Salvete Omnes
Bavarian artist Johann Lorenz Rugendas (1775-1826) executed a drawing that his workshop converted into a etching and printed- the National Museum at Krakow has the print, and graciously allows for study and enjoyment via their Digital Collections.
The subject of this print is last elected king of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Stanislaw August (Poniatowski), (s)elected in November 1764, with the strong Russian 'bayonet and musket' presence, This last election followed the short war between the national, conservative Sarmatian faction and the Progressive faction with Russian Imperial army in the vanguard. The war was atrocious on many levels, showing the complete ruination of the Polish Crown army, while the Lithuanian army, under the command of grand hetman Massalski, was told to stand aside, in exchange for large sum of money given to the grand hetman, while Progressive-allied Russian Imperial army marched into the Kingdom. It was during that war when the castle of Neswiez, the seat of Radziwill family then headed by Karol Radziwil 'Panie Kochanku', was plundered of its fabulous art and riches collections for the first time by the Russians (second will be in 1812). Withing the Royal Crown army only the Tatar Ulan regiments, that had freshly marched from Saxony and the Seven Years War's fields, showed themselves capable of any military action and order, while very ancient Crown grand Hetman Branicki was beyond any help as a military commander and leader.
In my opinion (and many historians), this ruler was to be one of the worst politicians ever on the Polish throne, being weak, afraid of this former lover empress Catherine the Great of Russia, and always pursuing pleasures of life while borrowing money for his expensive ideas and projects, especially art collections.
Ad rem, the mount of the monarch is white or grey - with the usual horse tack of this period, the 1760s.
behind the monarch there are two attendants in stylized Hungarian attire
their horse also is bitted with a double rein bridle, but the rosette in its forehead perhaps indicated both Polish and Hungarian bridle tradition.
enjoy
Valete
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