Since the portrait features a sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit, awarded to Prince Konstanty by Louis XIV, it was presumably painted in circa 1696.
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Details
Title: Portrait of Konstanty Władysław Sobieski
Creator Lifespan: 1659 - 1743
Creator Nationality: French
Creator Gender: Male
Creator Death Place: Paris
Creator Birth Place: Perpignan
Date Created: ca. 1696
Technique: oil on canvas
Subject: The youngest son of John III Sobieski and Maria Casimire. After his father’s death, Konstanty almost always accompanied his mother and brother, Aleksander. In 1698, after a division of his father’s estate, he received, i.a. the estate of Żółkiew, Wilanów and Kazimierzowski Palace in Warsaw. While in Rome, Maria Kazimiera planned to obtain for him a cardinal’s hat, but her projects were thwarted by the prince’s carefree behaviour and predilection for fun. During the first years of the Northern War Konstanty supported the efforts of his brother, Jakub, aimed at mounting the throne of Poland. In February 1704 the two princes were abducted and imprisoned by Augustus II. Bearing the heavy burden of financial obligations, Konstanty sold the Wilanów estate and palace to Elżbieta Sieniawska, an old friend of Queen Maria Kazimiera. Fatally ill, he died in Żółkiew and was buried in the local parish church. The residence in Żółkiew owed to Konstanty its impressive collection of paintings and a copious library.
Provenance: Painting bought by the Wilanów Palace Museum in 2009.