Ujscie - the Deluge - 25th July 1655

Salvete omnes,
the good month of July is flying fast towards its end, and since we are in the high summer time perhaps all things should have been taken easy, but it appears that presently this July is not the easiest time in Poland, where there have been conflicts, protests and calls for government to step down (by the EU-backed opposition) amid the most various and sensible calls for reforms and reinvention of the Polish state under the current duly elected government etc.

It all reminds me a bit of the situation within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the beginning of the Deluge or the Swedish invasion of Poland in the summer of AD 1655 and the battle of Ujście.

I am gathering material to write a little article about the military aspects of the Ujście debacle, where our Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) province pospolite ruszenie ( national noble levy, Noble host, noble militia etc) met the invading Swedish army (in reality a brand new army  consisting of mostly German infantry, cavalry and artillery companies under the Swedish officers and leadership) and upon the conclusion of this 'meeting' the extraordinary sorrows and calamities of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth  commenced.

a print based on the drawing by Erik Dahlberg, Swedish officer during the war

I asked two independent historians Witold Biernacki and Michał Paradowski known for his blog under the title & nom de guerre Kadrinazi for help in gathering the historical source materials and consequently I have been receiving some  fantastic, to borrow the favorite word of the current US President, material  from these two researchers.

In case you have not heard they collaborated on the Deluge  period battle in the following article:  Bitwa pod Nowym Dworem 30 września 1655 roku, written for De Re Miltiari, rather recently launched Polish-language military history magazine, and it was published in 2016, number III-1. 
enjoy your summer

Roßfechten - new video from Arne Koets et Calijn

Salvete omnes,
a quick and short one this morning -
Ecuyer and reenactor Arne Koets and his sparring partner Calijn recorded their Rossfechten/ Roßfechten or mounted fencing ( with swords)  on Arne's horses - Andalusian gelding and Lusitano stallion -  Video.
This is one great video - with Arne explaining the action taking place on the screen.
Congrats to both reenactors and their equine partners.

a still from the video

Also, a video from Schola  Gladiatoria titled 'Objectives in martial arts sparring and real combat' -
Do visit ARMA and the wiki library - Wiktenauer- of the Historical European Martial Arts  for the wealth of information contained therein.
 
enjoy - :)

Kon polski - Lyszkowski

Salve,
in Polish]
okres zaborów kiedy to Rzeczpospolita Polska była podzielona miedzy 3 zaborców, z których jeden miał de jure niejakie prawa do tronu Królestwa Polskiego (Rosja), obfitowała w literaturę specjalistyczna, w tym literaturę weterynaryjna i hodowlana.
Przykładem powinna być praca ziemianina i publicysty z zaboru austryjackiego który osiadł był w Warszawie około 1832 roku i tamże wydal swoje prace o hodowli i leczeniu zwierząt hodowlanych, w tym koni, pisząc o roli ras i uwaga, o rasie konia polskiego, jako o koniu wtedy wciąż istniejącym w hodowli ziemiańskiej - swoja droga jaką rolę odniosła stadnina carska w Janowie Podlaskim (nie była założona dla koni arabskich ), gdzie od początku hodowano konie angielskie napiszę kiedy indziej.

 Ergo, Stanisław Łyszkowski, Poradnik hodowli i weterynarii dla ziemianina et al.,  Tomy 1 & 2 w jednym) napisał był circa AD 1839 na stronie 105 tomu Iego:

Tablica I atlasu wyobraża siedmioletniego konia, naszej polskiej rasy, która chociaż może przez mięszanie i dobór innych obcych ras z pierwotną oryginalną, uległa niejakiej odmianie; wszelako znajdują się jeszcze w niej po największej części cechy jej pierwotnej rodowitości. 

Budowa konia polskiego była zawsze dosyć kształtna, silna, dziarska; głowa dobrze do szyi zastosowana; takież uszy pięknie oprawione, sanki tylko czyli boki (Ganasze) szczęk miewa zwykle nieco zbyt szerokie, kark i szyja mierna i giętka; piersi zaokrąglone dosyć szerokie; grzbiet prosty, krzyż grubo płaski, piękny niespadzisty, ogon dobrze osadzony; ustawa nóg mocna i sprężysta, kopyto niezbyt małe i twarde; 
nakoniec konie polskie łączyły zawsze z dzielnością, smiałością i nadzwyczajną wytrwałością tak w boju, jak i w innych przedsięwzięciach i trudach, wielką pojętność, łagodność i wierność ku swym panom. 
A pomimo skażenia po części naszych polskich ras przez niestosowny chów i mięszanie z obcemi, jako też przez zły ich dozór i zaniedbanie, łatwoby jednak do swej pierwotnej czystości i dobroci przywrócić je można przy starannym ich pielęgnowaniu, gdyż rasa ta na zimno i inne niedogodności jest wytrwalszą i wychowanie jej od źrzebięcia mniej od wszystkich innych ras potrzebuje zachodu i staranności.”
...
Ciekawostką są dane wydawnicze  zaczerpnięte ze strony tytułowej tej wielkiej pracy - wydana w Warszawie, nakładem Gustawa Sennewalda przy Ulicy Miodowej 486, w drukarni Maxymiliana Chmielewskiego. 1839.
[finis]
żal tylko, ze pragnienia mości Łyszkowskiego względem konia polskiego w hodowli spełzły na niczym i koń polski jako rasa rodzima konia szlachetnego wymarł był w XIX wieku (chyba że koń Arab polski i koń małopolski to są dwie rasy potomne konia polskiego z XIX wieku? ), pod naporem koni angielskich i arabskich.
Trend ten wydaje się być kontynuowany dzisiaj w Rzplitej, gdzie konie niemieckie i holenderskie etc oraz poprawiane nimi konie wielkopolskie wypierają konie małopolskie prawie że całkowicie ze sportu i rekreacji.
Można się cieszyć bo wydaje się, że konie śląskie (ok, mam sentyment to Śląska) jakby wracają w liczbie, a są one szczególnie przydatne w rekonstrukcji rycerskich pocztów  i XVI-XVII wiecznej jeździe,  jak i w rekreacji (pod wierzch czy zaprzęg).
ps
przypomnę może wypis mości pana Jacka, hodowcy Achał-Tekińców którego darzę wielka estymą mimo różnic w poglądach, o husarii et jej koniach.
Starszawa już dyskusja o koniu polskim na portalu historycy.

Yekaterina II as equestrienne

Salvete omnes,
Canicula is upon us, so we should take a trip to the XVIII century and see some paintings of the Imperial Russia, namely the images of Yekaterina II or Catherine II (the Great), who being a nice Anhalt princess ended up as one the greatest Russian monarchs of all times.

True, she is not the most favorite with our Polish national tradition, being in effect one of three 'partitioners' - Russian Empire, Austria Hapsburg Empire, Prussia - of the Polish State, but upon the Polish Partitions she had become de jure the Polish peoples' ruler too.

and the last painting by Jan Bogumił Plersz from circa 1787 showing the ending of a conference at Kaniów on the Dniepr River (Dnieper) then in the Polish Kingdom, between Yekaterina and her one-time paramour, our Polish ruler, his majesty king Stanisław August (pretty much bovine in his approach to politics - his coat of arms was Ciołek), who was rather flippant and always in need of funding which he spent on art and sumptuous living, generating vast debts, thus he was constantly on Yekaterina's  pay roll and always asking her for money. His reign started with his election fully forced by the Russian arms (there is a book coming about the war of 1764 election), then continued with the first national uprising known as the  Bar Confederation, 1768-72) that also sought to dethrone  him but eventually ended up in a exhausting defeat by Russian armies, and in turn this complete subjugation of the Polish state lead to the First Partition of Poland. Nota bene this act was proposed by the Prussian monarch who at that time was a rather sly thief( why a thief, well amongst others  he debased Polish gold coins stealing gold etc), known as Frederic II the Great.
Twenty years later King Poniatowski led his kingdom into a war with Russia over the May Constitution in 1792, but being the commander in chief and the actual architect of the whole situation he refused to lead his armies in field, instead remianing in his castle and just ordering the armies through the letters to his commanders, among his many war 'achievements' he refused to even visit the army camps when they needed a boost in morale, but upon surrender he eventually singed off the 2nd partition - great book in English written by an American scholar in 1915. 1795 Kosciuszko Uprising was the last war for our independence with Poniatowski  as our king, and he did nothing to help the cause, worried about his private affairs more than the state's.  So when Polish armies were defeated, three powers went to divide the country.
Poniatowski abdicated on behalf of Russian Empire and thus singed off on the document dissolving the Polish Kingdom, on November 25, 1795, and then went to live his life in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, with 3/5of his debts and his life pension paid by Russia, Prussia and Austria. He died in 1798, again awfully in debt, leaving his estates under the Prussian occupation to prince Józef, who would become one of our national heroes. Rather disgraced former king Stanisław Poniatowski is not buried in the national sanctuary along our other kings and heroes inside the Wawel Castle Cathedral.
In the bottom left-hand corner there is our Polish national cavalry with lances.

enjoy

Sebastian Sobieski by Ivo Preda

Salve,
      I love historical miniature figure sculpture, sculpting and painting, and for years I have been vising various shows in the US to see master modelers in action and their art on display - Planet figure is the best platform for all about the miniature figurine world.

     Recent international show in Chicago, the World Expo, saw among many fine sculptures and dioramas this fabulous  mounted figurine by the one of the preeminent master modelers in the world maestro Ivo Preda.

     Upon seeing the photos of this piece I had asked maestro Preda whether I could show them on blog to which he gracefully consented.

       so, below find photos of this very piece -  of starost and Crown Standard-Bearer Sebastian Sobieski, Janina Coat of arms, 

based on the above Stockholm Roll depiction of this vexillifer regni (chorąży koronny) painted circa 1605.
   Pan Sebastian was the younger brother of our famous warrior, voivode, and also a vexillifer regni pan Marek, who was the grandfather of our king Jan III Sobieski, the Lion of Lechistan. (see Paprocki and Niesiecki for Marek Sobieski deeds of arms)

First, the work in progress

finished figurine

enjoy
ps
all photos of the figurine copyright @ maestro Ivo Preda

Stubbs - The Anatomy of the Horse

Salvete omnes,

whenever I can I study the horse -  conformation, anatomy, physiology, behavior etc, just name it. I can say I am lucky to have horses around. But with our technology and 'gadgetry' we can have a horse image & film or a book/article right there on our device, without having to go to a stable or pasture or slaughterhouse and definitely without smelling its certain smells.

More than 260 years ago one English artists did not mind the smells at all and he spent countless hours and years drawing horse carcases in order to learn equine anatomy.
Hence I would like to turn your attention to a set of splendid engravings that offer the first anatomically correct and esthetically fabulous study of horse anatomy. These anatomy engravings and drawings were executed singlehandedly  by the English artist named George Stubbs, already  a maestro of the equine art, and in these  plates even today one can find help and guidance, and beauty.

In order to carry his task of doing the study of horse anatomy Stubbs rented a farmhouse in Horkstow in Licolnshire, as Venetia Morrison, author of The Art of George Stubbs, explains in here work (pages 21-45) - he would spent there 16 months of hard work, with 'carcasses in more than purified state.' would complete them around 1758, and additional 8 years to complete the plates as etchings etc and have the work published as The Anatomy of the Horse (1766).
I will quote directly the method as described by Ozias Humphrey, author of the Memoir written circa 1795 (the Picton Collection, Liverpool City Library), cited by Ms Morrison:
'The first subject wch[which] was procured was a horse wch was bled to death by the jugular vein - after wch the Arteries and veins were injected[with warm wax says Ms Morrison]. Then a bar of iron was suspended from the ceiling of the room, by a teagle [hook] of iron to wch iron hooks were fix'd - under this bar a plank was swung abt[about] 18 inches wide for the horses feet to rest upon - & the Horse was suspended to the bar  of iron by the hooks above mentioned which were fastened  into the opposite side of the Horse to that intended to be design'd, by passing the hooks to though the ribs & fastening them under the Back Bone - and by these means the Horse was fix'd in the attitude wch these prints represent and continued hanging in the posture six or seven weeks, or as long as they were fit for use - His drawings of a skeleton were previously made - and then the operations upon this fix'd subject were thus begun. He first began by dissecting & designing the muscle of the Abdomen - proceeding through five different lays of muscles until he came to peritoneum and the plura though wch appear'd the lungs & the intestines - after wch the Bowels were taken out & Cast away. - Then he proceeded to dissect the Head[..] and so he proceeded till he came to the Skeleton - it must be noted that by means of the Injection  the Muscles. the Blood vessels, and the Nerves, retain'd  their form to the last without undergoing any Change of position.
In this manner he  advance  his work by stripping off Skin and clearing  and preparing as much of the subject as he concluded  wou'd employ a whole day to prepare, design and describe, as above related till the whole subject was completed'

Ms Morrison writes (p22) that Stubbs must have read the Albinus ' Tabulae Sceleti et Musculorum Corporis Humani (1747), where Albinus explained his method

Valete

Passages d'outremer & Experimental Lance Technique

Salvete omnes,

the article by dr Tobias Capwell on the late medieval couched lance technique and experiments done by the reenactors using such technique.

 Also, the great French digital library provided us with a scan of the entire manuscript titled Passages faiz oultre mer par les François contre les Turcqs et autres Sarrazins et Mores oultre marins (short title Passages d'outremer and can be bought in a modern edition from Taschen), written by Mamerot and with the illuminations that were  painted by Jean Colombe  during AD 1472-75. These paintings, painted for Louis de Laval, are extraordinary and just beautiful - using the library is easy and illusminations can be enlarged and downloaded for your use and enjoyment.

Italian XIX century painter Ludovico Marchetti's painting - Before the trounament

enjoy

Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument

Salvete omnes,
I love monumental sculpture, especially when it contains horses and /or horsemen.
Long time ago I visited Baltimore and among the places where we walked was the area of the J. Hopkins University and Wyman Park (no mention of it in the Wyman Park Wikipedia page)  where there are two very interesting monuments
- Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument
- Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument
The two Southern rebel (Confederate United States) generals monument is a great equine sculpture, powerful and full of emotions.
But it carries more than the beauty, for its symbolism and uncertain fate is part of the hot and divisive quarrel about the place of the monuments to the Civil War in the current American society and culture.
The city wants to remove this monument, along with 3 more monuments including the monument to the US Supreme Court chief judge who authored then famous or nowadays infamous case of Scott vs Sanford of 1855.
While I do not like the idea of the removal of these monuments, especially the beautiful Jackson & Lee, it is the way democracy works, without any regard towards history or beauty, whatever it useful to the politicians at the moment.
Some articles and voices supporting the idea here, here , here and here. Including here is the piece authored by the historian[sic!] of the official proposal to remove Jackson & Lee monument.

Ad rem, the sculptor of this fine monument was a woman named Laura Gardin, who married the famous sculptor James Earl Fraser, hence she is known as Laura Gardin Fraser. (interestingly the Wiki Commons page about the artist does not show any photos of her Jackson & Lee monument).

Nota bene, their studio in Westport, Connecticut, where they both had worked since the early XX century, when they died without heirs was demolished and many sculptures and casts there were destroyed, in the true American fashion of total disregard of history and beauty.

A short article about the monument by Scott L. Mingus, with photos. Scott also put his 2 cents about the issue of the monuments removal.

A piece by James LaFond against the removal, with many insights into the Baltimore politics. (interview with LaFond about living in a failed modern city, could be pretty scary to most)
enjoy

Winged Hussars and POTUS & US Cavalry

Salvete omnes,
US President Donald Trump came to Warsaw, capital of Polish Republic, last Wednesday (5th of July), and on the 6th of July he delivered the historic speech in front of the thousands of cheering people from around the country, having behind him the Warsaw Uprising Monument (Krasiński Square), with the Krasiński Palace giving the Baroque opulence to it all. You can also watch this speech here.. and also read the transcript ( the National Review's look at the speech and reactions to it). As Polish-American I truly thank Mr. Trump for this speech.

Winged hussars, small poczty or 'lances' from 4 reenactment companies in Poland, also came to Warsaw, in order to establish a camp and then to display the ancient and moder feats of horsemanship and military skill and decorum, and to deliver mock charges for the thousands of folks who gathered in this field to enjoy  the Ministry of Defense festivities set up at the National Stadium - located in Praga (borough of Warsaw).

Radoslaw Szleszynski winged hussar companion tent

Copyright @ Zelazny Jan - Pasja Fotografowania

I was there and here are some of the photos from the Hussaria camp.
I came with Radoslaw Szleszynski & dr Radoslaw Sikora, and my son & sister, we had a jolly good time, showing the camp and explaining the history of the winged hussars to many a visitor until the late evening.

inside of the tent vsible, with dr Radoslaw Sikora presiding - :)

As you can see some of the visitors were the American soldiers from the US Army, 2nd Cavalry, doing their rotation in the Mazury lake district in Poland.

mounting the winged hussar Pawel Moczkowski's tall, over 170cm at withers, gelding - wielkopolski

with the Gniew Castle castellan, husaria hetman and world famous jouster imc Pan Jaroslaw  Struczynski

enjoy