Jan Matejko, Bona Sforza Queen of Poland, 1859

Jan Matejko (1838-1893), Bona Sforza Queen of Poland

Pencil on paper, 19,5 x 10,5 cm framed,13 x 8 cm

Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Title of the subject inscribed in the centre.

The drawing is presented in a wooden frame under glass and can be either displayed standing or hung, using the appropriate fittings. Below are two silver emblems: initials and a feather. Hallmarks are visible on the initials.

Condition: very good (frame slightly scratched; three small holes, possibly from a previous emblem).

The drawing was executed during the period when Matejko painted The Poisoning of Queen Bona, his first fully mature historical work. It already contains the outline of the final composition: the queen seated frontally – although in the painting her face is turned slightly to the right as she looks towards the poisoned cup offered to her by her physician, Antonio of Macerata – wearing an elaborate gown and a bonnet.
The figure on the left is a sketch of the lady-in-waiting Maryna, also known as Mniszka, a ward of the queen who is said to have helped forge her will. In the final painting, she also appears on the left, though positioned above the queen.