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Portrait of Jozef Komorowski

Jozef Pitschmann

Basic information

ID: Ж-877
Author: Jozef Pitschmann
Name: Portrait of Jozef Komorowski
Date of creation: c.1800
Country: Austrian Empire
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 68 x 52.5

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture
Plot: Portrait
Provenance: Baworowski Library in Lviv Courtesy of Jozef Uleniecki

Information about author

Author: Jozef Pitschmann
Artist's lifetime: 1758–1834
Country: Italy, Austrian Empire, russian empire
Biography: Jozef Pitschmann (1758–1834) was a Polish and Ukrainian painter of German origin, a teacher, a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (since 1787), and a court painter for the Polish King Stanislaw August Poniatowski. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, he was a student of Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder, Heinrich Füger, and Jozef Brandt. In 1788–1789, at the invitation of Prince Jozef Czartoryski, he lived and worked at his estate in the town of Korets (Volhynia), where he taught drawing. From 1789 to 1794, he lived in Warsaw and Poznan, where he gained recognition as a portrait painter among the aristocracy, nobility, and officials. From 1794 to 1806, he resided in Lviv. He completed 282 portraits during this period, according to his own list. In 1806, Pitschmann moved to Kremenets, where he spent the rest of his life. At the invitation of the founder of the Volhynian Gymnasium (the Kremenets Lyceum from 1819), Tadeusz Czacki, he headed the Department of Fine Arts, which became a centre for artistic education in Volhynia. He also provided private lessons. During this period, the artist created approximately 150 paintings, mainly portraits of the professors of the lyceum and the Volhynian aristocracy. For his extensive teaching work at the lyceum, he was awarded a gold medal in 1830. Among Pitschmann's notable students were Bonawentura Klembowski, Antoni Andrzejowski, and Ksawery Kaniewski. Jozef Pitschmann's work represents a typical Austrian variant of classicism. In the early period of his work, he often painted mythological and historical scenes in addition to portraits. In total, the artist's oeuvre comprises around 500 portraits. Works by Jozef Pitschmann are held in museums in Ukraine and Poland.

Object description

The work shows a bust-length portrait of a young man in a top hat framed in an oval. The subject is depicted in a slight right profile against a cloudy sky background. The man is dressed in the fashion of the time. A white silk tie with gold dots, tied in a bow, is visible beneath his dark green cloak. A gentle smile rests on the man's face, and the gaze of his dark eyes is dreamy, directed into the distance, giving the portrait a sentimental and romantic touch.

Inscriptions

On the left, in the middle of the canvas, the artist's signature: "JP. Pinx".

Portrayed person

The name of the person portrayed: Jozef Komorowski of the Korczak coat of arms (1767–1847) was the son of Jakub Komorowski, the Castellan of Santok, and Antonina Pawlowska. Since 1790, he served as a Rittmeister of the National Cavalry, and from 1816, he was a chamberlain and a member of the Galician Estates. Until 1799, he was a Knight of Malta, and until 1808, a Knight of the Order of the Palatine Lion. Since 1802, he was the husband of Karolina Drohojowska.
Lifetime of the person portrayed: 1767–1847

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Portrait of Jozef Komorowski

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