Marcello Bacciarelli

Marcello Bacciarelli was the court painter of Poland’s last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski. His portraits of the king, the court and the Polish monarchs are formal and richly coloured, and his allegorical ceilings decorated the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Born in Rome, he trained there under Marco Benefial and was brought to Dresden in 1750 by Augustus III of Poland. He worked in Vienna before settling in Warsaw, where he became the king’s favourite painter and director of the royal buildings. He painted a series of Polish kings for the Marble Room, along with allegories such as The Flourishing of the Arts and Sciences.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw holds the largest group of his paintings. Look at his portraits of Stanisław August, which show the king in rich robes with a relaxed, intelligent expression.