A portrait of extraordinary beauty by the eminent Polish painter Henryk Siemiradzki, held in the collection of the Institute of Art in Detroit, depicts the Polish duchess Maria Lubomirska.

Maria Wanda Eleonora Lubomirska, née Zamoyska, was portrayed in the painting. The painter depicted the model in a half pose, 'en trois quatre', i.e. from an oblique angle, with her face slightly turned towards the viewer. The duchess is depicted in a navy-blue dress, which is trimmed with lace at the neckline and sleeves. The model has her hair up, decorated with a string of pearls, and is also wearing pearl jewellery, a triple string of pearls around her neck and pearl earrings, bracelets on her hands, and is holding a red, patterned, probably silk shawl on her left forearm, with a fan in her hands - all fashionable accessories of the time. The Duchess is shown against a patterned background - an eastern carpets in bright colours, behind her is visible a decorative vase with ivy, set on a dresser. In the lower right-hand corner, in the part of the piece of furniture, we can see the coats of arms of the Lubomirski family-Szreniawa without the Cross; and of the Zamoyski family-Jelita, which allow us to determine the exact identity of the portrait's sitter and to derive her lineage without confusing her with her cousin of the same name and surname, Maria Lubomirska, née Branicka (1873-1934), who was alive at the time. The portrait was painted in 1881 and is included in a small group of portraits painted by Siemiradzki at the time. In particular, this is the 'Portrait of Ludwik Wodzicki' from 1880, now in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków; in which the painter depicted the model in the same way, in half pose, from an oblique angle, against a patterned background. The portrait of Maria Lubomirska, however, is marked by a higher artistic level, particularly noteworthy for the masterful way in which the patterned, glossy fabrics were painted.

Maria Wanda Eleonora Lubomirska
The portrayed is Maria Wanda Eleonora Lubomirska, née Zamoyska, who was born on 16 October 1862 in Mołoczki. She was the only daughter of Franciszek Ksawery Zamoyski, coat-of-arms Jelita (1826-1916), and Albertyna, née Giżycka (1826-1917). In January 1881, in Vienna, Maria married Adam Lubomirski (1852-1893) from the Rzeszów and Rozwadów line, MP for the Galician National Sejm. Maria, known as 'Princess Mary', was known in Vienna, where she lived, as an organiser of the social life of the local Polish community and an activist for Polish causes. She was the owner of landed estates, including the co-owner of the castle in Nowy Wiśnicz from 1901. She died in 1945 in Krakow.

Henryk Siemiradzki
The author of the painting is Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902), an eminent Polish painter representing the Academicism trend. He was the author of large-format canvases depicting historical scenes, mainly from the history of ancient Rome, but he also painted biblical and allegorical scenes. He painted portraits sporadically. Siemiradzki was educated in Kharkiv, where he was born, then at the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg. After his studies, he travelled, visiting Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna, Munich, Dresden, Florence, Verona, Naples to reach Rome in May 1872, where he settled permanently. In the Italian capital, Siemiradzki's artistic career flourished. The turn of the 1870s and 1880s marked the apogee of his career. The painter's works were exhibited not only in Rome, but also in other European capitals. All this brought him recognition in the artistic world (he became a member of the Academy of St. Luke in Rome, as well as the academies in Paris, Berlin, Turin and Stockholm) and material success, which allowed him to build a luxurious villa in the eternal city. The painter's Roman villa and studio became a place of visit for Poles coming to Rome, a kind of tourist attraction, a meeting centre for the upper classes.

History of the painting
Signed and dated in the lower left corner, the painting was painted in Rome in 1881, when Maria was 19 years old and the newly married wife of Adam Lubomirski (1852-1893). It was probably created during the young couple's stay in the eternal city, perhaps during their honeymoon, when they visited the famous atelier of Henryk Siemiradzki. Since its creation, the painting has remained in the hands of the family. In 1977 it was inherited by Maria Lubomirska's great-granddaughter, who sold the painting in 1981 to the Heim Gallery in London, a gallery run by Polish antiquarian Andrzej Stanisław Ciechanowiecki. In the same year, the painting was sold to the Institite of Art in Detroit, as evidenced by Heim Galley invoices held at the Getty Research Institute.