Interior of the Potocki salon in Lviv

The painting depicts the interior of one of the salons found in the palace in Lviv, which until 1944 was the property of the Potocki family of Łańcut. The palace was built for Alfred Józef Potocki, the Second Lord Ordynat of Łańcut, and his wife Maria Klementyna, née Sanguszko. The first design of the palace was the work of Louis Dauvergne and was built in the French Baroque style. At the order of the Potockis, the building was reshaped by two architects – Julian Cybulski and Ludwik Baldwin-Ramult – who changed the style of the palace to neo-Renaissance with neo-Baroque elements. Works lasted from 1888 to 1890. Alfred Potocki did not live to see their completion, having died in 1889. His widow lived in the palace, and after her death in 1903, the palace was reconstructed, with the interior being divided into smaller suites. During the celebrations of the anniversary of the liberation of Lviv in 1919, during which an aerial show was taking place, a catastrophe occurred – one of the planes hit the palace with its wing. Reconstruction lasted intermittently until 1933. The Potockis were the owners of the palace unti 1940. During World War II, the building was not damaged, because the Germans used it to hold propaganda exhibitions. After the end of the war in 1945, the Soviet authorities turned it over to the Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Fossil Fuels. After Ukraine regained its independence, there was an initial plan to set up a Civil Registry Office there, but the poor condition of the palace did not permit this. An in-depth renovation was carried out in 2001–2002 and the palace currently houses the Lviv Gallery of Art. The Łańcut painting depicts one of the salons with rose-coloured wall coverings and furniture upholstered with maroon velvet. A portrait of Alfred Potocki, the Second Lord Ordynat of Łańcut, painted by L. Horowitz, hangs on one of the walls. The painting dates back to 1892, which means it was made after the death of Alfred Józef, and it was painted by Aleksander Augustynowicz. Alfred Józef, the Second Lord Ordynat of Łańcut was a politician connected with the court in Vienna, where he held a number of important functions. He and his wife spent more time in Lviv than in Łańcut, and during their time, that palace reached its greatest splendour.