Romodanowski

"The Eagle, Though Subdued, Defends Its Land with Its Wings and Talons" (1905).

Sounds like a fun thing to do! Shame I've always been hopeless at physics.

"A New and Accurate Map of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Drawn According to Starowolski" (after 1715) by Johann Baptista Homann (1664–1724). I’ve posted another version of this map before, but this one has a little more colour to it. It’s a hand-coloured copper engraving, measuring 48.5 × 55 cm, published in Nuremberg. Homann based it on the geographical account of Szymon Starowolski (1588–1656), whose information was already several decades old by the time this map appeared.

I wstajemy wciąż z popiołów, z pożarów, co płoną...

Heroism is not the absence of fear. It is the courage to stand your ground when fear tells you to run, to defend what is right when silence would be easier, and to carry on when the odds are against you. History remembers those who dared to stand when others stepped aside.

"Portrait of a Girl in Kraków Costume" (1909) by Teodor Axentowicz (1859–1938). In times like these, our thoughts are with Kraków. A little reminder of the city's beauty, its traditions and the people who make it what it is.

Well, guess I'm a Grêmio fan now. Still figuring out what I've got myself into, but here we go!

"Henri de Valois’ Entry into Kraków, Sketch" (1848) by Henryk Rodakowski (1823–1894). Hello, Henri. A pity you abandoned us so soon. I've always had a soft spot for the House of Valois. One of the more short-lived royal romances in Polish history.

"The Gleaner" by Charles Landelle (1821–1908). A quiet scene of rural life, and a reminder of how much work once went into gathering what the harvest left behind.

"Third Exhibition of the Society of Polish Artists 'Sztuka'" (1899) by Teodor Axentowicz (1859–1938). The Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka" was founded in Kraków in 1897 to promote modern Polish art. Its members included leading figures of the Young Poland movement, such as Jacek Malczewski, Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański. Axentowicz was one of its founding members. The society's name simply means "Art" in Polish, and its ambition was to give Polish artists a platform of their own at a time when Poland had disappeared from the political map. Lithograph with tint on paper, 95 × 63.3 cm.

"Portrait of an English Court Lady, Possibly Lady M. Souch" (1797), engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi (1727–1815) after Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497–1543). A portrait created more than two centuries after Holbein's original, showing how his work continued to attract admiration long after his death. Bartolozzi was an Italian engraver who spent much of his career in Britain and became famous for his delicate stipple technique, which gives the image its soft tonal transitions. The sitter's identity remains uncertain; the original inscription suggests she may have been Lady M. Souch.

"Allegorical Scene – from Dante’s Inferno" (1850–1883) by Cyprian Kamil Norwid (1821–1883). Norwid, better known as one of Poland’s greatest poets, was also a painter, sculptor and graphic artist. Here he turns to Dante’s Divine Comedy, depicting the poet himself alongside Virgil in the depths of Hell. Apparently, the painting isn't even on display at the National Museum in Warsaw and has been kept in storage - at least, that's the last I heard.

"Self-Portrait with Soviet Soldiers" (1925) by Feliks Michał Wygrzywalski (1875–1944). Quite an unsettling self-portrait. Wygrzywalski depicts himself marching alongside Red Army soldiers, with a rifle resting on his shoulder. Unlike the soldiers around him, he wears no cap with the red star, and his direct gaze conveys unease and concern.