hello friends,
please take a look at my newest creation - Respublica Poloniae Grand
Hetman and later King Jan III Sobieski in KARACENA - victor of Vienna,
Podhajce, Chocim and countless other battles against the Muslim invaders
from the south. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_III_Sobieski>
I sculpted this bust from good old Super Sculpey, with exception for the
face that was sculpted out of FIMO and the right hand with sabre
sculpted out of gray milliput. It is about 130mm high.
A word about this armour - The Polish szlachta (nobles) fascination with
the myth of Sarmatian origin (introduced around mid 15th century when it
replaced the Vandals mythology of Polish knightly class origins) gave
rise in the early 1670s to completely new and original suit of armour
known as KARACENA or scale armour ( and both body and head scales
protection was developed). It appears that the education and tourism
related voyages to ROME made by the Polish nobles (where Sarmatian
armour was seen of the Trajan Column while Roman scale armour was
depicted also on on other monuments) and constant wars with Ottoman
Empire (where scales armour was still popular) during that period caused
the development of this outstanding and beautiful armour.
Notwithstanding its generic combat functions, its most important
function was to give its wearer the amount of splendour and
magnificence that went far beyond the already highly martial appearance
of the winged hussar armour.
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hussar_Armour>
Very expensive to make and of very high maintenance and perhaps of
limited functional combat role due to its heaviness (according to prof.
Zygulski jr), from 1680s until 1774 Karacena was the armor of the
elite, i.e., commanders and magnates (aristocrats). Hetmans, both field
and grand, favored it, as did Rotmistrz (Rotameisters or Captains) or
other higher officers of Winged Hussars
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Hussars>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towarzysz_husarski>
or Pancerni <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towarzysz_pancerny> cavalry as
well wealthy magnates.
It symbolizes along with the KARABELA, PAS KONTUSZOWY and KONTUSZ/ZUPAN
suit the Polish nobility culture and mythology of SARMATISM
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatism>
King Jan was the most ardent proponent of this style of armour and as
you can see from the wikipedia portraits of him he was fond of being
portrayed wearing KARACENA. In the Polish and Russian(Moscow Kremlin)
and German (Dresden) museums you can seen surviving examples of this
amazing and legendary armour.
thanks to Dario for his help with this translation.
enjoy
I made my sculpture after an ink drawing of King Jan III by Szymon
Kobylinskim, one of the Polish most preeminent illustrators who is
unfortunately deceased (d.2002) . Szymon Kobylinski ( very prolific:
wrote 20 books an illustrated 300 other writers books, consultant to
many filims and TV shows, draw daily cartoons anwrote articles for many
newspapers and magazines) was very active in drawing and teaching about
our Polish nobles, warriors and soldiers of the Polish Lithuanian
Commonwealth, often on TV and radio. This drawing was published in his
book "Szymona Kobylinskiego Gawedy o Broni i mundurze"(1984).
<http://www.muzeumkarykatury.pl/BBBmuzeum/wystawy/wystawy_strony/kobylinski/kobylinski_wystawa.html>
his satirical drawings on "With Fire and Sword" film.
<http://rozrywka.onet.pl/galerie/ogniem_i_mieczem/kobylinski0.html>
please take a look at my newest creation - Respublica Poloniae Grand
Hetman and later King Jan III Sobieski in KARACENA - victor of Vienna,
Podhajce, Chocim and countless other battles against the Muslim invaders
from the south. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_III_Sobieski>
I sculpted this bust from good old Super Sculpey, with exception for the
face that was sculpted out of FIMO and the right hand with sabre
sculpted out of gray milliput. It is about 130mm high.
A word about this armour - The Polish szlachta (nobles) fascination with
the myth of Sarmatian origin (introduced around mid 15th century when it
replaced the Vandals mythology of Polish knightly class origins) gave
rise in the early 1670s to completely new and original suit of armour
known as KARACENA or scale armour ( and both body and head scales
protection was developed). It appears that the education and tourism
related voyages to ROME made by the Polish nobles (where Sarmatian
armour was seen of the Trajan Column while Roman scale armour was
depicted also on on other monuments) and constant wars with Ottoman
Empire (where scales armour was still popular) during that period caused
the development of this outstanding and beautiful armour.
Notwithstanding its generic combat functions, its most important
function was to give its wearer the amount of splendour and
magnificence that went far beyond the already highly martial appearance
of the winged hussar armour.
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hussar_Armour>
Very expensive to make and of very high maintenance and perhaps of
limited functional combat role due to its heaviness (according to prof.
Zygulski jr), from 1680s until 1774 Karacena was the armor of the
elite, i.e., commanders and magnates (aristocrats). Hetmans, both field
and grand, favored it, as did Rotmistrz (Rotameisters or Captains) or
other higher officers of Winged Hussars
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Hussars>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towarzysz_husarski>
or Pancerni <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towarzysz_pancerny> cavalry as
well wealthy magnates.
It symbolizes along with the KARABELA, PAS KONTUSZOWY and KONTUSZ/ZUPAN
suit the Polish nobility culture and mythology of SARMATISM
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatism>
King Jan was the most ardent proponent of this style of armour and as
you can see from the wikipedia portraits of him he was fond of being
portrayed wearing KARACENA. In the Polish and Russian(Moscow Kremlin)
and German (Dresden) museums you can seen surviving examples of this
amazing and legendary armour.
thanks to Dario for his help with this translation.
enjoy
I made my sculpture after an ink drawing of King Jan III by Szymon
Kobylinskim, one of the Polish most preeminent illustrators who is
unfortunately deceased (d.2002) . Szymon Kobylinski ( very prolific:
wrote 20 books an illustrated 300 other writers books, consultant to
many filims and TV shows, draw daily cartoons anwrote articles for many
newspapers and magazines) was very active in drawing and teaching about
our Polish nobles, warriors and soldiers of the Polish Lithuanian
Commonwealth, often on TV and radio. This drawing was published in his
book "Szymona Kobylinskiego Gawedy o Broni i mundurze"(1984).
<http://www.muzeumkarykatury.pl/BBBmuzeum/wystawy/wystawy_strony/kobylinski/kobylinski_wystawa.html>
his satirical drawings on "With Fire and Sword" film.
<http://rozrywka.onet.pl/galerie/ogniem_i_mieczem/kobylinski0.html>
