Dimensions: 44 x 54 cm
signed and dated lower right: 'Jan Chełmiński | 1875'
Inventory labels on the reverse
Provenance
DESA Unicum, December 2009
private collection, Poland
DESA Unicum, June 2017
private collection, Warsaw
Biography
He was a student at the Warsaw Drawing Class from 1866 to 1868. At the same time, he studied under Juliusz Kossak and worked as a lithographer. He continued his studies in Munich, initially (in 1873) with A. Straehuber and A. Wagner, and from 1875 in Józef Brandt’s studio, later with Franz Adam. In 1882, he moved to England, and from 1884 onward, with occasional trips to Europe, he lived in New York. He made his debut at exhibitions in Kraków and at the Zachęta in Warsaw, and from 1875 onward he exhibited in Munich, Vienna, Berlin, London, and Paris. He was one of the founding members of the Society for the Promotion of Polish Art, established in Paris in 1897. Initially, he painted hunting scenes and genre scenes in 18th-century costumes; later, he focused mainly on scenes related to the Napoleonic Wars and the Polish Legions. Chełmiński’s work was highly regarded, and his paintings were eagerly sought after by collectors.
