oil on canvas; 75 x 141 cm; signed p. d.: Jozef MRyszkiewicz 1893 in Warsaw
proof of purchase in Desa, Warsaw 1971
conservation status: cleaned painting
origin: from the collection of Witold and Jolanta Tłuchowski, Warsaw
The painting probably depicts a scene from the Battle of Borodino, where Napoleon's army faced Russian troops in 1812. Among the participants was the V Corps of the Grand Army composed of regiments of the army of the Duchy of Warsaw under the command of Prince Józef Poniatowski. During the battle an infantry battalion attacked, among others, the Pavlovsky Grenadier Regiment and drove it from the occupied hill. In the painting we see a reclining soldier from this very elite Russian regiment. In addition to infantry, the Polish army included the 2nd, 8th and 12th regiments of mounted riflemen. We can assume that in the painting the artist depicted the final stage of the battle, when the 12th regiment of lancers attacked the rear of General Stroganov's division, which was one of the last episodes of this battle, opening the way for Napoleon to take Moscow.
