THE CEREMONIAL SABER OF ARCHDUKE CARL JOSEPH: WEAPONS HISTORY IN THE CULTURAL STUDIES CONTEXT
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DOI: 10.31773/2078-1768-2024-67-82-89
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Information about authors: Shapiro Bella Lvovna, Dr of Culturology, PhD in Historical Sciences, associate professor, professor of Department of Cinema and Contemporary Art, Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: b.shapiro@mail.ru
Annotation: A weapon monument of the mid-18th century, the child's saber of Empress Maria Theresa's son Austrian Archduke Carl Joseph, considered at the intersection of historical cultural studies, historical weaponry and the history of material culture. Aside from its extremely small size, the six-year-old Archduke's saber is no different from similar full-sized items: by the 18th century, sabers were increasingly fulfilling not only a military role but also indicative to the high social status of its owner. This saber was part of a presentation outfit made for the Empress's young son who attended a political summit in Pressburg, Hungary. Like the whole costume, the saber made in the Hungarian national style. The grip of the saber finished in the refined rococo style, typical for the mid-18th century. This grip carved from a material rare for Europe – green heliotrope (importantly that green was already one of the three national colors of Hungary at that time). Stone carvers who worked for the Habsburgs usually had Indian heliotrope, green with dark red inserts. However, in the mid-18th century, they also had access to Eastern European heliotrope from Bohemia and Transylvania, which were then part of the Holy Roman Empire. This material better matched to the Archduke's saber as part of the Hungarian costume, based on two considerations at once. First, European heliotrope was pure green, with no colored inclusions, like one of the main national colors of Hungarian costume. In addition, the choice of Eastern European material was the best from a symbolic point of view, illustrating the awakening interest of Europeans in local rather than exotic cultures.
Keywords: 18th century, Age of Enlightenment, historical cultural studies, national culture, rococo, weapons history, artistic weapons, ceremonial weapons, carved stone art.
DOI: 10.31773/2078-1768-2024-67-82-89
Article ID in the RSCI:
Article file: Download
Information about authors: Shapiro Bella Lvovna, Dr of Culturology, PhD in Historical Sciences, associate professor, professor of Department of Cinema and Contemporary Art, Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: b.shapiro@mail.ru
Annotation: A weapon monument of the mid-18th century, the child's saber of Empress Maria Theresa's son Austrian Archduke Carl Joseph, considered at the intersection of historical cultural studies, historical weaponry and the history of material culture. Aside from its extremely small size, the six-year-old Archduke's saber is no different from similar full-sized items: by the 18th century, sabers were increasingly fulfilling not only a military role but also indicative to the high social status of its owner. This saber was part of a presentation outfit made for the Empress's young son who attended a political summit in Pressburg, Hungary. Like the whole costume, the saber made in the Hungarian national style. The grip of the saber finished in the refined rococo style, typical for the mid-18th century. This grip carved from a material rare for Europe – green heliotrope (importantly that green was already one of the three national colors of Hungary at that time). Stone carvers who worked for the Habsburgs usually had Indian heliotrope, green with dark red inserts. However, in the mid-18th century, they also had access to Eastern European heliotrope from Bohemia and Transylvania, which were then part of the Holy Roman Empire. This material better matched to the Archduke's saber as part of the Hungarian costume, based on two considerations at once. First, European heliotrope was pure green, with no colored inclusions, like one of the main national colors of Hungarian costume. In addition, the choice of Eastern European material was the best from a symbolic point of view, illustrating the awakening interest of Europeans in local rather than exotic cultures.
Keywords: 18th century, Age of Enlightenment, historical cultural studies, national culture, rococo, weapons history, artistic weapons, ceremonial weapons, carved stone art.
