“Apostle” spoon with St. Simon, silver, England, 18th century.
“Apostle” spoon with St. Thomas, silver, England, 18th century.
Afrika Korps tropical helmet, cork and canvas, Germany (North Africa), 1941
A tropical cork helmet (Tropenhelm) used by soldiers of the German Afrika Korps (Deutsches Afrikakorps, DAK) during the North African campaign of 1941-1943. Made of lightweight, hardened cork covered with beige canvas. On the sides are metal insignia: on one side a tricolor national shield (black-white-red), on the other a Wehrmacht eagle holding a swastika. The inside of the helmet is lined with red lining, with a preserved leather potnik and a fragment of the chin strap. The potnik bears the manufacturer's stamp HR41 (Heinrich Radecke, Hamburg, 1941).
All in very good state of preservation, with natural wear to the fabric at the edges of the brim and minor rubbing. Despite the broken chin strap, the structure remains fully stable. The helmet is preserved in its original condition, without conservation interference.
Alexander Sochaczewski (1843-1923), Portrait of an elderly woman, oil on canvas, Munich, 1884-1897
Battle of Mohacz, oil on canvas, Krakow, 1886
Cabinet Reliquary with Relic of the True Cross and 26 Saints, wood, textiles, Central Europe, 18th century
An 18th-century Baroque cabinet reliquary, a freestanding wooden display case of trapezoidal form, containing a total of 27 relics. The side walls and top are chamfered, widening toward the front. The interior is lined with burgundy velvet, trimmed with decorative borders of gold bullion thread.
At the center, set slightly forward from the back, is a raised textile reliquary in the form of a monstrance, embroidered with gold thread and richly adorned with bullion, filigree, miniature beads, and multicolored glass imitating precious stones. On the base and shaft are placed six relics, identified by inscriptions painted in gold on dark blue banderoles.
Within the central repository is a reliquary capsule with a convex glass cover, containing two fragments of the True Cross, surrounded by a radiant glory.
Above the “monstrance” is an oval image with an indistinct representation, encircled by 20 additional relics interspersed with decorative elements of bullion, beads, gold thread embroidery, and colored glass. At the level of the nodus are two larger relics (Ex Ossibus) of Saint Vincent and Saint Fortunatus, uniquely labeled on white banderoles.
A distinction should be made between a reliquary and a reliquary cabinet: a reliquary is a vessel that directly contains relics, whereas a cabinet reliquary serves as a structure housing and presenting them. This object is therefore not a typical example, as—besides the central textile reliquary in the form of a monstrance containing fragments of the Cross on which Jesus Christ died—it also incorporates an additional 26 relics of various saints placed directly within the composition, without individual containers.
Their preservation is ensured either by a fine mesh covering or solely by labeled banderoles. The relic of the True Cross is the only one enclosed within a glazed, and undoubtedly sealed, capsule.
The interior of the case, measuring 37.3 × 26.5 × 10 cm, is lined with burgundy velvet, trimmed with gold bullion thread.
Capital with Figural Decoration, Sandstone, France, 12th-14th Century