The epic summer battle

This year is the 612th anniversary of the epic battle of Grunwald which resulted in total defeat of Teutonic Knights. They were obliterated by Polish and Lithuanian armies combined under Polish king Władysław Jagiełło’s, a Lithuanian, command. Of that glorious time reminds Jan Matejko’s painting (attached) , a Henryk Sienkiewicz’ Krzyżacy novel, Aleksander Ford’s Krzyżacy movie and the annual reconstruction of the battle. In Szczecin we have plac Grunwaldzki, too, to remeber it. Also, and that’s like advanced stuff, 1 : 4 : 10 is not a date-time format but … a popular moonshine recipe but shhh! :wink:



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That is an interesting painting. Chaos like a battlefield and a lot of details to see after you managed which body part belongs to which body.

Why is there a leopard in it? :smiley:

Poland is interesting and so is your comment. Where is this leopard as I didn’t study the painting that carefully? Maybe it’s just an illusion? Like a play of colors and shapes. Still though, I heard people spotted i.a. a wristwatch in Ford’s movie.

Seems to be an african warrior with an leopard hide:

AfrcanWarrioirWithLeopardSkin

I looks more like it is a leopard’s skin. Maybe it’s the trophy of the man with this hornlike thing? Like won fighting Tatars that were pushing West then? Perhaps crusades I don’t insist on it though. Intriguing. African warriors were not probable then as the great discoveries era started only 1492 with Columbus. Besides, which side would they be on?

Also here:

Maybe they were mercenaries.

Ah yes… english words (or words in any language… non - english native here) at its nuances…:

skin = partly only the layer over flesh or dermis layer or peel, buff

For processed animal skin without fur, fell , hair this would be leather (for example) and partly also with hair.

hide = dermi layer with fur, fell, hair … but also → skin

to skin an animal, to flay hide , to flay skinm, to peel of the skin

something likeL
skin deep, skin tight, skin dry, soft skinned refers to human skin

(also to hide : to stash, to cover (to take cover), to shroud, to conceal, to lurk
and the hide: raised stance or stand (high seat) but also decency, modesty, manners
or a good hiding: getting a club or smack , beeing beaten or poundered )

I do always learn something here on BA :wink:

And i misinterpreted the horn for a black skinned arm with a spear.
On the other hand african people did a lot in europe since the collapse of the roman empire…
see for example

(and what has this to do with columbus re-discovering america (because some north-men were there before…) ?)…

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Yes also a dead leopard… just used as a horse blanker/spread (? bareback pad)

The Roman Empire, too, knew them as it also was the Northern coast of Africa. I want to say Polish chronicles don’t seem to mention them so the chances of them taking part are close to none. And remember the painting was made a few centuries after the battle when i.a. Africa was under colonial rule. Hence, this could’ve been poetic licence or Matejko tried to show how fierce and savage the battle was. And since you said that, an African did fight for us but in the 1944 Warsw Uprising.

:smiley: Did not seen this one.
Its a gepard afaik, when the dots have a dot in it.

Yes, i mean this one.

I think this would be a Jaguar… but those are from south america… And not the cheetah :wink:

What else can we spot here ?

Pavo (left and right on the “horizon” line ) and Pheasant (left to the one i showed) feathers on the helmets and properly some Stoat fur on some coats…

Maybe some beaver fur…

Hmm what’s this ? Some spotted cat fur?:
WatsThis

Hm, since it on his head i guess otter or similar. Dont look like beaver for me.

Only a german link, didnt know “Wimmelbilder” are invented hundreads of years ago:

Hehe… even older Cave Paintings… but maybe just over time and because of the media (whole cave) :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Yeah, looks like it. they must have traveled to obtain such stuff.

There is definitely a lot in that painting though.

Platige Image made a cool 3D version of that painting:

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Yeah, that was the 600th anniversary of the battle.

Very interesting is when these tiny details go viral. Based on what I searched:

Thanks, that’s most interesting. It also gives a clue that Matejko may have likened that Polish-Lithuanian XV century triumph to much later Polish victories. And the fact a non-Polish company knows it and uses that knowledge is praiseworthy.