Jean Baptiste Raciné

Oval portrait of a young man shown in bust, on a neutral background; it comes from the former collection of the Potocki family, owners of Łańcut and the castle. Three such miniatures have survived, depicting busts of famous men (who lived in the 17th century). This portrait depicts Jean Baptiste Racine, playwright, ranked among the three main French playwrights (alongside Molière and Corneille), a representative of Classicism with elements of the late Baroque. Playwright (born in December 1639 in La Ferte-Milon, died April 1699 in Paris). He first staged his plays with the troupe of Molière, then in the theatre of Hotel de Bourgogne. At court, thanks to the support of the king, he made a dizzying career – he became a royal courtier and historiographer. He is the author of tragedies based on mythological and historical themes, including Andromache, Iphigenia, Berenice, Esther. He is considered one of the greatest tragedians, in his plays he thoroughly analysed human passions and was considered a master in depicting the female psyche. Therefore, it is not surprising that people wanted to have an image of such a master in their collections, and Princess Lubomirska, wife of Marshal, who owned the castle in the 18th century, was a patron of the arts and enriched the castle’s collections not only in terms of paintings. Associated with the French court, she liked to surround herself with objects belonging to the circle of French art, and her collection could not lack images of famous people. The picture was painted by an unknown French painter in the 18th century.