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Necklace from Czersk Silver necklace made of several strands of double stranded wire. The ends of the necklace are forged in the lenticular plate form, decorated on one ornament, completed with hook and eye fastening. |
Hanukkah lamp Chanukah — the eight-day Jewish festival of lights – in its historical aspect commemorates the victorious Maccabean Revolt against the Greeks under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whereas in its ethical aspect refers to the salvation of Judaism, the only existing monotheistic religion based on the coherent system of moral values in the 2ndcentury BC. |
Silver salt cellar with a figure of a boy pushing the sled This silver salt shaker, in the shape of a boy pushing a sled, is actually a miniature sculpture. It evokes admiration for the precision of the 19th century artist from Frankfurt, who, in the microscopic scale of a few centimeters, was able to develop numerous, intricate details and decorations. |
Megillat Esther binding The Megillat Esther binding is a case for storing a parchment scroll of the Book of Esther. The Biblical Book of Esther tells the story of how Esther, the wife of the Persian King Ahasuerus, thwarted the plans of Minister Haman aiming to annihilate the Jews who inhabited the Persian Empire. To commemorate these events, on the 14th and 15th day of the month of Adar the Jews celebrate the joyful holiday of Purim. |
Cup It is one of the most magnificent Baroque, secular works of Polish goldsmithery preserved in the collection in the world. The scenes most emphasized on the goblet are connected with weaving. This was the main source of income for the residents of Leszno in the 17th century. Two of them illustrate everyday occupations – shearing and weaving, and the third one clearly has a allegorical meaning. |
Coffee set designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz Small is beautiful... Museums are usually associated with large cool rooms with beautiful paintings hanging on the walls and accompanied by remarkable sculptures. In this totally undisturbed silence the works arouse universal respect and admiration. Are museums just about paintings and sculptures? |
Besamin tower box from Vienna The container for fragrant spices (e.g. clove, cinnamon, vanilla, myrtle), the aroma of which is ritually inhaled during the ceremony called Havdalah (in Hebrew: separation) is held in Jewish houses at the end of Shabbat. The base is in the form of a square frame. The stem has four rods fastened with four elliptic medallions. |
Vessel in the shape of the Polish Eagle At present, the tableware of the Polish royal court is known to us almost exclusively from archive materials. The majority of preserved single items or their designs come from Augsburg – the most important centre of the European goldsmithery in the 17th and 18th centuries. Among these items, the most outstanding is the state set of John Casimir Vasa. |
Silver cup from Ryzhanivka This mug was part of the tomb gifts of the ‘princess’ from Ryzhanovka. It rested in a bronze situla, which probably contributed to the fact that it was in perfect condition. The entire vessel is carved out of one piece of metal. The ornament consists of vertical forged stripes, centred around... |
Kiddush goblet Kiddush translates from Hebrew as “sanctification.” The ceremony is celebrated at the beginning of the Sabbath and other holidays, by saying a special blessing over a cup of red sweet wine (or red grape juice). |
“Roztruchan” decorative cup Aside from its practical functions, the silver tableware collected and stored in Old Polish houses also had representative functions. There was also a separate group of dishes of a primarily decorative character, whose original, sophisticated form, perfection of composition, and materials used for their production were to dazzle and delight the guests. |
Salt cellar in the shape of an elongated cup This silver salt shaker, in the shape of an elongated bowl, which is decorated at the edge with an openwork strip of plants, is the work of a high-class goldsmith. It was made in France in pre-revolutionary times, in Paris in the years 1786–1787, by the goldsmith, Jean-Baptiste-François Chéret. The precise determination of the authorship, time, and place of the creation of this work is possible thanks to the marking, which, in the past, was to testify the occurrence of precious metal, and nowadays is the source of information about the history of the object; its interpretation, however, often requires detective work. |
Small cross — a badge commemorating the battle of Krzwopłoty Badge in the shape of Latin cross. On the obverse is shown eagle in crown and inscription above: “HONOR OF HEROS WHO DIED FOR POLAND”. |
Cup from Michael Wissmar workshop The chalice foot is made on a six-leaf plan, the foot coat and a hexagonal sleeve are decorated with a grapevine spike on a gold-plated background, with six silver medallions with engraved scenes: the Birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Risen Christ, the Gathering of Manna, the Grape Harvest, the Harvest. |
Chalice and paten The chalice was made in a Roman workshop around 1360. It is set on a ten-leaved foot base with a pedestal, decorated with a geometric decoration strip. The chalice foot is covered with a smooth coat, with an applied medallion containing an engraved coat of arms surrounded by laurel leaves in the field and on the opposite side of the coat with an enamelled cameo showing a Crucifixion Group. The upper base is finished with a ring with a strip of geometric decoration analogous to the base. |
Chalice The chalice is an example of seventeenth-century goldsmithing in Małopolska, with features typical of the workshops of the region such as a slim and smooth bowl set in a basket, an oval nodus, repoussé decorations, and motifs of heads of winged cherubs, which was a common element of the decoration of gold products from Kraków in that period. |
Chalice and Paten The chalice was a gift for John Paul II from the President of Senegal, Abdou Dioufan, presented to the Holy Father during his pilgrimage to Senegal from 19 February to 23 February 1992. |
Miniature heart-shaped bottle The silver heart-shaped bottle was intended for storing fragrances. On one side of the vessel, a decorative entwined monogram has been engraved (initials “RC” or “CR”?), topped by a crown. The motif is placed in a frame consisting of a decorative border featuring a simple ornament composed of triangles and matching the shape of the heart. |
Model of “Kraków” locomotive The model of the “Kraków” locomotive is one of the most interesting exhibits in the collection of the Bractwo Kurkowe [Brotherhood of the Rooster]. It is a model of a steam locomotive with the 1B axis system (one rolling axis in the front and two drive connected axes—average-size wheels). Such a steam locomotive was provided by the Borsig factory in Berlin in 1847 for the Kraków–Upper Silesian Railway and was designed for cargo transport. |
Crystal bottles with silver stoppers |