2024-04-16
Until 1 December, a unique exhibition of outstanding Flemish, Dutch and Italian painters can be seen in the Podchorążówka building of the Royal Łazienki Museum. It is worth going to the exhibition to admire five outstanding works of 17th- and 18th-century European painting.
It is known that five works by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, David Teniers the Younger, Adriaen van der Werff and Salvator Rosa were purchased by Noel Desenfans, allegedly for King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski. While it is true that Desenfans was in the business of acquiring paintings for the King of Poland, not all the works bought had such a purpose. However, describing the entire collection as "for His Majesty the King of Poland" was a good marketing move. After the dealer's death, the paintings were given to the painter Francis Bourgeois, who donated them to Dulwich College, near London. From 1817, the public could see paintings in Sir John Soene's newly built work, the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish painter, one of the most outstanding artists of the Baroque era. His pupil and collaborator was Anthony van Dyck. In the exhibition at Łazienki, the viewer will see the master's ''Portrait of a Lady'' and his pupil's ''Madonna and Child''. The first painting mentioned above shows an exquisitely dressed lady wearing strings of pearls and a rosette with a jewel; the identity of the woman is not fully known. Van Dyck's composition shows inspiration from Titian's painting. The Madonna in the painting raises her eyes to the sky and supports the little Jesus standing on her lap. The painter had beautifully depicted the rich draping of the fabrics.
The other three paintings show a rich thematic cross-section of 17th and 18th century painting. David Teniers the Younger's ''Talking peasants against a landscape with a church'' is an example of a cheerful genre scene with a peasant theme. There is also plenty of humour in the show. Adriaen van der Werff's ''Judgement of Paris'' is a painting with a mythological theme. The figures on the canvas are slender, reminiscent of ancient sculptures. Salvator Rosa's painting entitled ''Soldiers playing dice'' depicts a contemporary, seemingly trivial scene from everyday life.