The Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland 1572-1764
by Jan K. Ostrowski, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Piotr Krasny, Kazimierz Kuczman, Adam Zamoyski, Jr., Zydislaw Zygulski

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Book Reviews of The Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland 1572-1764

Book Review: --Historic and Magnificent Treasures--
Summary: 5 Stars

LAND OF THE WINGED HORSEMEN: ART IN POLAND, 1572-1704 is a splendid pictorial of over 150 magnificent works of art from the Baroque era when Poland ranked as the second largest country in Europe. Poland's location is at the heart of Europe and for that reason its position is at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe. That melting pot of nations and cultures is reflected in this outstanding collection.

This book highlights paintings of the monarchy; icons, religious depictions and an historic and magnificent painting entitled The Battle of Vienna. Also shown are rich tapestries, exotic rugs, glassware, porcelains, military regalia, weaponry, liturgical objects and the crown of King Augustus III.

The Winged Horsemen was the name given to the Polish hussars. They carried a very long lance, wore traditional metal plate armor and usually had some type of animal skin draped across the shoulder. What gave them such a distinctive look were the wings that were mounted to the back of their saddles. In 1683 the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski led an army of combined Polish and German Imperial soldiers to fend off an attack of 100,000 Turks who had laid siege to Vienna. The Polish Winged Horsemen led the assault and smashed through the Turkish defenses. The Turks fled in panic and Vienna was saved. A Turkish tent from that siege and armor from a Winged Horsemen are both pictured.

The beautiful photographs in this book are accompanied by well-explained descriptions of the various works of art.

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