Portrait of Róża Branicka

Róża Branicka belonged to the Polish aristocratic family whose connections stretched across the highest levels of European society. Painted by Scheffer in 1850, this portrait is one of several he made of distinguished Polish exiles and aristocrats who formed part of the Parisian émigré community after the failed Polish uprisings of 1830 and 1848. Chopin — Scheffer's close friend — was the most celebrated figure in this community, and through him the painter became deeply connected to Polish cultural life in Paris. The Branicka family maintained close ties with both the French and Russian imperial courts, and a commission from one of their number would have carried considerable social prestige. The National Museum in Warsaw now holds the portrait, a fitting homecoming for a canvas that documents the Polish diaspora's presence in Romantic Paris.

Scheffer's portraits of aristocratic women from this period show his most refined technique: fine sable-brush work in the face, building a luminous but never artificial surface, combined with more freely handled passages in the costume that convey material luxury without pedantic itemisation. The pose is conventional — three-quarter bust, slight turn of the head — but animated by the quality of psychological attention.