Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Polish-Lithuanian horseman circa 1634


Salve,
the palace- museum in Kielce, former residence of Polish bishops built originally for the bishop of Cracow and Crown chancellor Zadzik, has a collection of ceiling paintings, works by the Cracow based Tomaso Dolabella's workshop, depicting bishop Zadzik  activities of the 1630s.

The paintings are incredibly rich in artifacts of martial cutlure of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One ceiling paintings depicts the king Wladysław IV Vasa triumph over the Muscovite Russia at the Smolensk War 1632-34.

I have some very bad images of two of  these paintings - like many other artworks related to the former glory of Poland - they are not really well know and not included in the art history books related to Poland etc.
Yet I decided to do a little painting of the rider that is shown in the very foreground of the painting depicting King Władysław IV and his colorful army (the brack and white fragment from this painting has been show in Richard Brzezinski's work Polish Winged Hussar).

I attached two different copies of the rider I have on my computer, to the right of my two sketches. As you can see this rider has some unusual attire, multicolored  - not dissimilar in its unusual mix of colors to the outfit worn by prince Janusz Radziwill  and his retinue in the painting by Westervelt (I have sketching that one too) -  is caring what appears to be  a  ''koncerz'' [tuck (estoc)] under his right thigh. Yet his koncerz  or broadsword appears to have a very Western hilt, so perhaps this is a rapier?
He appears to have a single feathered wing attached to the left side of his saddle, perhaps to the cantle?
He is riding very short (with short stirrups) in Tatar fashion, his horse has a very nice example of Polish bridle tack of that period, with a white heron feather? The top of horses back is covered with a very small shabraque, perhaps it is a ''mituk'' - particularly short horse shabraque used between XVI century until the end of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
well, these are my sketches and first attempts at painting him.
...

3 comments:

Kadrinazi said...

One more, rather close look, for this horseman:
https://picasaweb.google.com/117034449452085322545/PaAcBiskupiWKilecach#5424427253782914850

Dario T. W. said...

Hej Michale,
dzieki :)

Unknown said...

widzę, ze zdjecia zawłaszczone przez Mateusza Stawowego robią karierę a autora nikt nie zapyta
takze o RAWy