Polski salon myśliwski XIX-XX wieku: A Historical Exhibition of Polish Hunting Traditions

This exhibition recreates the atmosphere of historical manor houses and palaces, showcasing a "gentleman's room" filled with family memorabilia, primarily related to hunting. It highlights impressive hunting trophies, a collection of firearms tracing their historical development, and various hunting accessories.

The "Polish Hunting Salon of the 19th-20th Centuries" exhibition transports visitors to the ambiance of now-vanished manors and palaces, presenting a "gentleman's room" where generations of owners collected family mementos, especially those connected with hunting. The space is densely filled with objects, mirroring the opulent "overloaded" style of historical rooms, with a particular emphasis on significant hunting trophies. Notable items include a wild boar's tusk from Rychcice (1929), roe deer antlers from Nienadowa (1896), a deer crown (1907), and elk antlers (1938). Exotic trophies like buffalo horns and elephant tusks, grouped around a fireplace, evoke the popular safaris of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The salon also features a collection of hunting firearms, offering a historical overview from mid-17th-century wheel-lock arquebuses to 19th-century percussion cap rifles and early 20th-century breech-loading repeating rifles. Many of these weapons are artistically crafted with carving, inlay, and engraving, showcasing the skill of past artisans. The collection is further enriched by hunting accessories such as horns, bugles, powder flasks, and daggers, alongside everyday items like pipes, watches, writing implements, glassware, silverware, and porcelain. Adding to the interior's decoration are paintings by renowned Polish artists, including Juliusz and Wojciech Kossak, Michał Wywiórski, Ryszard Okniński, and Kazimierz Pochwalski. These works frequently depict hunting expeditions, equestrian rides, hunters, landscapes, and animals, serving as rich iconographic sources that document the vibrant customs of the era. The room's nature-centric character is further enhanced by animalistic sculptures, primarily bronze casts, which skillfully capture the beauty and diversity of animal forms, conveying their characters and emotions with remarkable detail.