Portrait of Róża Łoś, née Cieńska

Every day is a fashion show, and the world is the runway – this thought, later formulated by Coco Chanel, accompanied fashionable ladies a hundred or a hundred and fifty years earlier. It grew to be a rule and has been a daily practice of wealthy aristocrats and noblewomen for centuries. Ladies often accepted novelties uncritically. Despite attempts to curb the madness of fashion with legal solutions and criticism from supporters of native costumes, changing trends in French fashion shaped the appearance of ladies in Poland. Writers of the period repeatedly expressed their criticism of the exaggerated excesses that characterised women's clothing. Among others, Ignacy Krasicki addressed the issues when writing: '[...] everything is different, the Lord's grace, women's taste, the autumn weather...'.

Countess Róża Łosiowa nee Cieńska was also portrayed in a fashionable outfit in the French spirit. The painting belongs stylistically to the Sarmatian portrait type. Against a dark background, the noblewoman, relatively young but not very beautiful, is shown realistically, without any embellishment. Delicate colour and unusually sumptuous clothing compensates for the deficiencies of her beauty. Her dress has nothing in common with the native tradition. The details of the costly dress have been rendered with great care and accuracy – the French dress is decorated with lace and satin bows, the bodice (the gore with rows of lace) and the sleeves (engageantes). The carefully combed and powdered hairstyle is crowned with an openwork lace cap of the cornet type decorated with jewels. As far as decoration is concerned, Countess Rose Łosiowa had traditional taste. At that time, such an amount of rich jewellery went out of fashion. As if the decorative elements were not enough, the outfit is completed with vibrant flowers, including a red rose, which may indicate the name of its elegant owner.

Magdalena Norkowska