A miniature copy of the composition by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656). The collection of King Stanisław August Poniatowski contained a replica of that painting, which probably served as a prototype for the miniature.
About the author: Wincenty Lesseur, (1745 Warsaw – 1813 ibidem), A Polish miniaturist, he also executed pastel portraits and drawings. He came from a French family which had become Polonized. He was a pupil of Marcello Bacciarelli in his famous Painting Studio at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. His patron and main client was King Stanisław August Poniatowski. In 1787, he became Chamberlain at the royal court, and in 1804, he settled on his own estate, Małe Kozery. He perfectly mastered the method of painting miniatures on ivory, using watercolours and gouache. He usually employed the pointillistic technique, yet achieving a smooth effect. He executed portraits of King Stanisław August, other European monarchs, national heroes, artists, scholars, as well as aristocratic families and their friends. In addition to his own works, he also created miniatures after Marcello Bacciarelli, Józef Grassi, and Johann Baptist von Lampi. Among his pupils were Maciej Topolski and Waleria Tarnowska.
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