The exhibition has its own rules. Many display cases can only be viewed from one side for technical reasons. The “Arms and Armour” exhibition has several display cases that allow you to see the treasures they contain from all sides. And unfortunately, while the reverse side is usually less important when looking at old prints or paintings, it does start to matter in the case of old craftwork. There may be a continuation of decoration on the back that explains the meaning of what we see on the front. Sometimes there is additional, interesting content that allows you to interpret or understand the subject.
This path allows you to see the other, invisible side of selected exhibits from the “Arms and Armour” exhibition.
The grenadier’s cap of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the oldest uniform item in the “Arms and Armour” exhibition, can only be seen from the front, admiring the silver-plated, beautifully decorated plate on the forehead. However, the back of the hat, which is more hidden from the curious eye of the visitor, is of equal importance. There, in the lower part, is an inscription about the Grenadier Regiment and its symbol – a flaming bomb, i.e. grenade. You can also see the textile cap that holds the whole structure on the head.
For lovers of military colours, the back of the cap contains another very important piece of information. The colours are visible. Although the outer fabric covering the metal is yellow, it is a secondary fabric, perhaps added in the 19th century. Thanks to the intense activity of clothes moths, the original colour – crimson – shines through from underneath.
Among the monuments related to the Saxon court, or referring to it through inscriptions, dates or coats of arms, there is a horn powder flask covered with carved inscriptions. Some of the decorations are repeated on both sides of the object. It is a crown surmounted by a monogram consisting of the letters ‘AR’ or ‘FAR’, i.e. (Frederick) Augustus Rex, referring to King Augustus III of the Wettin family.
The decoration is different on both sides below the royal number. Without knowing both sides, what is visible in the exhibition may seem incomplete. What we see is the word “Anno”, which means “year”. On the other side there is a complementary date, “1763”, associated with the year of the death of King Augustus.
The next element is the image of a deer, and on the other side we see crossed cannons and bullets. The drawings are not random. They are an illustration of the inscription that fills the lower part of the powder flask, indicating the ideals proclaimed by its owner. From the viewer’s perspective, they read: “The art of hunting is to chase animals“. On the other: “It is the duty of a cavalier to defend the homeland”.
This gunpowder flask is an extraordinary image of the military and hunting culture of the last years of the Wettin dynasty in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Another reminder of the Saxon period and the Wettin court is a luxurious shotgun for shooting incendiary charges – in this case fireworks. On the other hand, there is a very rare item, hardly found on any other weapon, but apparently considered necessary for such a large calibre weapon. This is a spirit level. Depending on the position of the weapon, it indicates the degree of deflection from 5 to 45 degrees, which allowed for safer throwing of charges to a previously calculated height or distance.
A shotgun completely covered in iron is one of the most interesting in terms of decoration, although it is limited to etched decorations that touch on both hunting and mythological themes. Here and there, traces of gilding can still be seen, adding to the splendour of this decorative weapon.
Unfortunately, like many objects in the exhibition, it can only be viewed from one side. Meanwhile, the stock has a very interesting biblical composition depicting the resurrection of Adam. It all takes place in the Garden of Paradise. You can see the vegetation, two birds of paradise flying in the sky and a small lion in the corner. The main figures are God the Father emerging from the cloud with a tiara on his head, reaching for the arm and hand of the reclining Adam.
This depiction is interesting because the artist used a graphic pattern by Hans Brosamer, published around 1550, to create it. The only difference is that the original depicted the creation of Eve. But some graphic elements, such as the figure of a lion, are copied almost literally.
Not every artist was as serious about decorating weapons as the one who designed the biblical motifs on the shotgun described above. An example of a more frivolous and playful approach is a hunting rifle richly decorated with bone, displayed with others in a display case painted green. Almost the entire stock, from the buttstock to the end of the barrel, is depicted as a hunt with animals and hunters on either side. Except for one small detail.
In the corner, next to the castle, as if in a hidden grove, there is a scene of another love hunt, this time immortalising the romantic kisses of a couple unknown to us today…
Characteristic devotional gorgets with the picture of Our Lady of Częstochowa hanging under the neck have an interesting second face. The other side of the gorget is usually treated more freely, it is a painted miniature. The crucified Christ is most often depicted in the company of other saints: John of Nepomuk, Barbara, Magdalene, but there are also images of a solitary Crucifix or individual images of patrons. The Eye of Providence surrounded by a wreath of roses can also be seen on one of the gorges in the museum’s collection, and on another there is an image of St Joseph with the baby Jesus.
Unfortunately, the creators of these sacred images, most of which are associated with the period of the Bar Confederation, remain anonymous.
The gorget hanging from the jacket of a Bar Confederate is different in size and shape from the other devotional plates displayed in the same showcase. The uniqueness of this monument also lies in its ideological programme. Instead of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the obverse is decorated with the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and a Confederate poem, unfortunately partially erased:
To win or die for our freedoms, it might be beautiful to lay my flesh and bones under this motto…. Grant that Thy glory may grow in the world, And when I die …. Michael
On the other side is Christ Crucified with the motto: “Remember death” – “Memento mori” and “Contere Domine Fortitudinem Inimicorum Ecclesive”, which translates as: “By your strength, Lord, disperse the enemies of the Church”, an excerpt from one of the Catholic antiphons recited during the Way of the Cross.
The second page is also a continuation of a poem or a confessional prayer:
„Jesus, my love, stretched out on the Cross , grant that I may stand most strenuously defending the Holy Faith, and if Thou send me death nothing nicer than this. For by Thy judgment is the fate of me….””
Among the memorabilia of the Kościuszko era on display are two oval portraits of the heroes of 1794: Tadeusz Kościuszko and General Jakub Jasieński (1761-1794). The portraits were connected by a small hinge and, when closed, formed an oval brass belt buckle.
The part of the buckle that is not normally visible contains a commemorative inscription dedicated to Tadeusz Kościuszko as “Chief of the Army”. In the centre there is a knight’s insignia in the form of a Maltese cross, known as the knight’s cross in the Polish army. Next to it, in a display case, we can see an identical one on an officer’s bag from the same turbulent period.
This karabale sabre with a blue lapis lazuli handle is one of the most refined and elegant in the museum’s collection. It belonged to Prince Adam Sapieha (1828-1903). The inscription on the side visible in the exhibition tells us that it was a gift from Galician landowners in 1768.
The other side is as beautiful as it is interesting. At the top of the hilt there is a bust of Hetman Lew Sapieha (d. 1633). This is another reference on the saber to the history of the Sapieha family and their contribution to the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The enamelled medallion with the image of the Virgin Mary on the other side of the saber was replaced by a monogram consisting of the letters “AS” under the prince’s crown, set with precious stones, and obviously refers to the recipient, Adam Sapieha.
In the list of costume swords from the 19th century, another sabre stands out, the owner of which is known thanks to an inscription on the blade. It belonged to Nikodem Bętkowski (1812-1864), a political and independence activist, a medical doctor from Wieliczka near Kraków. This karabela sabre is worth mentioning because it has a different decoration on the other side, which is not usually seen at exhibitions. The blade bears the Polish and Lithuanian coats of arms with the inscription “GOD SAVE POLAND” and the date “1861”. This patriotic decoration is complemented by the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which can be seen on the sword at the exhibition. These are characteristic elements used in costume sabres by the Krakow gunsmith and sabre maker Ignacy Höfelmajer.
There is one more element worth mentioning. It is the Ostoja coat of arms on a silver crossguard. Another historical secret? Bętkowski had the heraldic nickname Prawdzic next to his surname. So who was the owner of the coat of arms on the sabre?