The victory of Polish troops near Vienna and the influx of Oriental spoils had a strong influence on the appearance of the nobility’s private ornamental weapons. Many types of weapons originating in Ottoman Turkey were adopted by the Polish nobility in the 17th century, but most of them only became permanent in the 18th century and were later recognised as ‘national’ types. The most important of these were the karabele sabres, of which several valuable examples form a decorative “panoply of the nobility”.
Poland, ca. 1740
Iron, chalcedony, silver, gold, wood, leather, forging, etching, inlay, polishing, gilding, niello
Transferred from the Adrian Baraniecki Technical and Industrial Museum in Krakow
Poland or Ottoman Empire, first half of the 18th c.
Iron, silver, wood, leather, gold, chalcedony (?), forging, chiselling, inlay, niello, gilding
Poland, half of the 18th c.
Wood, velvet, brass, gold, cutting, niello, sewing, casting, gilding
From the former armoury of Piotr Moszyński in Krakow. Gift of dr. Kazimierz Maślankiewicz, 1948
Poland or Ottoman Empire, half of the 18th c.
Iron, brass, silver, niello, engraving, gilding
From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903
Poland or Ottoman Empire, half of the 18th c.
Iron, silver, gold, gilding, forging, blackening
From the former armoury of Piotr Moszyński in Krakow
Poland, between 1770-1772 (?)
Copper, oil paint, engraving, painting
Ottoman Empire (?), 18th c.
Damascus steel, gold, silver, chalcedony, leather, wood, forging, repoussé, niello, inlay, punching
Gift of Paweł Tyszkowski, 1919
Ottoman Empire (?), Poland, 18th c.
Iron, silver, gold, horn, wood, leather, forging, niello, gilding, polishing, inlay, appliqué, punching, engraving
Gift of Erazm Barącz, 1921
Poland, 18th c.
Iron, velvet, silver, gold, chalcedony, gilding, repoussé, punching, engraving
Gift of Tadeusz Majewski, 1918
Saxony or Poland, ca. 1750
Wood, Moroccan leather, brass, gold, silver, gilding, engraving, chiselling, appliqué
From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903
Poland (fittings), Ottoman Empire (blade), ca. 1730
Iron, agate (?), chalcedony (?), gold, silver, silver metal thread, silk thread, leather, forging, inlay, engraving, niello, painting, embroidery
Persia (blade), Ottoman Empire and Poland (inlay), after 1780 (?)
Damascus steel, chalcedony, gold, forging, inlay
Deposit of the Jagiellonian University Museum. Gift of Aleksandra Borkowska (1828-1898) and Stanisław Chomętowski (1839-1881), 1881
Poland, ca. 1740
Leather, wood, silver, velvet, silver metal thread, silk, brass, gold, gilding, repoussé, punching, riveting, appliqué, embroidery, sewing
In the 19th century, owned by Lucjan Morelczewski, captain of the Russian army. In 1885 it was given to Stanisław Wysocki
Poland, first half of the 18th c.
Wood, leather, brass, silver, gold metal thread, formowanie, gilding, chiselling, engraving, niello, appliqué, sewing
Gift of Antoni Sozański, 1888
Saxony, 1719 and 1733 or 19th c.
Iron, wood, thread, gold, gilding, forging, engraving, gilding
From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903 and from the former armoury of Piotr Moszyński
Poland, Krakow, 18th c. (barrel), early 20th c. (gun carriage)
Bronze, wood, steel, casting, engraving, painting
Gift of Klemens Bąkowski, 1904. The cannon barrel was excavated in Krakow’s Kazimierz district