstantīns Tihomirnijs, who collected publications on the history of the Baltic region, especially Courland, and European reading traditions. Of particular significance to the museum are approximately 100 books related to the history of the Biron family.
Among the newly acquired publications, two volumes published in Bologna in 1786 stand out – these were created on the initiative of Duke Peter and are dedicated to Italian medal and coin art. One contains a dedication to Duke Peter with gratitude for his support to this endeavour.
The library room was fully restored in 2014 with support from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation. It now also features the original 18th-century oak bookcase, which was donated to the museum by Gerhard Wulffius, a descendant of the Biron family, and which until now was located in the decorative arts exhibition on the ground floor of the palace.
The original bookcase displays more than 60 books from the former library of Duke Peter. At the end of the 18th century, part of the library was taken to Sagan Palace in Silesia and was later inherited by the Courland princesses Catherine Wilhelmine and Pauline. Now these editions have found their way to Rundāle Palace and complement the palace’s permanent exhibition.
On the opening day of the exhibition, a concert of music by Antonio Vivaldi was held in the White Hall, marking the beginning of a new Baroque concert series, Musical Conversations in the Palace, and symbolically connecting the worlds of books and music in the Duke’s residence.
The next concerts in this series will take place in the White Hall of Rundāle Palace on 13 June, 5 September, and 21 November.
