Paradoks Kasztanki. Fantazmatyczne eksponaty w domach-muzeach

Abstract

This article deals with exhibitions in house-museums. The author focuses on a phenomenon peculiar to such establishments: the ambiguous authenticity of the objects on display. The primary example is the hoof of Kasztanka exhibited in the manor house “Milusin” belonging to the complex of the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek. Within the logic of the exhibition, the hoof is simultaneously both authentic and not. To explain this phenomenon, the author uses Tom Selwyn’s theory, especially his anthropological analysis of the category of authenticity. The second part of the article relates this issue to the controversy surrounding the striped uniform from the museum commemorating Maximilian Maria Kolbe. Key-words: phantasmal exhibits, house-museum, biographical museum, authenticity