A study of Stefan Batory's armor

In 1860, while studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Jan Matejko was sketching Stefan Batory's armor using the watercolor technique.
It was the second time that Matejko painted the collection while collecting materials for the painting "Batory near Pskov", returning from Paris. The great canvas was completed in Krakow in 1871.

The painting shows a ceremonial half-armor of the Hungarian type from the mid-16th century, decorated with gilded ornaments. Below, a Hungarian saber with a marked hand embracing the hilt and a sketch of a hunting knife. At the top of the painting, on the right, a part of a scabbard for a saber with a shoe fitting. This sketch is a perfect example of the artist's extraordinary care for the authenticity of "historical details", which Matejko presented with great painterly artistry.

Upon completion, the artist donated the painting to his secretary Marian Gorzkowski.