The tapestry is the key object in this part of the exhibition. Considered the most important work from the Radziwiłł workshops, it is a rare and valuable iconographic source of the Saxon era.
Contrary to the title, the troops appear to be a secondary subject. They can only be seen in the background, heading towards the camp spread out on the horizon. In the fore Tartar cavalry rides by, followed by dragoons in tricorne caps and light jackets with blue lining. The dragoons are followed by Lithuanian petyhorcy with lances in their hands and, on their backs, distinctive circular shields fastening the straps of the breastplate. Beneath the tent we see the king and queen receiving the review. Heading towards the tent, the hetman, whose figure is depicted twice on the tapestry, is followed by the main body of the army and its jewel: the hussars. They are dressed in two ways. Some wear full armour, others half-armour, but all hold long lances with pennants in their hands and have wild animal skins tied around their hips. On the backs of some tall wings can be seen reaching over their heads.
In the foreground we see Hetman Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł (1702-1762) dressed in full armour, holding a mace in his hand as a sign of his dignity. His mount is dressed in ceremonial Turkish horse tack, with a richly embroidered saddlecloth on its back and a gold harness, to the side of which is attached a buńczuk or tug framed by an ornate gold knob.
The horse tack on display and the tents set up in the camp were the possessions of Jan III Sobieski after the Battle of Vienna. Inherited by Radziwiłł in 1740, they served to portray him as the heir to the famous monarch, in his role as victorious commander and future Grand Hetman of Lithuania.
The tapestry, a direct reference to the Viennese memorabilia used as a propaganda tool in the mid-18th century, also illustrates the strength of feeling for the famous victory at Vienna in 1683, even several dozen years after the battle.
