Dimensions: 81.5 x 117 cm
Signed and dated l.d.: 'M Gottlieb | 1874'.
on the painter's loom a fragment of an earlier doubled canvas with an oval, hardly legible customs stamp (?)
other titles: Knights of Inflants asking for protection of Sigismund Augustus against Emperor Ferdinand, Homage of the Knights of Inflants, Knights of Inflants asking for protection against Emperor Ferdinand, Knights of Inflants asking Sigismund Augustus to defend them against Emperor Ferdinand, Knights of Inflants asking Sigismund Augustus to protect them against the oppression of Emperor Ferdinand, Knights of Inflants asking for protection of Sigismund the Old.
Origins
collection of Leopold Reich, Cracow, at least until 1888
collection of S. Tillinger (Hillinger), Vienna, until 1939
private collection, United States
Literature
Włodzimierz Kalicki, A Pole's Own Portrait. Painting by Maurycy Gottlieb, Gazeta Wyborcza 2019, no. 280.9256.1; p. 8 (mentioned as "Inflants Chevaliers asking for protection of Sigismund Augustus against Emperor Ferdinand")
Stefania Krzysztofowicz-Kozakowska, Franciszek Stolot, History of Polish Painting, Cracow 2000, p. 200.
Maurycy Gottlieb. In Search of Identity, exhibition catalog, ed. by Maria Milanowska, Museum of Art in Lodz, Lodz 2014, p. 88 (il. as "Inflants' Chevaliers ask for protection of Sigismund Augustus against Emperor Ferdinand") and 87 and 89 (mentioned)
Jerzy Malinowski, Maurycy Gottlieb, Warsaw 1997, p. 7 (il.) and 11 and 18 (mentioned)
Renata Piątkowska, Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879), "Bulletin of the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland". 1991, no. 2 (158), p. 47 (mentioned as "Kavalerowie inflanccy proszący o opiekę Zygmunt Starego")
Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879, exhibition catalog, National Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw 1991, p. nlb. (5; mentioned)
In the Flower of Youth. Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879, exhibition catalog, edited by Nehama Guralnik, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, National Museum in Warsaw, Tel Aviv 1991, pp. 69 (ill. 39), 21 (mentioned in the calendar) and 66-68 (mentioned)
Zofia Soltysowa, Works by Maurycy Gottlieb, "Rocznik Krakowski" 1976, vol. 47, p. 159 (il. 9 as "The Livonian Knights ask Sigismund Augustus to protect them from the oppression of Emperor Ferdinand"), 152 and 158 (mentioned) and 178 (mentioned in the list of works as "Homage of the Livonian Knights")
Andrzej Ryszkiewicz, Gottlieb Maurycy in: Słownik artystów polskich i obcych w Polsce działających. Malarze, rzeźbiarze, graficy, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków [et. al.] 1975, vol. 2, p. 428 (mentioned as "Knights of Inflants asking Sigismund Augustus to defend themselves against Emperor Ferdinand")
Mojżesz Waldman, Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879. biografja artystyczna, Kraków 1932, p. 16 (mentioned as "Inflants' Cavaliers asking for Zygmunt August's protection against Emperor Ferdinand")
Feliks Kopera, Malarstwo w Polsce XIX i XX wieku, Kraków 1929, p. 400 (mentioned as "The Inflants' Cavaliers asking for protection against Emperor Ferdinand")
Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879. 26 reproductions according to the master's paintings, introduction by Felix Kopera, published by Christoph Reisser's Söhne, Vienna 1923, plate 8 (fig. as "Homage of the Livonian Knights")
Meisterwerke von Maurycy Gottlieb 1856-1879, introduction by Moriz Schreyer, published by Christoph Reisser's Söhne, Wien 1923, plate 8 (il. as "Huldigung der inflantischen Ritter")
J. Wiesenberg, Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879). Biographical sketch, Złoczów 1888, pp. 15-16 (mentioned as "Inflantian Chevaliers asking for the protection of Sigismund Augustus against Emperor Ferdinand")
Biography
Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879) was a prominent Polish painter of Jewish origin, considered one of the most important representatives of Jewish art in the 19th century. He was born on February 21, 1856 in Drohobych as the son of Felicia (née Tiegerman) and Isaac Gottlieb, the owner of a refinery From an early age he showed artistic talent, which led him to study painting.
He began his artistic education in Lviv under the direction of Michal Godlewski. In 1871-73 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he came into contact with the work of Jan Matejko, which made a great impression on him. In 1874, he moved to Krakow to continue his studies under Matejko at the School of Fine Arts. However, due to anti-Semitic incidents, he left the city and continued his studies in Munich under Karl von Piloty. In 1876 he won a gold medal at the Munich Academy for his painting "Shylock and Jessyka."
Gottlieb's work is characterized by a combination of biblical, historical and literary motifs. The National Museum in Warsaw houses his important works, such as "Christ Teaching in Capernaum" and "Recha Welcoming Her Father." These paintings testify to the artist's deep interest in religious themes and his skill in conveying the emotions and spirituality of the figures. In 2019, Gottlieb's painting "Self-Portrait in a Nobleman's Clothes" reached a record price at a DESA Unicum auction, highlighting the growing recognition of his work on the art market. Despite his untimely death at the age of 23, Maurice Gottlieb left behind a rich artistic legacy that continues to inspire and delight art lovers today.
