Jan MATEJKO (1838-1893), Four portraits, 1876

1) Jan Tęczynski, 2) Cecylia Renata, 3) Mikolaj of Gorzkow, Bishop of Vilnius, 4) Jan Szczęsny Herburt
Woodcut, paper; 48 x 42 cm (in a common frame);
4 compositions, 18 x 15 cm (clear passe-partout);
each woodcut signed with bound monogram: JM; pasted biographical notes of the portrayed persons on the back.
Drawings on woodcut plates were personally made by Jan Matejko, engraved by the most prominent wood engravers of the time. The graphics come from the "Album of Jan Matejko" published in 1876 by Samuel Leventhal, who writes in the afterword, among other things, as follows: "The album included the most exquisite paintings of the master, made in recent times; with the exception of reproductions of Rejtan, Ivan the Terrible and the Bard of the Lyricist, reproduced most faithfully by Messrs. [Julian] Maszyński and [Stanisław] Witkiewicz, according to photographs taken from the originals, all other works were drawn on wood by Matejko himself " [...] the execution of each of such woodcuts as. Stefan Batory, Sejm in Lublin , etc. required six months of time each, not counting the time used to draw them on wood [...].