Painting: Portrait of Helena Potocka née Zamoyska

Pastel on paper depicting a portrait of a middle-aged woman. It comes from the collection of the Potocki family, former owners of the Łańcut castle. The author of the painting is unknown; it was made in the late 18th century.

The portrayed Helena, born in 1717, was the daughter of Michał Zdzisław Zamoyski of Zamość, coat of arms Jelita, and Anna Działyńska of Działyń, coat of arms Ogończyk. In 1733 Helena married Stanisław Potocki of Podhajec, coat of arms Pilawa (Srebrna), Voivode of Poznań, Kyiv, Smolensk, praefectus excubiarum seu vigiliarum of Lithuania in 1728, Starost of Halych in 1717-1733, and of Leżajsk in 1732, Starost of Sniatyn in 1719. To Stanisław, Helena was his second wife, with whom they had 10 children. Helena died in 1760, aged 43, in the town of Brody, formerly Lubicz– a town in the Ukraine, Lviv Oblast, where in the mid-18th century, the Potockis built a new Baroque palace with a tower on the castle grounds.

Helena is portrayed in half-length pose, her head is slightly turned to the left and she looks straight at the viewer. The woman has a pale, oblong face, large, well-defined brown eyes and is gently smiling. The author depicts the woman using pink and blue-grey, against a brown and green background. On the woman's head is a lace cap tied under her chin in a large bow, which emphasises her double chin. She is dressed in a blue-grey gown with a deep neckline. On her left shoulder is a medallion.

Yulia Dushka