Portrait of Józef Potocki

Painting: Portrait of Józef Potocki, carver.

Sitter, known as Józef Potocki, coat of arms Pilawa (born 1735, died 14 December 1802 in Vienna), member of parliament, starost of Leżajsk. Son of Stanisław, Voivode of Poznań and Kyiv, and Helena Zamoyska, husband of Anna Teresa Ossolińska, father of Jan, writer and traveller. He received the title of count from the Empress Maria Theresa. In 1766 he was made a knight of the Order of Saint Stanislaus, and in 1769 was awarded the Order of the White Eagle for his services.

Pastel on paper depicting a bust of a young man turned to the right (three-quarters), looking straight at the viewer. It comes from the collection of the Potocki family, former owners of the Łańcut castle. The work was made by an unidentified painter in the late 18th century. The author depicts a man in warm pink colours against a grey and green background. Józef Potocki wears a powdered wig; he has a bright youthful face with a gentle smile. The man shown is wearing a sapphire tailcoat with a small upturned collar. The front of the tailcoat is decorated with a lace jabot. Józef is wearing on his left shoulder the blue ribbon of the Order of the White Eagle.

On the lower edge of the painting there are traces of staining. The castle's collection includes a second portrait of Józef which is an oil painting from the 18th century.

Yulia Dushka