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Marcin Zaleski began his career as a scene painter in Warsaw before gaining further experience in Paris beginning in 1831. After his return, he rose to prominence as one of the most in-demand architectural painters in Poland. Simultaneously, he received numerous commissions for the restoration and decoration of various churches and palaces. In addition to his painted views of Warsaw, however, Zaleski was especially renowned for his true-to-detail interiors, such as the one this sheet presents in all its fineness.
The beholder glimpses into the salon of a bel étage with an adjoining chamber, which is visible through an open door, depicted as a cabinet, in the background. The furniture consists of tasteful, selectively-chosen pieces in the Directoire and Biedermeier style. A large panoramic window on the left side enables a view of the façade of the famous Visitandine church, a baroque basilica on the grand Krakowskie Przednmiescie Street in Warsaw. With special finesse, Zaleski guides the viewer’s gaze towards a second salon reflected in a floor-length mirror in the middle of the scene – without, however, depicting his own person, which inevitably would have stood in the way of this mirror image. The suite of rooms ends here in front of a second mirror, centrally located under a crystal chandelier with a chest of drawers placed before it.