Jan Chelminski, HORSE HUZAR IN THE WINTER LANDSCAPE

24.8 x 19.7cm - oil, canvas signed l.d.: Jan V. Chelminski

On the reverse of the stamp of the manufacturer of the sub-images: WINSOR & NEWTON | LIMITED | 38, RATHBONE PLACE, | LONDON, W. | 287168.



Battle themes, primarily associated with the Napoleonic Wars and the Polish Legions, began to clearly dominate Chelminski's work around 1890. Already in his earlier years, the artist, enjoying a very good financial situation, began studying military-history and collecting weapons from the Napoleonic period. Hence, in his studies, depicting soldiers of various weapons and colors, the author focused on the smallest details, successfully reproducing historical uniforms and armaments faithfully. The most famous example is a series of 48 paintings dedicated to the army of the Duchy of Warsaw, now stored in the collection of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.

A similar, intimate composition, depicting a hussar in a snowy landscape on a gray horse, looking through a telescope, was sold at the 2019 Agra auction (October 12, cat. item 20).

Jan Chelminski (Brzustow near Opoczno 1851 - New York 1925) a popular painter from the circle of "Polish Munich painters," began his education with Juliusz Kossak, and later studied at the Warsaw Drawing Class and in Munich - at the Academy under Alexander Strähuber and Alexander Wagner (1873-1875) and the private studios of Jozef Brandt (1875) and the battle painter Franz Adam (1876). After his studies he was already permanently abroad - in Munich, London (years 1882, 1888-1899), Paris (1899), traveled to St. Petersburg (1889) and New York (1884), where he later settled permanently around 1915. However, he did not break contacts with the country, and often sent his works to Warsaw exhibitions. His paintings enjoyed great success. He painted mainly military and battle scenes, most often from the times of the Duchy of Warsaw and the Napoleonic Wars, as well as genre paintings and hunting episodes. He was involved in book illustration; among other things, he illustrated a volume of hunting stories by Theodore Roosevelt. He was a collector of old weapons and an outstanding expert on soldier uniforms. Many of the artist's paintings are still abroad - in England, Germany or the United States. Few of them appear in antiquarian sales, constantly arousing keen interest among collectors.