Jan Stanisław Witkiewicz’s collection
The Jan Stanisław Witkiewicz Collection encompasses 171 batons from the 19th and 20th century, ranging from the oldest exhibit dating back to 1867, to the newest baton dated 1958. Apart from “everyday” batons which bear visible marks of wear and tear, the collection highlights include numerous finely decorated and originally crafted exhibits, such as the gilded baton of the Ranee of Saravak, Margaret Brooke, with an image of St. Cecilia, an ivory baton with religious symbols, as well as numerous beautifully adorned English batons or sticks with oriental motives, and multi-piece batons of various makes. Among others, the collection includes batons of Johann Strauss (II?), Howard Barlow, Frank J. Black, James Moodie, as well as batons of a number of Polish choirs from the first half of the 20th century, including the F. Nowowiejski Choir of Oignies, France. Particularly interesting are two “playing” batons, combined with chromatic reed pitch pipes.