The Order of Poland Restored (Polonia Restituta)

[Dzianis]

Hi,
Here is a cross Gontarczyka to screw without a pin



And who else engravers produced OOP? Saw also Knedlera (he passed on the auction DESA № 96)
Dzianis...

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . And that prewar 1st Class Grand Cross - is that gold or gold plate? Stunning!

The cross is tombac (brass alloy) with gold plating. The center discs on both obverse and reverse are silver. The ‘pillowed’ enamelwork on the cross arms is a striking feature of these crosses.

What happened to the Polish engravers? Did Wiktor Gontarczyk survive the war?

I wish I knew more about him and the other well known makers. This is an entire topic of interest on its own.

Posted below is another Grand Cross with slight variation in the details. This one has a twin ring suspension. The red enameled area of center disc on the obverse has a radial etched background instead of a vertical pattern. The reverse keeps the vertical pattern.

These crosses also came in a polished finish (as seen here) and a frosted finish which I’ll post later.

Regards,
Tony

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi,
Here is a cross Gontarczyka to screw without a pin

Very interesting. Another variant here using the pre-war ‘rivet’ technique of holding the center disc. Now, the big question, what period of manufacture??

And who else engravers produced OOP? Saw also Knedlera (he passed on the auction DESA № 96)

Here are the pics from that auction. Unfortunately there is no image of the reverse (why an auction house would not include a picture of the reverse is a frustrating puzzle). This one is marked "JK", so presumably Jan Knedler, although his products are known to be marked "IK". Another less prolific Warsaw based maker was Jacek Kweksilber, known for his 1st Light Cavalry Badge in the form of a star (pic below) - maybe his work?

As far as other known makers, Stanisław Owczarski produced Polonia Restituta crosses. I don't know of any others.

Regards,
Tony

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Found some pics of an Owczarski product, the 5th Class grade of the award. Very interesting details and quite a departure from the Gontarczyk products.

These images were saved from the ebay auction that ran in March 2010. Closing price was just over $1100 US!

Regards,
T.

[dastier]

I really hope the Polish engravers survived the war but given the bestiality of both the Nazis and the Soviets I have my fears.

These gentlemen's creations are Polish cultural icons and deserve to be recognized as such. IMHO, perhaps not of the same stature as a Michelangelo or Rembrandt, they still are great Polish artists. If anyone knows please post.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

As mentioned earlier, here's a Grand Cross variant with frosted gilt finish. The surface of the cross has a light texture in combination with the matt gilt. Note also the extra detail in the cross arm edging bordering the white enamels on the obverse.

Regards,
Tony

[andrzejku98]

Hi Dastier,

In answer to your question did any of the jewellers survive the 2nd World War, here are three of the best known jewellers details:

Wiktor Gontarczyk Born: 1882, Died: 1948,

Jan Knedler Born: 8th February 1867, Died: 10th June 1926,

Adam Nagalski Born: 1862, Died: 1944.

Best wishes

Andrzejku

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Thanks Andrzejku. w.r.t. Jan Knedler, if memory serves after the death of Jan Sr. his son took over the operations and survived the war years. He resumed his career in the early post war years, one of his products being the Cross of Valour for the new Soviet controlled armed forces.

I am curious about the circumstances surrounding Adam Nagalski’s passing in 1944. Warsaw Uprising?

Regards,
Tony

[Dzianis]

Hi,
Here are two varieties of the Chevalier Cross OOP - V class. Right-production Gontarczika, left probably also a difference in the modified matrix.
Dzianis

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Here's a Commander's 3rd class set issued to a Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. The set (recently sold on internet auction) consists of the award diploma along with rarely seen original storage tube, a notice that states the cost of the set and how where payment is to be forwarded, and what appears to be a receipt or packing slip.

Regards,
Tony