Coat of Bones

One of the most monumental and iconic decorations created by Rint in the ossuary, is the House of Schwarzenberg coat of arms made entirely out of human bones. We do not know if its creation was ordered by Orlik of Schwarzenberg, or if Rint created it on his own to express his gratitude to his employer. Regardless, it is an impressively detailed creation, and one of the centerpieces of the ossuary.

It can currently be found hanging in the lower area of the ossuary, in front of one of the pyramid of bones in the left transept. But what few people know, is that its original placement was at the entranceway above the staircase. Parts of Rint's design can still be seen above the stairs, in the form of bones and skulls hanging like drapes, which used to flank the sides of the coat of arms, and represented the princely cloak.

Those who are familiar with historic coats of arms will no doubt recognize some of the symbols that Rint artistically reinterpreted out of bones. Perhaps the first thing people usually notice is the raven pecking out the eye of a skull. This dark scene relates to the Turkish War, and commemorates the conquest of the Turkish-held fortress of Győr in 1598. This fortress was also known as Ráb or Raab - meaning “raven” in German. If you look closely, you will notice that the skull has a "ponytail" that depicts the typical Turkish hairstyle of that time.

Another clearly defined part of the coat of arms is the rounded crown on top, which symbolizes the prince title that was given to the Schwarzenbergs in 1670. The details in the crown were carefully thought out by Rint to include the intricate bottom band of the crown made of sacral bones, two rounded designs of pelvic bones with skulls in the centers to make the shape of the crown, and a cross made of long bones at the very top. The crown is outlined with rounded ball joint femur bones, and completed at the bottom with a fringe made of rib bones.

Now, let's take a closer look at some of the lesser-known, overlooked symbols of other dominions. If you look at the field to the left of the raven, you will notice a femur topped with a sacral bone, creating the symbol of a burning twig, which represents Brandis dominion. Moving clockwise to the top left, you will see four stripes made of phalanges and metacarpal bones of the hand, which represent the silver & blue stripes on the very original Schwarzenberg crest. Next, at the top right section of the coat of arms, there are 3 mandibles pointing upward like spikes, to symbolize the Schultz dominion. The last two dominions in the heart of the crest, are hiding between the head of the Turk and the burning twig. You have to look closely, but it is possible to make out bones in the shape of a tower on a hill to the left, and three bundles of bones representing golden sheaves to the right. These symbolize the City Scheinfeld and Schwarzenberg Castle.

In the very last addition to the coat of arms, hiding in the top center portion, one can discern a crowned lion rampart standing on two paws (made from two scapula, clavicle, and other various bones), three flying alerions (made from vertebrae), and an upright standing sword (made of various long bones). The right to bear these three-part arms of the Habsburg family onto the House of Schwarzenberg coat of arms, was granted by Austrian Emperor Franz II to Field Marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, for the victory in the Battle of the Nations against Napoleon.

The Schwarzenberg family motto was “NIL NISI RECTUM" (NOTHING BUT THE RIGHT), and can often be found underneath their coat of arms, but it is not known if Rint included it as part of his sculpture. Though knowing Rint's penchant for writing in bones, we would like to imagine he did. What an incredible sight that would that been!

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