[wolviex]

Dear Friends!

Yes, it's true that Oriental weapons were always beloved in Poland. From the 16th century the trade with Persia was in bloom. The Turkish weapon inspired Polish one, then in 20th century Polish scholars begun to interest with Orient art. The weapons researches are only a drop in the bucket. There are many scholars well known in the world thanks to their work on Eastern cloths or decorative arts. I feel somehow that study on oriental weapons were always in Poland a little randomly. Just prof. Zdzislaw Zygulski was the first one which started more advanced researches, traveling to Iran, Iraq, Turkey and other places, expanding acquaintances around the world. Althought his work isn't focused just on one topic. He was interested in Polish, Turkish, Persian, Japanese weapons - real man of renaissance. I can't tell how far all this books published in Poland are free of mistakes. How do they compared with results given by the authors around the world, my knowledge here is still to small. Anyway in Polish literature are still many lacks - no one wrote about Yatagans, krises, talwars and many more. Most of the studies were focused on armour and sabres, which inspired Polish ones.

Below you can see a list of books on study of Oriental arms and armour in Poland. I belive it's not full, but it seems to me here you will find most important ones, plus something less important. Among listed books you will find many magazines also. First expert magazine on arms and armour in Poland was "Bron i Barwa" [Arms and Uniforms] published just before the war. This is basic of our knowledge in Poland, althought many articles are outdated, anyway these are foundations of Polish scholars on these topic. After the war most important magazine was (and it is) "Studia do dziejow dawnego uzbrojenia i munduru wojskowego" [Studies on history of old Arms and military uniforms] edited, among the others, by prof. Zygulski. Unfortunately it is published from time to time, irregulary, lately the 12th part was printed.

I tried to translate for you Polish titles for your convenience as best as I could, I put it in [ ] brackets. List is sorted by authors.

Best regards!



- Arcydziela sztuki perskiej ze zbiorow polskich [Masterworks of Persian art in Polish collections], editor Tadeusz Majda, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie 2002;

- Sztuka perska okresu kadzarskiego 1779-1924 [Persian art of Kajar (?) period 1779-1924], editor Tadeusz Majda, Muzeum Zamoyskich w Kozlowce 1996;

- Orez perski i indoperski XVI-XIX w. ze zbiorow polskich [Persian and Indopersian arms from the 16th to 19th centuries in Polish collections], editor Romuald Chodynski, Malbork 2000-2001;


Zbigniew Bochenski
- Un groupe des casques hongrois dorés du XVIe siècle, „Armi Antiche”, Torino 1965;
- Supplément au problème des casques hongrois dorés, „Armi Antiche”, Torino 1966;
- Dwa szyszaki węgierskie w zbiorach polskich [Two Hungarian Zischägge in Polish collections], „Ochrona zabytkow”, t. II, Warszawa-Krakow 1949;
- Szable z sygnaturą Assad-Ullaha w krakowskiem Muzeum Narodowem [Sabres with Assad-Ullah marks in Krakow’s National Museum], „Bron i barwa”, R. III, nr 4, 1936
- Bechter z roku 1580 i jego pochodzenie na tle typologiczno-porownawczym [The „Bekhter”, a body armour of plates and mail, made in 1580, and its typology], „Studia i materialy do dziejow dawnego uzbrojenia i ubioru wojskowego”, T. V, Krakow 1971;

Jerzy Grobicki
- O nozach perskich [On Persian knives], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 2, 1935;

Jacek Gutowski
- Bron i uzbrojenie Tatarow [Arms and armour of Tartars],

Czeslaw Jarnuszkiewicz
- Szabla wschodnia i jej typy narodowe [Oriental sabre and its national types], London 1974;
- Stara broń w Persji dzisiejszej [Antique weapons in today’s Persia], „Bron i barwa”, R. I, nr 7, 1934;
- Muzeum broni starego seraju w Stambule [Arms Museum of Old Seraj (?) in Instanbul], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 10-11, 1935

Marian Hernik
- Biała broń Kaukazu [Edged weapons of Caucasus], „Bron i barwa”, R. I, nr 6, 1934;
- Broń Dalekiego Wschodu [Weapons of Far East], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 10-11, 1935;

Tadeusz Mankowski
- Sztuka Islamu w Polsce w XVII i XVIII wieku [The Art of the Islam in Poland in the 17th and 18th centuries], Krakow 1935;
- Influence of Islamic art in Poland, “Ars Islamica”, T. 2;
- Sztuka Ormian lwowskich [The art of Lviv’s Ormians], Krakow 1934;

Stanislaw Meyer
- Europejskie glownie przy indyjskich szablach [European blades at Indian sabres], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 10-11, 1935;
- Kiedy zyl Assad Ullah [When does Assad-Ullah lived], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 7, 1935;
- Tatarskie pochodzenie szabel polskich zwanych „ormianskiemi” [Tartar origin of the Polish „ormian” sabres], „Bron i barwa”, R. III, nr 6, 1936;
- Szyszak wschodni z XVI w. [Oriental Zischägge from 16th century], „Bron i barwa”, R. IV, nr 9, 1937;

Jerzy Piaskowski
- O stali damascenskiej [On damask steel], Wroclaw 1974;

Jerzy Piaskowski, Alan Maisey
- Technology of early Indonesian keris: the result of metallographic examinations of the ganjas, Warszawa 1995;

Jerzy Podoski
- Bulaty [The damask steel], „Bron i barwa”, R. I, nr 2-3, 1934;
- Damasty skuwane [The wootz steel], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 10-11, 1935;
- Legenda damastow [The legend of the damask], „Bron i barwa”, R. II, nr 12, 1935;

Wladyslaw Tomkiewcz
- Zbroja japonska [Japanese armour], „Bron i barwa”, R. V, nr 10, 1938;

Jerzy Werner
- Polska bron. Luk i kusza [Polish Arms. Bow and Crossbow], Wroclaw 1974;
- Luk refleksyjny i jego okazy w zbiorach krakowskich [The composite bow and some specimens of it in Krakow collections], „Studia i materialy do dziejow dawnego uzbrojenia i ubioru wojskowego”, T. III, Krakow 1967;

Zdzislaw Zygulski jr.
- Bron Wschodnia [Oriental Arms], Warszawa 1983;
- Bron w dawnej Polsce – na tle uzbrojenia Europy i Bliskiego Wschodu [Arms in Poland – compared with European and Near Eatern armament], Warszawa 1975;
- Samurajowie [Samurais], Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie, Krakow 1991
- Swiatła Stambułu [Lights of Instanbul], Warszawa 1999;
- Sztuka Perska [Persian Art], Warszawa 2002;
- Sztuka Turecka [Turkish Art.], Warszawa 1988;
- Ottoman Art in the Service of the Empire, New York 1992;
- Stara bron w polskich zbiorach [Old weapons in Polish collections], Warszawa 1982;
- Oriental and Levantine Firearms [in] Pollard’s History of Firearms, Feltham 1983;
- Sztuka Islamu w zbiorach polskich [Islamic art in Polish collections] , Warszawa 1989;
- Islamic Weapons in Polish Collections and their provenance [in] Islamic Arms and Armour, London 1979;
- Choragwie tureckie w Polsce [Turkish flags in Poland], „Studia do dziejow Wawelu”, t.3, 1968;
- Turkish Trophies in Poland and the Imperial Ottoman Style, “Armi Antiche”, Torino 1972;
- Geneza i typologia bulaw hetmanskich [Origin and typology of hetmans’ bulawa (maces)], „Muzealnictwo wojskowe”, T. 2, Warszawa 1964;
- Kalkan – tarcza orientu [Kalkan – the shield of Orient], „Muzealnictwo wojskowe”, T. 7, Warszawa 2000;
- Karabela i szabla orla [The Karabela and the Eagle Sabre], „Studia i materialy do dziejow dawnego uzbrojenia i ubioru wojskowego”, T. VII, Krakow 1978;
- The elements of Islamic culture in the Polish Sarmatism of the 16th-18th centuries, „Actas des XXIII Congres International de Historia del Arte, Granada 1973;
- Wschód w zbiorach wawelskich [Orient in Wawel Castle collection], “Przegląd orientalistyczny”, nr 4, 1960;