Modern arsenals housed a variety of valuable items, but military artefacts undoubtedly predominated. In some, such as the one in Warsaw, one might come across, for example, a prosthetic forearm, also known as a mechanical hand.

It seems that one of the earliest references to prosthetic hands is a passage from Pliny the Elder’s encyclopaedia *Natural History*, dated 77 CE. Of course, earlier accounts are known, but these come from archaeological sources or rock paintings. Meanwhile, in his encyclopaedia, the author mentions the loss of a hand by a Roman commander during the Second Punic War, who was able to return to the battlefield thanks to a prosthesis he received. In Poland, an early account by Gallus Anonymus is well known; in his *Chronicles*, he describes how Bolesław Krzywousty presented a ‘golden hand’ to the voivode Żelisław (“It was there that Count Żelisław lost the hand with which he held his shield to protect his body, but he immediately avenged its loss valiantly by killing the man who had severed it. Prince Bolesław, in honour of him, returned to him a golden hand in place of his flesh-and-blood one”).

The Renaissance brought about scientific progress, including advances in surgery, prosthetics and orthotics. At that time, iron prostheses were being made, including those for the hand, as well as the arms and forearms. They were shaped to resemble a human limb; they were fitted with an elbow joint which allowed them to be bent and – by releasing a special lock with a button – straightened. However, they were still quite heavy and required control from the unaffected hand, which could be problematic. Furthermore, upper limb prostheses were products that only wealthy people could afford, which is why fewer of them have survived compared to lower limb prostheses.

Over time, from the 17th century onwards, improvements were made to them through the use of steel and copper, as well as changes to their design. The aim of these modifications, apart from increasing functionality, was also to reduce the weight of the prostheses, as the existing ones – whilst restoring soldiers’ ability to hold weapons – still caused difficulties in handling. Design improvements continued to advance, and as a result, the range of users began to expand. In the early 17th century, an Italian physician, Giovanni Tommaso Minadoi, designed a prosthesis for an amputee who was not serving in the military.

An extremely interesting artefact is the forearm and hand prosthesis, also known as the ‘mechanical hand’, housed in the Livrustkammaren (Royal Armoury) in Stockholm. It was intended for a person who had lost their left hand. It was made between 1600 and 1620 from steel painted black. It is 440 mm long, 125 mm wide and weighs 1,480 g. The hand, which is 95 mm wide, is fitted with five movable fingers, and a button at the top allows them to be positioned as required. The fingers are attached to a special joint, on internally fixed knuckles. The hand, in turn, is connected to the forearm cuff. Two pairs of hinges are fitted to the openwork sleeve.

The item was recorded several times in the inventories of the Royal Armoury in Stockholm. The first record dates from 1683, when it was listed as one of the items brought from Poland. The prosthesis fell into the hands of the Swedish army when they plundered the arsenal in Warsaw in 1655. It is also known that it was later used by Charles XII Wittelsbach’s equerry, Carl Gustaf Güntherfelt (1672–1738), who lost his arm during the Battle of Kliszów (1702). Some sources claim that Güntherfelt lost both arms in battle, but this seems unlikely, as he continued to accompany Charles XII on the battlefield in the years that followed.

The next reference to the object comes from an inventory dated 1748, a decade after the death of the royal equerry. It was recorded at that time under number 513: “En Järnhand med Konst giord, för en lahmskuten at bruka” [An iron hand, artfully crafted, for a lame man to use]. The next two references, this time from the inventories of 1803 and 1813, also under number 513, state: “1 iron hand used by Gÿnterfeldt. Inventory no.: 513” [1 iron hand used in Gÿnterfeldt’s time, inv. no.: 513]. It is therefore known that the object was loaned to the royal equerry following the loss of his hand, and after his death the prosthesis was returned, presumably by his family, to the Royal Armoury. The object is currently on display at the Royal Armoury in Stockholm.