Artwork

John III Sobieski, King of Poland (1624-1696) with one of his children

John III Sobieski, King of Poland (1624-1696) with one of his children is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Tricius. It is held in the collection of the Museum of the History of France.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Executed in oil on canvas by Jan Tricius circa 1685, the work functions as both a family portrait and a visual statement of royal legitimacy and succession.

The painting shows King John III Sobieski standing beside one of his sons, identified as James Louis Sobieski, in a double‑portrait format. The king is presented with regal attributes, a crown and a shield, signifying his sovereign authority and role as protector of the realm. The presence of his heir underscores the dynastic continuity of the Sobieski lineage and the monarch’s paternal responsibility.

Executed in oil on canvas by Jan Tricius circa 1685, the work functions as both a family portrait and a visual statement of royal legitimacy and succession.

Technique & Style

Created in 1685, this double portrait is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 146.5 cm in height and 117 cm in width. Attributed to the artist Jan Tricius, the painting depicts King John III Sobieski alongside one of his sons, incorporating symbolic elements such as a shield and a crown within the composition.

The piece is classified as a family portrait and is currently held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles.

History & Provenance

The double portrait was painted by Jan Tricius in 1685, as recorded in the artist’s inscription on the work.

It entered the royal collection and was inventoried at Versailles by 1686, where it remained within the Crown’s holdings through the eighteenth century. After the French Revolution, it was transferred to the newly formed national collections and is today conserved at the Palace of Versailles under the inventory number MV 7149.

The painting is currently held at the Palace of Versailles, specifically within the national museums of the châteaux of Versailles and Trianon. It is part of the collection dedicated to the Museum of the History of France. The work carries the accession reference 000PE007093 in the Joconde database of French museum collections.

The source material does not provide a specific record of past or future exhibitions for this particular portrait.

Context

The painting John III Sobieski, King of Poland with one of his children, created by Jan Tricius in 1685, is understood within the context of 17th-century European portraiture and the diplomatic visual culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It functions as both a family portrait and a political statement, reflecting the prominence of the Sobieski dynasty and the use of art to reinforce royal authority. The work's dual function as a devotional and propagandistic image aligns with broader trends in Baroque portraiture, where lineage and legacy were visually codified.

Its attribution to Tricius, a court painter active in France and Poland, situates it within the transnational networks of artistic exchange between Central and Western Europe. The painting is part of the collection at the Palace of Versailles, underscoring its significance in the French royal narrative of heroic ancestors.

Overview

Jan Tricius’s 1693 oil portrait presents the Polish monarch John III Sobieski alongside his son, the future prince James Louis Sobieski. The king is seated on an elaborately carved chair, clutching a crown, while the youth stands beside him in armor. Dark, cloud‑filled background and rich drapery frame the figures, emphasizing their regal status.