Henryk Siemiradzki (1843 Pechenegy near Kharkov - 1902 Strzałkowo near Częstochowa), Sketchbook, Rome 1879.

Bound sketchbook contains a total of 30 cards with various sketches (two-sided and one-sided drawings)

On the cover of the sketchbook a handwritten inscription: "HENRYK SIEMIRADZKI/RZYM 1879";
pencil, paper, dimensions about 16 × 24 cm (one of the sketches "Portrait of a woman" painted in watercolor).
One of the drawings in the sketchbook described at the bottom: "STUDY FOR THE FIGURE OF THE "OPEN-EYED SINNER"".
An analogous sketchbook by Henryk Siemiradzki from 1881-1883 is in the collection of the National Museum in Cracow (size: 21 × 32.5 cm)
The sketchbook is accompanied by four loose sheets by Leon Siemiradzki (1883-1976) - Leon's youngest son.
1) Portrait of a man wearing glasses (pencil, watercolor, paper, 14 × 10 cm, signed and dated p.d.: "L.S/30 (?) III 48", on the back a letter from Leon Siemiradzki to Maria Prószyńska, signed Rome 29.III.1948
2) Portrait of a nobleman (pencil, watercolor, paper, 22 × 13 cm, signed and dated p.d.: "L.Siemiradzki/9 V 47 Rome
3) Via Appia (pencil, ink, watercolor, paper, 14.5 × 22 cm, signed p.d.: "L.Siemiradzki" in l.d.: "VIA APPIA ANTICA -26/ IV 47")
4) Via Appia (pencil, gouache, paper, 16.5 × 24 cm, signed p.d.: "L.Siemiradzki" in l.d.: "VIA APPIA ANTICA -26/IV 47")

Provenance:
Collection of the Siemiradzki family. The sketchbook was given by Leon Siemiradzki (son of Henryk) to his cousin Maria Prószyńska (1893-1989). She was the niece of Henryk's wife of the same name. Maria was repeatedly invited by her uncle to Italy, but in the face of her parents' opposition, she never went there. Maria-according to her passion-became a painter. She studied at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, in Warsaw and at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. She was a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London. She married a politician associated with the national movement - Marian Seyda (1879-1967). For political reasons, they emigrated from Poland, first to England, then to Argentina. Maria, together with her cousin Leon Siemiradzki, carried on a rather frequent and pleasant correspondence (some of the letters have been preserved). She received a sketchbook during her stay in Great Britain. After the death of Maria and her son, Jan Svyatoslav Seyda, the diary came into the possession of the artist's daughter-in-law Barbara Seyda, who is still alive and living in Argentina. Barbara Seyda gave the sketchbook to her family in Poland around 2022.