Curiosa na osiemnastowiecznym dworze polskim i ich polityczna użyteczność – trzyrożny wół Stanisława Potockiego
Curiosa at the eighteenth-century Polish court and their political utility – Stanisław Potocki’s three-horned ox

Summary/Abstract: This text analyses the way in which a zoological curiosum (a three-legged ox belonging to Stanisław Potocki) was used for ad hoc political purposes in the mid-18th century, as an element of the political ceremonial associated with the deliberations of the so-called Dubno Commission. Set up by August III and sitting in Dubno, the Commission was intended to restore order in the Ostróg fee tail estate, which was divided among the creditors of its owner Janusz Sanguszko. The message to the public was that the result of the Commission’s work was, above all, the return of peace and universal harmony to the Republic. The carnival parties of 1755, organised with great pomp on Stanisław Potocki’s estate in Brody and attended by members of the Dubno Commission, showed the unity of their participants and were a counterbalance to the carnivals of the previous year, when some of those directly involved in the Ostróg conflict were unable to attend (this was particularly the case of General Stanisław Mokronowski, commander of the Dubno fortress). The three-horned ox, displayed at the 1755 carnival in Brody, in particular drew the public’s attention to these events, making them most memorable. It thus became a useful animal, in the sense in which usefulness was then related to the category of curiosa. It complemented the visual message associated with the politics of that time, in this case taking its place alongside artistic works – sculptures, prints and decorations for special occasions.

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