Jan Matejko (Polish, 1838-1893)
Geniusz Kazimierza Wielkiego ratujący Polskę

Preparatory sketch
inscribed (upper right)
pencil on buff paper
Unframed: 9 x 13 cm. (3 1/2 x 5 in.) Framed: 44 x 41 cm. (17 1/4 x 16 in.)

Private Collection, London

Jan Mateijko was known for his depictions of nodal events throughout Polish history. As outlined by ‘The principle of Matejko’s work falls within the Wilhelmine era…he favours historical themes’ (1).

Matejko spent most of his life in Kraków. At fourteen, he enrolled in the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, studying under prominent artists like Wojciech Korneli Stattler and Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. His early experiences of the Kraków uprisings, along with his brothers’ military service, strongly shaped his artistic focus. After further training in Munich and Vienna, he returned to Kraków to establish his own studio. His work played a significant role in fostering Polish historical awareness and national identity during a period when Poland was partitioned.

References:

1. Matejko, J. et al. (1982) Jan Matejko, 1838-1893 : Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen. Nürnberg: Kunsthalle Nürnberg, p. 3