The Royal Castle in Warsaw has recently opened valuable exhibits of weapons, which significantly enrich the castle's exhibition of historical militaria. Among the new objects of military craft, presented in the royal interiors, there are two collections of weapons - bladed weapons and firearms.
Collection of Antique Weapons in the Royal Castle, photo: Royal Castle
"For several years, we have been consistently expanding the collection of works of art of the Royal Castle. Militaria presenting the craft of old warfare is also an important and interesting element of our armoury. Such diverse examples of historic weapons allow us to better understand the history and culture of the eras from which they come. We are proud that the Royal Castle is becoming a place where history comes alive and the heritage of the past is available to the general public," says Prof. Wojciech Fałkowski, director of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
The Collection of Historic Weapons of the Royal Castle in Warsaw has recently been enriched by two unique collections of militaria on a Polish scale. The first of them is a collection of cold steel weapons in the form of seven swords, the oldest of which dates back to the first half of the 13th century, and the youngest to the first quarter of the 16th century. The most valuable item in this collection is a sword made most likely in Hungary, dated 1380-1420. Its blade and pommel are inlaid with gold. This is a beautiful exhibit of a bladed and slashing weapon, typical of the late Middle Ages. The length and construction of the sword definitely allow it to be classified as a long sword – a one-and-a-half-handed sword. The remaining swords come from the territories of Poland, Germany and Helvetia, as evidenced by the sword points stamped on the blades and decorative motifs in the form of, among others, the Kościesza coat of arms.
All the melee weapons are in an excellent state of preservation, despite being archaeological relics. The second collection of historical militaria that can currently be seen at the Royal Castle exhibition is a collection of firearms – eight luxury pistols made by the best European gunsmiths. Among the exhibits presented, we will find three pairs of luxury officer pistols and two single pistols. They come from the end of the 17th century and the 18th and 19th centuries. All of them were equipped with a flintlock.
The pistols were made by the court gunsmiths of Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, William III of Orange, and Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Among the representatives of the craft of firearms production, examples of which can currently be admired in the Castle, it is worth mentioning such masters as Jean Le Page, Jean-Claude Pochard and Aumont. The pistols are richly decorated with gold, have very large calibres – even 19 mm, and some of them have two barrels. The presented items are luxury versions of officer weapons and combat weapons that once served on the battlefield, but at the same time were and still are true masterpieces of gunsmithing art.
All exhibits that have recently enriched the collection of antique weapons can be seen from August 8 at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, by visiting the Gallery of Masterpieces. The objects presented as part of this exhibition came to the Castle as a long-term deposit from the Private Collection of the Małecki Family.
source: Royal Castle
Comments