Battle of Mohacz, oil on canvas, Krakow, 1886
Bell fragment from the garrison church in Zamość, bronze, Poland, 1915.
Commemorative fragment of a church bell (so-called Kriegsandenken / Grabenschmuck), an irregular bronze shard from the mantle with distinct, sharp edges, typical of a mechanical fracture.
On the outer surface of the bronze, a fragment of rich, plastic relief decoration in the Byzantine-Russian style has been preserved. It depicts a distinct bust/face of a bearded saint wearing a dignified, ceremonial headdress (a bishop's miter or an Eastern princely crown). The anatomical features of the figure and the details of the vestments indicate the high sculptural artistry of the Tsarist manufacture. Most likely, this is an image of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker or Saint Prince Vladimir. Above the figure's head, the outline of a decorative frieze (vegetal ornament or cherub's wings) is visible.
A rectangular metal plate with an engraved, German-language inscription in decorative cursive has been attached to the fragment with two rivets:
a. d. Zarenglocke d. Garnison Kirche Don Kosaken Zamosc, 27.8.1915
Brahma, marble, India, 19th century.
Brahma, marble, India, 19th century.
Bust of Krishna, marble, India, 19th century.
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
Christ Salvator Mundi, polychrome wood, Poland, 19th century.