CABRIOLET

A CABRIOLET is a two-wheeled city carriage, to be driven without servants, pulled by one horse. It was purchased by Roman Potocki in Paris from Rotschild. The black city carriage is one of the two carriages purchased in the renowned Parisian company by third Łańcut Ordynat, Roman Potocki. Both of them were bought for his second wife, Elżbieta née Radziwiłł. This was a travel victoria, which is the only one bearing marks related to the countess ˗ letters “RBP” (Roman Betka Potoccy) a rank crown with a jewel, and a cabriolet for driving without servants. A cabriolet is a carriage with a full body, not truncated in the seat section, with two C-springs with a leather collapsible top. Varnished in black, usually used as a city carriage, with golden very thin stripes on the body and lining on the wheels. At the rear side of the carriage, a convex weapon stash was placed, which could be accessed by raising a part of the back rest. There is a movable wedge seat, upholstered with dark blue cloth with red and blue haberdashery strip at the side walls and the edge of the seat. At the front of the footstool, there is another high front fender, made of black varnished leather on a frame, curved, with a fitted rein holder with regulated height and lateral openwork frames trimmed with leather. At the front of the fender, there are handles with two lanterns with front window panes with vertical yellow and red stripes. The drawbars are trimmed with leather and at the ends fitted with plated metal. The cabriolet of the Potocki family in Łańcut preserved in the original condition is one of the few vehicles of this type in Europe. Aldona Cholewianka-Kruszyńska