A high order of the Kingdom of Prussia bestowed on Wojciech Kossak, one of the most outstanding Polish battle painters, revered both for his unquestionable craftsmanship and extremely meticulous work in faithfully depicting distant historical realities.
The Royal Order of the Crown was awarded to Wojciech Kossak in April 1898, i.e. in the middle of the Berlin period, which lasted until 1902. At the time, the representative of Poland's most famous painting family had gained great recognition from a wealthy foreign clientele, and the spacious hall of the Frederick Monbijou palace was allocated for his Berlin studio. Despite Kaiser Wilhelm's repeated sympathy for the Polish artist, Kossak's attitude is assessed by researchers as truly patriotic and emphasizing his national identity.
"None of Kossak's paintings painted in Berlin, therefore, celebrated the glories of the victory of the Prussian arms not only over the Polish soldier, but also over the French. On the contrary," - wrote Kazimierz Olszański, an expert on the work of the Kossak family.
During the Berlin period, Kossak created, among other things, two panoramas commissioned by Polish consortiums - "Berezina" and "Battle of the Pyramids," and left the third, "Somosierra," in sketches. In 1898, the same year in which he was honored with the order presented, he completed the canvas "November Night" - a well-known composition depicting the clashes at the monument to John III Sobieski in Lazienki Park.
Despite the fact that it entailed a financial loss, Kossak left Berlin in the first years of the new century, when the course of anti-Polish politics had clearly hardened. Earlier, he had also written in letters to his wife that he thirsted for the satisfaction of his painting ambitions in larger productions than commissions from the imperial court or foreign aristocracy:
"My soul jumps so much to the greatness of some Polish composition that I simply can't cope."
In addition to Wojciech Kossak, the Royal Order of the Crown was awarded to such artists and visionaries as Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin - the designer of the airship named after him - and the famous composer Johann Strauss (son), author of the popular waltz "On the beautiful blue Danube."
The Royal Order of the Crown (Königlicher Kronenorden) of the fourth class with the motto "Gott mit uns" - "God is with us", with documentation of the award and the original case of the Viennese jewelry company V. Mayer's Söhne. In addition to the Royal Crown Order, other state decorations left Söhne 's workshop, as well as jewelry products commissioned by the imperial court. In the salon of V. Mayer's Söhne was supplied by the 19th-century elite of Vienna, as well as foreign courts, including those of Persia, the Ottoman Empire and the Vatican.
The decoration itself has no signs of wear and is preserved in virtually perfect condition; along with the original award box. The dimensions of the order: 46.5 x 43 mm. Diploma bent in four, with a collector's ownership stamp by Andrew Swaryczewski.
Provenance: A. Swaryczewski acquired the order directly from Jerzy Kossak during one of his visits to Kossakówka. Already after WWII, and certainly before 1953 - most likely in the late 1940s. In late 1970s/early 1980s acquired for the current collection, from which now donated to the auction.
An outstanding item! A personal order of one of the most recognizable and respected Polish painters - Wojciech Kossak.
An item that is worthy of adorning both a museum display case and enriching an advanced collection of works by this artist, with a personal memento of him.
Definitely recommended!
