This sabre is a unique item in Polish collections, of symbolic significance.
Near Eastern, Damascus blade is decorated with gold inlaid images in the form of Turkish symbols: a turban, a banner, a mace and a sabre. At the base, in turn, there is a gold bust of King Jan III and the date ‘1692’. The latter may be related to the diplomatic efforts of Sultan Ahmed II, who in that very year sought to conclude a lasting peace with the Commonwealth.
There is another important image on the blade: the White Eagle, the emblem of Poland, cast in silver. It was made in a later period, as late as the 19th century. The military, Austrian hilt of this weapon dates from the same period.
The symbolic significance of the object is emphasised by the broken blade, interpreted in Polish culture as a sign of death or military defeat. In this case, it is associated with the period of Poland’s struggle for independence in the 19th century.
Ottoman Empire, late 17th c. (blade), Poland (part of decoration) and Austria (hilt), first half of the 19th c.
Iron, leather, wood, gold, silver, copper, forging, inlay, engraving
From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903