Casket

It is one of the two larger caskets belonging to the toilet set of Queen Maria Kazimiera purchased by Stanisław Kostka Potocki on February 27th, 1808 in the Parisian store of De Tournier. It was a gift for his wife Aleksandra, née Lubomirski, in order to enrich the exhibition of the royal apartments of the Wilanów Palace. The theme of the marquetry decoration is the preparations of Venus for the meeting with Adonis. Two paintings by Francesco Albani from the series purchased by Louis XIV in 1685 for the royal collection served as the prototype for the ebenist. The first one is a painting entitled "Toilet of Venus". The main group of this composition was placed on the lid of the box. On its walls, cupids prepare weapons: bows and arrows to support Venus in her intentions. The patterns of group layouts placed on the walls were provided by another painting from the same series "Venus and Vulcan Rest"

An object classified as a curiosité due to its elaborate and valuable decoration with Boulle-style marquetry, qualifying it as a luxury item, worthy royal apartments and due to the high artistic class of the decorations with scenes transferred from the paintings of Francesco Albani - a painter appreciated in the Baroque period by Louis XIV and very fashionable during the Enlightenment - times contemporary to Potocki. For the count, as a patriot, the history of the entire toilet complex related to the person of the Polish queen, Marie Casimire, is of exceptional value.

AK