Wojciech Kossak, THE LWOW EAGLET, ca. 1930

36 x 25 cm - watercolor on paper

signed lower left: Wojciech Kossak

On the reverse (in watercolor): My work | Sketch for *Orlęta* | Wojciech Kossak;
Additionally, along the upper edge, a framing note (in pencil): Deep pass | 39 x 5.

Wojciech Kossak (Paris 1856 – Kraków 1942) – a widely known painter, regarded primarily as an outstanding battle painter. The son and student of Juliusz Kossak, he studied at the Kraków School of Fine Arts, the Munich Academy, and in Paris. From 1895 to 1902, he resided primarily in Berlin, working for Emperor Wilhelm II. He traveled extensively, including to Spain and Egypt, where he made sketches for his planned panoramas. In later years, he traveled to the United States several times to fulfill portrait commissions. In 1913, he was appointed professor at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. During World War I, he served in the military. He was a co-author of the panoramas: “Racławice” (1893–1894), “Berezyna” (1895–1896), “The Battle of the Pyramids” (1901), and sketches for the uncompleted “Somosierra” (1900). With passion and ease, he created large-scale, dynamic battle scenes, historical paintings, genre scenes, and numerous portraits. He particularly enjoyed painting horses. His paintings, which glorified both the Polish military of the past and the artist’s own time as well as the heroism of soldiers, appealed to the patriotic sentiments of viewers and enjoyed immense popularity.