Piotr Michalowski (1800-1855). Horsemen. Two-sided drawing. 1st half of the 19th century.

Piotr Michalowski (1800-1855) Horsemen, double-sided drawing. 1st half of the 19th century. Framed in an old gilt frame 56 x 77 cm.

Pencil, ink, paper; 33.5 x 55 cm (light frame). Obverse: pen sketches showing three hussars on horseback and two male busts in Napoleonic-era uniforms. Reverse: pencil and ink sketches, showing studies of horses and a cuirassier.

The studies being the work of one of the most outstanding Polish painters of the Romantic period. Michałowski, who came from a wealthy landowning family, did not exhibit or sell his works. Painting was never his only occupation or source of income; he created only for his own satisfaction. He also did not take regular painting studies, educating himself during his numerous travels, visiting galleries and museums. A decisive role in shaping the artist was played by his stay in Paris and his encounter with the work of Theodor Géricault. Michałowski's works, undated and very rarely signed, usually depicted battle themes (with an inseparable silhouette of a horse), genre themes (related to work in the countryside) and portrait studies, especially of villagers and Jews. The artist's works are highly valued and sought after today. The condition of the drawings is good, minor losses of the frame gilding.