Konstancja Poniatowska née Czartoryska
- Date
- after 1778
- Object type
- painting
- Technique
- oil
- Material
- canvas
- Dimensions
- 63,0 x 56,7 cm
- Acquisition date
- 1779
- Location
- The Palace on the Isle - Bedchamber, 1st floor
- Marks and inscriptions
- red number 27 of the Stanisław August collection, bottom centre; red number 705 of the 1839 inventory of Russian Imperial Palaces – Łazienki, top centre
- Place of Origin
- Poland (Europe)
- Owner
- The Royal Łazienki
- Museum number
- ŁKr 120
Konstancja Zofia Poniatowska née Czartoryska (1695–1759), mother of King Stanisław August. Pendant to the portrait of her husband (cat. no. 16).
In the catalogues of the royal collection dating from before 1795, this painting was recorded as by Bacciarelli; whereas in the entry in the so-called 1795 main catalogue the artist is not named. …
The portrait was painted for the Bedchamber which was furnished on the first floor of the Łazienki Palace in the years 1777–78 ... . Konstancja’s portrait was hung above the doors, to the left of the bed; on the right hung its pendant—a portrait of the king’s father, Stanisław Poniatowski (cat. no. 16).
It is a reduced to bust-length—and reversed—variant of the knee-length portrait painted by Bacciarelli c. 1775–77 for the Old Audience Chamber at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. This portrait, on display in the Royal Castle, is the property of Versailles … . The Łazienki bust-lengthpainting varies in quality, showing the possible assistance of studio artists. Interestingly, the sitter’s head seems to be painted differently from the bust and garments—with more emphasis on the contour, however skilfully rendered. The facial features of Konstancja are slightly altered: she seems somewhat older. …
The knee-length portrait in the Audience Chamber (and a version of it in the Łazienki) shows Konstancja wearing a robe de cour—the formal court wear according to French fashion—with the Order of the Starry Cross which she was awarded in 1726. The coiffure and dress are characteristic of the years 1735–40, which means Bacciarelli must have based the portrait on an earlier prototype. This prototype—by a French painter (?)—has not been identified. [See D. Juszczak, H. Małachowicz, The Stanisław August Collection of Paintings at the Royal Łazienki. Catalogue, Royal Łazienki Museum, Warsaw 2016, no. 15, pp. 89–91.]
