Victoria

A VICTORIA is a city carriage pulled by two horses. It was purchased by Roman Potocki, third Łańcut Ordynat, from Rotschild in Paris. This black city carriage is one of two carriages purchased in this renowned Parisian company by Roman Potocki. Both of them were purchased for his second wife Elżbieta Potocka née Radziwiłł ˗ the cabriolet for riding unassisted and the victoria for city rides, which is the only carriage that bears the symbols related to the countess, namely letters RBP (Roman Betka Potoccy ˗ Betka being the abbreviated version of the countess’ name used by the family members) under the rank crown with a jewel at the front on the side walls. The victoria is a carriage with a full body that was not truncated in the seat section, with a collapsible top made of leather. Varnished in dark green colours (carriages usually used in cities were called “black”) with yellow stripes, the chassis and the leather part are black and the upholstery of the main seat and the chest-type box is made of dark green cloth. A box was installed here instead of the more popular separate wedge seat, with the entire mattress with a wedge-type shape. The countess’ victoria was used also in the inter-war period of the 20th century. It was one of two carriages used during the visit which President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, paid to Ordynat Alfred Antoni Potocki in 1929. The Kielce britzschka (bryczka kielecka), driven by the Ordynat, was used for a recreational ride, while the victoria for riding to the Łańcut parish church for the mass. The carriage, pulled by two horses, was driven by a Łańcut coachman, with the president’s aide sitting next to him. Professor Ignacy Mościcki, President of the Republic of Poland, and Łańcut Ordynat Alfred Antoni Potocki, sat in the carriage. The victoria carriage of the Potocki family in Łańcut preserved in the original condition is one of few vehicles of this type in Europe. Aldona Cholewianka-Kruszyńska