Artwork

Study of the hands of Sigismund Augustus for the painting “Death of Barbara Radziwiłł”

Study of the hands of Sigismund Augustus for the painting “Death of Barbara Radziwiłł” is an oil painting by the Realist artist Józef Simmler. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.

About this work

Overview

Józef Simmler’s 1860 oil study concentrates on the hands of Sigismund Augustus, a Polish monarch featured in the artist’s larger composition, Death of Barbara Radziwiłł. Rendered in a close‑up format, the work isolates the clasped fingers against a subdued brown backdrop, emphasizing texture and gesture while serving as a preparatory model for the final historical scene.

Subject & Meaning

The study isolates the hands of Sigismund Augustus, the king whose personal tragedy is central to the narrative of Barbara Radziwiłł’s death. By focusing on the intertwined fingers, Simmler highlights the emotional restraint and solemnity associated with the monarch’s role in the unfolding drama, offering a visual meditation on power and grief.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil on canvas, the study exemplifies the realist approach prevalent in mid‑19th‑century Polish painting. Simmler employs delicate modeling to capture the pallor of the skin, the precise trimming of the nails, and the subtle play of light across the folds of flesh, achieving a tactile realism that anticipates the larger work’s atmospheric detail.

History & Provenance

Created as a preparatory sketch for Simmler’s major historical canvas, the study entered the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of Polish art. Its presence in the museum underscores the artist’s role in documenting national history through meticulous academic practice.