FRENCH SCHOOL, early 19th century

PORTRAIT OF TADEUSZ KOŚCIUSZKO (PRESUMED)

Grey wash on paper
25 × 19.5 cm / 9.8 × 7.7 in
with mount: 33 × 27 cm / 13 × 10.6 in

PROVENANCE: Paris, private collection.

This highly expressive early 19th-century French drawing is a work of uncommon presence and quality. Rendered in a refined grey wash with confident, economical modelling, it captures the intensity and inner discipline of a revolutionary figure with remarkable psychological depth. The artist’s skill is evident in the firm structural drawing of the face, the controlled tonal architecture and the striking clarity of the sitter’s character — features that place the sheet above the level of ordinary academic production of the period.

The physiognomic closeness to the well-established iconography of Tadeusz Kościuszko is particularly notable. Following his liberation in 1796 and subsequent departure for Western Europe, several important likenesses were created — among them Benjamin West’s celebrated portrait of 1797. The present drawing corresponds to this visual tradition through its distinctive features, fur cap and intense, resolute gaze. Even though the identification cannot be confirmed, the sheet stands as a rare and compelling example of post-Revolutionary French portraiture, combining historical resonance with unusual expressive force. Works of this calibre and character rarely appear on the market.