Salvete Omnes,
a quick gallop in search of artefacts and imagery related to the famous Polish cavalry of the early modern period aka winged hussars.
Biecz is a very old town in southern Poland, in the Little Poland historic province. It has been mentioned already in the early XI century, and circa 1257Ad became a town founded based on the German law town privileges. Under king Kazimierz Wielki town became a seat of a royal starost, and the capital of Biecz county (abolished by the Austrian overlords following the First Partition of Poland and annexation of Biecz county in 1780s).
One of the most important monuments and active Roman Catholic church is the Corpus Christi Collegiate church in Biecz.
and inside this late Gothic -Renaissance church , above the entrance to the 'presbiterium' (presbitery aka chancel) there is a beam on which a Passion scene has been constructed.
the Latin sentence is carved onto the beam - Christvs Dominnvs Factvs est pro nobis obediens vsqve AD Mortem MDC XXXIX - which could mean that the figures of this Passion scene were placed there around 1639AD?
One of the sculpted figures of this Passion scene portrays a Roman soldier aka Saint Longinus.
but this is a XVII century Saint and hence he is dressed and armed like a winged hussar?
His kopia or lance with which is is piercing Christ's chest is very much like the winged hussar lance of the period - very long and 'slender' looking, with the galka or apple/pomme ball-like handguard very close to the butt end
the kopia's dimensions and its appearance seem to support my hypothesis that actual winged hussar kopia had a rather short rear part, from galka to butt end, in relation to its entire length.
unfortunately I have no good modern photo of this figure of Saint Longinus as winged hussar
ps
I have no information if this kopia/lance has been studied by any Polish historians. Anybody knows?
valete
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