Mogoșoaia

Abstract

This book is the third, revised and expanded edition of the volume by the historian and archaeologist Radu Popa, Mogoșoaia. The Palace and the Museum of Brâncovenesc Art. The first edition of the book was published in 1962 (Mogoșoaia. The Palace and the Museum of Brâncovenesc Art), and the second in 1967 (Mogoșoaia. The Palace and the Museum of Brâncovenesc Art), both issued by Meridiane Publishing House in Bucharest as part of the well-known series “The Monuments of Our Homeland.”

We believe that republishing this book is valuable both for specialists and for readers interested in the history and art of the Brâncovenesc period, as well as for visitors to the Mogoșoaia Palace, who now have access to a publication dedicated specifically to this exceptional monument—rich in information, illustrated with numerous photographs and plates, and written in an elegant and accessible style.

Doina Mândru—art critic and art historian, an expert on the history of the architectural ensemble, and former director of the “Brâncovenești Palaces” Cultural Center at Mogoșoaia—contributes, through the chapter “Conservation Works on the Palace in the 19th–20th Centuries and the Evolution of the Art Collection after the 1977 Earthquake,” a substantial retrospective of the last 200 years, guiding the reader with expertise and mastery through the halls of the current exhibition.

For the first time, the pages of the site diary related to the archaeological research carried out by Radu Popa in 1959 are published in print. They are reproduced photographically in the chapter “The Kitchen Building at Mogoșoaia. Restoration 1959. Radu Popa’s Site Notes, July 30, 1959.”

In order to make the book accessible to foreign readers as well, we have added extended summaries in English, German, and French at the end of the monograph. The translations were carried out by Nikolaus Boroffka (English and German) and Yvan Gradis (French), while Beverly Newbold provided the final polishing of the English text.

The initiative to republish the book belongs to Irina Behnert, Radu Popa’s daughter, who organized and coordinated the entire project. The third edition of Radu Popa’s book on Mogoșoaia is a tribute to the author on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of his birth.

Excerpt from the “Editorial Note” by
Viorel Achim, Irina Behnert (Popa)