Portrait of Ignacy Jan Paderewski

The artist responsible for this excellent portrait of Ignacy Jan Paderewski is the outstanding English painter, designer and prominent exponent of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Edward Burne-Jones. An interesting story surrounds the painting’s creation. One day, the two gentlemen – the artist and the composer – though never having met, spotted each other on a London street. Paderewski recalled thinking that the painter resembled an apostle, while Burne-Jones saw something of an archangel with a halo of golden hair in the composer. Their official introduction came only a few days later, in the artist’s studio, where the musician had been brought by a friend. Delighted, the painter immortalized Paderewski in several sketches. The final product of that meeting is the portrait shown here, which the painter gave to his sitter as a gift.