Lot 144. 18th century school Portrait of Ignacy Krasicki, 1761. Oil on canvas. Dedicated and dated on the back (in French): “IGNACE COMTE KRASICKI / PREVOT DE LA CATH DE PREMISLIE / OFFRE SON PORTRAIT GAGE D’UNE PARFAITE AMITIÉ ESTIME ET RECONNAISSANCE / ROME 24 JUILLET 1761”. 74 x 62.5 cm. Estimate 5,000 – 7,000 euro. Ader. 03/20/25
Ignacy Krasicki arrived in Rome in 1759 to complete his studies as a clergyman. He stayed at the Polish Hospice of St. Stanislaus. His stay was punctuated by various missions entrusted to him by his patrons, notably Franciszek Salezy Potocki. His rich correspondence does not reveal many details of his stay in Rome: the letters he sent during this period are mainly concerned with his financial problems; very little space is devoted to his daily life. The last entry concerning his stay at the Hospice dates from May 1761. The last letter sent from Rome was to his brother, Antoni Krasicki, on March 28, 1761. The next letter, sent from Pleszowice, is dated January 21, 1762. After his return to Poland, Krasicki became close to King Stanislaus II Augustus. In 1766 he was appointed Prince-Bishop of Varmie, and in 1795 Primate of Poland. At court, he rubbed shoulders with artists such as Marcello Bacciarelli and Per Krafft (see portraits in the National Museum in Warsaw MP4528 and the National Museum in Krakow MNK II-a-671). He himself became an art collector. Today, he is best known for his literary work, which is typical of the Enlightenment period.
Warto by któreś z polskich muzeów zainteresowało się tym portretem Ignacego Krasickiego, namalowanym w Rzymie w 1761 roku. Przyzwyczajeni jesteśmy do dostojeństwa portretu namalowanego przez szwedzkiego artystę Per Kraffta Starszego z około 1767 roku. Na aukcji we Francji mamy portet o kilka lat młodszego Ignacego Krasickiego, jeszcze nie tak dostojnego bo zaledwie 26-cioletniego księdza.
