Jan Matejko (1838 - 1893), Portrait of a Man in a Shikhak, ca. 1858-1860

oil, canvas; 52 x 42 cm;
on the left shoulder of the figure, inscription: "JM"

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

Image exhibited:
"Matejko":
- Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, April-June 2018
- District Museum in Toruń, Old Town Square, June-September 2019
- Copper Museum in Legnica, September-December 2019

Reproduced image:
King A., "Matejko," Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, District Museum in Toruń, 2018, p. 84 (color ill.).

A museum-class portrait composition by the master Matejko. Dating from his youthful period of creativity, it is characterized by the outstanding quality of execution and realistic rendering of the figure. The oil works of the 19th century artist are collector's gems extremely rarely available on the sales market. Good state of preservation and a popular painting subject are their other assets.
The painting "Portrait of a Man in a Skirt" is an example of historical motifs in the artist's paintings. Images of figures in armor appeared not only in large-scale figural compositions, but also as separate works or sketches. For example, in one of Matejko's studies from 1858 one can find similarities to the armor presented in the painting. The man is wearing a pappenheimer helmet on his head, used as a protective element from the second half of the 16th to the first half of the 17th century. On the right side of the painting is a monogram attributed to Matejko. The inscription is located in the paint layer under the varnish, which was confirmed by photographs taken in ultraviolet and infrared.
What captivates in the offered male portrait is the careful rendering of the figure's physiognomy. An excellent sense of chiaroscuro modeling and color nuances makes the work of only twenty-something Matejko a feast for the eye. The work shows similarities with other works of this type by the artist.
At the end of 1858, thanks to a scholarship the painter went to Munich. He studied at the academy there under Hermann Anschütz. In 1860, he also studied for a short time at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.