A cavalry officer in the Russian Imperial Guard

The famous painter Józef Oleszkiewicz (1777–1830), who came from the small town of Šiluva, lived and worked in St Petersburg in the early 19th century. His fame rested on his superb portraits: likenesses of the Lithuanian and Polish nobility make up most of his oeuvre. He also frequently painted army officers, especially participants in the 1812 war. Unfortunately, owing to historical circumstances, when the old private collections and those kept in country houses were disbanded, the names of the individuals in the paintings in many cases were lost. It is impossible to name the person in this painting. Since many young men from the lands of the occupied Polish and Lithuanian state served in the Russian army, he could have been a fellow countryman of the artist. The young officer is painted against a landscape leaning on his sword, and a splendid officer’s helmet of 1808–1812 of a cavalry officer in the Russian Imperial Guard is shown next to him. The young man obviously belonged to this elite division of the Russian army, but the composition and the mood of the portrait show that any military action is over, while the darkening evening sky and the dispersing clouds in the background promise approaching peace and rest.
The painting is matched by another portrait of an officer in the collection, which is unsigned, but which is also by Oleszkiewicz. It shows an officer whose breast is decorated with the Cross of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. This decoration, which is also called the Maltese Cross, was awarded in the Russian Empire between 1798 and 1810, and was worn until 1817. Both portraits show Russian officers who had distinguished themselves during the Napoleonic Wars. They came from the same collection, and it is likely that they portray close relatives.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Józef Oleszkiewicz An officer in the Russian army, 1819

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė

The famous painter Józef Oleszkiewicz (1777–1830), who came from the small town of Šiluva, lived and worked in St Petersburg in the early 19th century. His fame rested on his superb portraits: likenesses of the Lithuanian and Polish nobility make up most of his oeuvre. He also frequently painted army officers, especially participants in the 1812 war. Unfortunately, owing to historical circumstances, when the old private collections and those kept in country houses were disbanded, the names of the individuals in the paintings in many cases were lost. It is impossible to name the person in this painting. Since many young men from the lands of the occupied Polish and Lithuanian state served in the Russian army, he could have been a fellow countryman of the artist. The young officer is painted against a landscape leaning on his sword, and a splendid officer’s helmet of 1808–1812 of a cavalry officer in the Russian Imperial Guard is shown next to him. The young man obviously belonged to this elite division of the Russian army, but the composition and the mood of the portrait show that any military action is over, while the darkening evening sky and the dispersing clouds in the background promise approaching peace and rest.
The painting is matched by another portrait of an officer in the collection, which is unsigned, but which is also by Oleszkiewicz. It shows an officer whose breast is decorated with the Cross of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. This decoration, which is also called the Maltese Cross, was awarded in the Russian Empire between 1798 and 1810, and was worn until 1817. Both portraits show Russian officers who had distinguished themselves during the Napoleonic Wars. They came from the same collection, and it is likely that they portray close relatives.

Text author Rūta Janonienė

Józef Oleszkiewicz An officer in the Russian army, 1819

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album RES PUBLICA (2018). Compiler and author Rūta Janonienė