Stanislaw CHLEBOWSKI (1835 - 1884), Scena batalistyczna;

Pencil, paper; 20.7 x 28.9 cm
Signed l. d.: Chlebowski
Condition: requires restoration, tear at the bottom (visible on the reproduction)

He studied drawing in Odesa. In 1853-1859 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He received a scholarship that enabled him to study painting in Paris with Jean-Léon Gérôme. He toured Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium. In 1864 (or 1865)-1876 he stayed in the Ottoman Empire and worked for the court, and from 1870 he served as court painter to Sultan Abdülaziz (Abdul-ul-Aziz) in Istanbul. The ruler's cooperation with the artist consisted of numerous commissions for battle paintings depicting the victorious battles of the Turks against the Russians, Greeks and Austrians. He painted, among others, the Battle of Varna and the Battle of Mohacz, Sultans Mehmed I, Murad IV and Suleiman the Magnificent. In parallel, Chlebowski worked on commissions from his compatriots, including Wladyslaw Koscielski, who in 1865-1876 commissioned him to paint Sobieski at Vienna and Death of Wladyslaw Jagiellon at Varna.
The works preserved in the museum's collection are characterized by technical proficiency and skillful application of the conventions of representational art, such as the way the victorious ruler is shown on a white horse. Both in large canvases and in smaller studies, Chlebowski depicted the decorations of eastern interiors and facades, decorative patterns and textures of fabrics with great accuracy.