Portrait of an Aristocrat

Author: Illakowicz Napoleon, 1811 - 1861

Created: 1852.

Material / technique: oil on cardboard.

Dimensions: 41,5 x 35 cm.

Signature: Napoleon Iłłakowicz 1852 (on the right edge of the painting).

Napoleon Iłłakowicz (1811–1861), a famous 19th-century artist born in Biržai and a graduate of the Vilnius Art School, spent most of his life in exile, which he entered after the 1831 uprising, and only returned to his homeland in 1857. Studies of this artist's creative legacy are complicated by the fact that his works are scattered across various countries, many of them are kept in private collections, and researchers in Lithuania usually only have access to them when they appear at auction. Ylakavičius' "Portrait of an Aristocrat," now in a private collection in Vilnius, was purchased from a private collection in France. Based on the year of creation indicated in the signature, it can be assumed that the portrait was painted in Paris, where the artist arrived from Bordeaux in 1852, as he moved to London at the end of that year.

The portrait depicts an unknown young woman or girl, looking at the viewer with large eyes. She is wearing a black dress with a fashionable cut, through the neckline of which a decorative, embroidered white blouse can be seen. The outfit is complemented by modest but tasteful jewelry.

It is known that Ylakavičius was regarded as a portraitist, of whom there were many, especially later, when he lived in London and worked at Queen Victoria's court. There is no doubt that he received commissions in Paris, although we lack precise information about his circle of clients. Since there is evidence of Ylakavičius' involvement in Masonic lodges, it can be assumed that his clients may have included representatives of the highest echelons of society. It is worth noting the resemblance between Ylakavičius' portrait of a Parisian woman and the later famous French writer Henrietta Guizot de Witt (1829–1908). Henrietta was the daughter of François Guizot (1787–1874), a liberal French social and political figure (among other things, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to London) and author of popular historical works. In his books, Guizot promoted the idea of historical progress, considering the third estate, which fought against feudalism, to be its driving force. These ideas must have been close to Ylakavičius' worldview.

In 1850, Henrietta married Cornelis de Witt (1824–1909), a French politician of Dutch descent. So far, we have no information about Ylakavičius' possible connections with this family, but we cannot rule out the possibility of such connections. Further research into the artist's biography and work may provide additional information for identifying the woman depicted in this portrait and confirm or refute the assumption that it is a portrait of Henriette de Witt. In any case, the work is a valuable addition to Ylakavičius' collection of portrait paintings, adding another previously unknown work, and is significant for the overall study of this interesting painter's creative legacy. (Dr. (hp) Rūta Janonienė, Senior Researcher at the VDA Institute of Art History).