Lot 129: Piotr Stachiewicz (Polish, 1858-1938) Krakowianka

Piotr Stachiewicz (Polish, 1858-1938)
Krakowianka pastel99.7 x 69.8cm (39 1/4 x 27 1/2in).

Provenance: Purchased by the Grandfather of the present owner in Poland, 1958. Thence by descent.The sitter for this portrait appears to be Zofia Paluchowa, nicknamed "Piekna Zoska" (beautiful Zoska), considered one of the most beautiful models by painters of the time. She was a model regularly used by Stachiewicz and usually posed for artists in traditional Polish folk costumes as seen here. In 1921 she married, however her husband did not agree to her modelling for artists. Amid escalating tensions between the two, the now estranged Zofia disappeared in 1927. After a widely publicised investigation, her husband was charged with murder and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment which he would not outlive.