The Constitution of May 3. Four-Year Sejm. Educational Commission. Partition. A.D. 1795.
Jan Matejko·1889
Historical Context
Jan Matejko's painting on the Constitution of May 3 was commissioned for the Royal Castle in Warsaw — the seat of the very parliament that passed the constitution in 1791. The Constitution of May 3 was the world's second written national constitution (after the American), and its passage was one of the proudest moments of Polish political history. Tragically, the constitution was in force for only fourteen months before the Second Partition effectively nullified it. For Poles under the partition, the constitution represented proof of national capacity for self-governance and political modernity. Matejko painted this subject multiple times, each version a renewed assertion of Polish democratic credentials.
Technical Analysis
The scene in the Sejm chamber is organized around the moment of celebration following the constitution's passage — deputies in emotional embrace, the public gallery filled, light flooding the Gothic-revival hall. The composition balances the formal requirements of history painting with genuine emotional dynamism.
