Julia Potocka

The sitter is depicted from the waist up, with her body turned slightly to the left (three-quarters) and her head turned to the right. Despite the slight tilt of her head, her eyes are directed straight ahead, gazing at the viewer positioned centrally before the painting. The sitter is shown with her hands crossed and resting on a table visible in the corner of the canvas. She is dressed in a blue gown with a large neckline and a dark cream-coloured, long-haired fur. Her oval face features a prominent nose, small lips with slightly upturned corners, grey eyes, and rosy cheeks. Her dark blonde hair is styled in thick curls, pinned above her forehead and cascading onto her neck and shoulders, tied with a light brown ribbon. The background is neutral and dark, with slight lightening near the woman's head. On the reverse of the painting, there is a handwritten note: Julia Potocka / (b. + ) / Daughter of Stanisław Prince Lubomirski, Crown Grand Marshal, and / Izabella Princess Czartoryska. / Sister of Aleksandra Potocka (wife of Stanisław Kostka), Elżbieta / Potocka (wife of Ignacy), and Konstancja Rzewuska / (wife of Seweryn, Polish Hetman) / Wife of Jan Potocki – historiographer. / Mother of Alfred and Artur Potocki.

The frame is gilded, carved, and classicistic in style. A plaque is attached at the centre of the lower section of the frame with an inscription in French: COMTESSE JULIE POTOCKA / NÉE LUBOMIRSKA.

In 1944, fearing the advance of Soviet forces, the painting was taken from Łańcut along with other valuable objects by Alfred Potocki. It was returned to its original location through the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Art, which purchased the painting from the Heim Gallery in London in 1981.

The painting’s author is Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder (1751–1830), one of the most outstanding portraitists of his era. Educated in Salzburg, Verona, and Trento, he spent a short period (1789–1791) at the court of King Stanisław August at the monarch’s invitation. After leaving Warsaw, he became the court painter to Catherine II. He took inspiration from French and English art. He painted portraits for the courts of Trento, Verona and Vienna. He carried out commissions for many aristocratic European families. During his stay in Warsaw, he created many portraits of the king and the Polish aristocracy.

Michał Rajchert