Size: 29 x 22 cm
Signed and dated l.d.: 'W. Kossak | 1921', above an authoress' dedication
Biography
He was the son and pupil of Juliusz Kossak, father of Jerzy, also a painter, as well as the poet Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and the writer Magdalena Samozwaniec. He was educated at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, the Munich Academy and in Paris. In the years 1895-1902, he stayed mainly in Berlin, where he worked for Emperor William II; he also painted for the court of Franz Joseph II. He travelled extensively, including to Spain and Egypt. In his later years, he travelled to the United States several times and carried out portrait commissions. In 1913, he was appointed professor at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. He was co-author of the panoramas: Raclawice (1893-94), Berezina (1895-96), Battle of the Pyramids (1901) and sketches for the unrealized Samosierra (1900) He was an unparalleled painter of battle and historical scenes. In them he glorified the Polish army: uhlans, cavalrymen, legionaries. He perfectly mastered the art of painting horses.