Władysław Łuszczkiewicz
Presenting the Silver Cock to Krakow Marksmen’s Guild, 1873
Purchased in 1885
imnk
miniaturka

material: oil on canvas

dimensions: 76 × 118 cm

description: The painting Presenting the Silver Cock to the Rifle Club Brotherhood, also called The King’s Gift, focuses on a subject closely related to the history of Krakow: the ceremony of presenting the silver cock to the Krakow Rifle Club Brotherhood by King Sigismund August celebrated along with the confirmation of its old privileges in 1565 (the date visible on the shield). The brotherhood was a city’s paramilitary organization set up to defend Krakow in case of an enemy’s attack. Residents of the city tested their shooting skills at the annual competition, during which they aimed at the target in the shape of a huge cock. The name and the honorary emblem of the brotherhood was derived from it. The silver cock, an outstanding example of 16th-century goldsmithery, decorated with precious stones, has been stored until today as the most valuable treasure of the Krakow’s brotherhood and at the same time the biggest and most magnificent among the emblems of rifle club brotherhoods in the world. Barbara Ciciora

exposition: The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice,
The Cloth Hall, 1, Main Market Square


key: Around the academy >>>

© 2010 National Museum in Krakow
design & concept: creator.pl
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