A JEW, A NEOPHYTE, A NOBLEMAN. THE PROBATE INVENTORY OF LUDWIK ZWOLINSKI FROM 1786 (Zyd, neofita, szlachcic. Inwentarz ruchomosci Ludwika Zwolinskiego z 1786 r.)

The article analyses the probate inventory of Ludwik Zwolinski, a document prepared for an arbitration court appointed to settle the issue of his legacy. Although a single inventory rarely contains information that is worth publishing, this particular one is revealing since the seemingly undistinguished testator lived in two different worlds. He was born and raised as a Jew, Myszulin Kaufman, but he died as a Catholic nobleman, Ludwik Zwolinski. The inventory is not particularly long, but it conveys interesting information on the life of the testator. The list contains many everyday items used by the neophyte, conveying implications about his taste and the fashion he followed. Zwolinski was not a rich man. The inventory does not list any gold items, only silver artefacts. He left many garments, most of which sewn after the Western fashion. The inventory includes frock coats, tailcoats and waistcoats, as well as Western-style shoes and wigs.