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Showcase 16

The Wettin Court

As we are in the part of the exhibition dedicated to the Wettin rule in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, we cannot miss the exhibits related to the royal and electoral courts in Warsaw and Dresden. Some of the objects on display here are indirectly related to the Wettins through their coats of arms and dates. Some of them were actually created for the needs of the court and for lavish, splendid celebrations. The display case dedicated to the Wettin court weapons is an introduction to a broader discussion of objects related to European courts, but also, more generally, opulent, luxurious and collectible items, which are shown in the wooden cabinet part of the exhibition.

1. Powder horn

1. Powder horn

Poland, 1763

Horn, brass, carving

From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903

The pouch has a carved inscription: ‘Hunter’s skill is to chase animals, Knight’s duty is to defend the homeland’ with the date 1763 and the royal initials of Augustus III

2. Hunting powder horn with Commonwealth and Saxon coat of arms

2. Hunting powder horn with Commonwealth and Saxon coat of arms

Poland or Saxony, ca. 1730

Horn, wood, brass, carving, engraving, polishing

Gift of successors of Łukasz Gwiazdowski, 1900

3. Ceremonial sabre with sheath

3. Ceremonial sabre with sheath

Dresden, 1687 (fittings), Genua, 16th/17th c. (blade)

Iron, brass, gold, silver, velvet, emerald, rock crystal, forging, chiselling, gilding, punching, repoussé, stonesetting

Gift of Leon Kostka, 1949

Saber was used in 1709 on the occasion of the visit of the Danish king Frederick IV to the Dresden court

4. Soldier’s cutlass of the Court Janissary Corps of King Augustus II

4. Soldier’s cutlass of the Court Janissary Corps of King Augustus II

Dresden (fittings), Solingen (blade), 1729

Iron, silver, brass, silvering, forging, etching

From the collection of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, gift of the family, 1903

5. Wheel lock harquebus with the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Wettyn family

5. Wheel lock harquebus with the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Wettyn family

Germany, Munich, workshop of Georg Muller (barrel), Saxony (stock), 1697

Iron, wood, bone, forging, inlay, engraving

Deposit of the Academy of Learning, 1896

6. A hunting shotgun associated with the court of Queen Maria Josepha of Habsburg (1699-1757)

6. A hunting shotgun associated with the court of Queen Maria Josepha of Habsburg (1699-1757)

Germany, Suhl, workshop of Johann Gottfried Kolbe (gunsmith) and Johann Christoph Stockamar (decoration), 1730s.

Iron, wood, gold, forging, chiselling, gilding, carving, appliqué

Gift of Janina Kornecka, 1939. From the collection of Zygmunt Ignacy Kowalski (1847-1918)

7. A grenade launcher for launching fireworks charges

7. A grenade launcher for launching fireworks charges

Germany, Gotha, workshop of Tobias Gräfenstein, ca. 1729

Iron, silver, gold, brass, wood, forging, engraving, silvering, gilding, inlay, chiselling

8. Ceremonial mining axe

8. Ceremonial mining axe

Saxony, 1672

Iron, wood, bone, forging, inlay, openwork, engraving

Deposit of the Academy of Learning, 1896

9. Ceremonial mining axe

9. Ceremonial mining axe

Saxony, 1662

Iron, wood, bone, forging, inlay, openwork, engraving

Gift of Seweryn Ursyn Rusiecki, 1896