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ART PAGE 95

Princess De Croy - 1781
Oil on canvas
Princess Ernestine Frederique de Croy (1743-1803).
This painting is at the Croy estate, Dulmen in Westfalia, Germany
Princess De Croy - 1781
Oil on canvas, 74 x 60 cm
National Museum, Stockholm. Donated in 1792 from the private collection of King Gustav III.
Princess Ernestine Frederique de Croy (1743-1803).
Countess Sophie Potocka - date?
Pastel
Countess Zofia Constantinova Potocka (1766-1822). Formerly in the Berlin Museum; probably destroyed by bombs in WW II. This pastel copy was sold at Bonhams in London as the work of Kucharski.View a color copy of this pastel.

From Jana Talkenbergg: "She was born in Constantinopel, Turkey (1760, January 12). According to her memoirs Sophie was born in a poor family in Fanar, a quarter of the town Istanbul. A Polish ambassador (Karol Boscamp-Liasopolski) bought her from her mother, who was very poor, when she was only a child, because she was very nice looking, talented and witty. He educated her appropriately to accompany him and travelled with her through Poland and Russia. She was a big success. In a fortress called Kaminieck-Podolski she met count Joseph de Witt at the age of 16 or 17 and married him against the will of his father. They had a son Jean de Witt, who later became a General. They travelled together through Europe from court to court meeting many prominent people (King of Poland Stanislaw August, King of Prussia Frederik II., King Josef II. of Austria, Duke Charles Joseph de Ligne, Queen Marie Antoinette, Duke Potemkin, who liked and protected her, Empress Katharina II., and many others). In Hamburg Sophie met the Polish magnate Stanislaw Felix Potocki (1752-1805), the very rich palatine of Kiev, who fell in love with her. To marry her, he had to divorce his second wife Josefina Amalia Mniszech. Then he paid a high price to Sophie's husband to buy her and to marry her (1798). They had 3 sons: Alexandre, Boleslaw, Miczyslaw and 2 daughters Sophie and Olga. They settled finally and lived at their estate Tulczim with a wonderfull dendrological park called Sophiowka (Sofiyivka) near Uman. This park still exists. Sophie inherited this estate from her husband and died 1822 in Berlin."


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