Jan Małeta (1890 - 1962), The Gendarmerie Commander's Passing Award for the Riflemen's Association, Warsaw 1934

Artist: Jan Małeta (1890 Tarnów - 1962 Warsaw).
Height: 33.5 cm
Base dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 cm
Weight: 4kg.

Soldier of the Polish Army - Award of the Commander of the Gendarmerie (Lieutenant Colonel Felicjan Plato Balaban) to the Riflemen's Association, Warsaw 1934
Patinated bronze, full cast, chiseled, on a base of polished basalt
Monumental statue of a Polish Army soldier, made in 1934 by acclaimed sculptor Jan Maleta, a respected creator of numerous battle and patriotic works. It depicts a Polish soldier in full uniform with a rifle held in a marching position. The sculpture is characterized by exceptionally high class workmanship, with attention to the details of the uniform, equipment and armament.
The full bronze casting has been finely chiseled, which enhances the realistic details and gives the figure a dynamic, almost lifelike character. A subtle patination adds depth and emphasizes the nobility of the material. The entire piece is set on a massive polished basalt base, which emphasizes its prestigious nature.
The object represents a passing award from the Commander of the Gendarmerie to the Warsaw Rifle Team in 1934, as confirmed by the inscription on the base.
Jan Maleta became famous as the author of the first sculptural commemoration of the Warsaw Uprising, the bas-relief "Jezu ratuj, bo giniemy", created while the war was still in progress. He is also the creator of one of the most recognizable busts of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, as well as a figure involved in the dispute over the authorship of the design of the Little Insurgent sculpture.
An excellent example of pre-war sculptural art, combining masterful craftsmanship with a unique historical context.
Overall condition as shown in photos.
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Felicjan Plato Balaban (1891-1975) - colonel of the gendarmerie of the Polish Army, participant in the struggle for independence, experienced officer of the Polish Legions and the Army of the Second Republic. After graduating from the University of Lviv with a degree in law, he was actively involved in independence structures, being a member of the Active Combat Union and the "Rifleman". In 1914 he joined the Polish Legions, where he served in the field gendarmerie units, and then in the Gendarmerie of the Second Brigade of the Legions. During World War I he fought on the Eastern and Italian fronts, and after the oath crisis he was interned and conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army.
After regaining independence in 1918, he joined the Polish Army and took part in the defense of Lviv. From 1920 he tied his military career to the gendarmerie, holding key positions in its structures. During the Third Silesian Uprising, he organized and trained the insurgent gendarmerie, and later held command positions in various gendarmerie divisions. In the 1920s and 1930s he held senior positions in the Gendarmerie Command, and in 1939 he was appointed chief chief of the gendarmerie on the Supreme Commander's Staff.
After the defeat of the September campaign, he was interned in Romania and then imprisoned in a German oflag, where he stayed until the end of the war. After its end, he returned to Poland, settling in Wroclaw, where he died in 1975. His services to the Polish Army and the gendarmerie remain an important part of the history of Polish arms.