Modus: Prace z historii sztuki (19.2019)

de Bethune). In their residences, the Jabłonowski family flaunted that particular
kinship - it is known that in 1724 Jan Stanisław was looking for a portrait of Paul
de Beauvilliers (a relative of Saint-Aignan), the copy of which he wished to display
in one of his abodes.29
Although Jan Kajetan Jabłonowski met de Saint-Aignan in Romę, he is un-
likely to have “taken over” Mirys from him. The artistic circle in which the Duke
de Saint-Aignan moved in Cittd Vecchia is well documented, and there are no
sources confirming that both himself and Mirys belonged thereto. It should also
be emphasized that Saint-Aignan enjoyed a reputation as a sophisticated ama-
teur. It is known that he belonged to the close circle of Duke d’Antin, director
of the Bdtiments du Roi, as well as from Nicolas Vleughels, director of the French
Academy in Romę,30 in which quarters he decided to live during his stay in
Romę.31 Throughout his life he surrounded himself with artists (Pierre-Charles
Tremolieres, Jean-Charles Frontier, Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, Pierre Subleyras
et Michel-Ange Slodz, Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre, to name but a few) of high
qualifications and skills, higher in any case than those of Mirys.32 Earlier, back
in France, Saint-Aignan built a rich collection of paintings, sculptures and en-
graved gems (intaglio); in its catalogue, numbering 400 paintings, we wont find
not even one work by Mirys.33
Thus, if Mirys did not work for Saint-Aignan, who could his patron in Romę
have been? With some caution, I would hypothesize that Mirys might have been
operating in the orbit of the Stuart court. Because of his Scottish descent and his
relationship with English Catholics in exile, he had all the predispositions to get
involved with the English Catholic court. Having said that, the earliest surviving
paintings by the artist, such as Portrait of Ignacy Cetner (Wilanów) or Portrait
of Jan Sapieha (Wawel), do not reveal elear analogies with the style of art from
the Roman circle of the Stuarts - painters Antonio David (1698-1750), Domenico
Dupra (1689-1770), and a certain Gili, unknown by name) It should be empha-
sized, however, that the artistic milieu centred around the Stuarts is still poorly
documented, as is the body of Miryss works.
In this context, the letter from Hennin, quoted earlier, seems all the morę
interesting. The secretary of the French embassy emphasized that Mirys worked
quickly, which suggests that by 1753 he probably not only had had a large pool
of clients, but also had carried out numerous assignments for them. Secondly

29 A. Betlej, Sibi, deo, posteritati, p. 61.
30 Charles de Bosses, Le president de Bosses en Italie, edited by R. Colomb, vol. 2, Paris 1869, p. 79;
Recueil des instructions, vol. 3-20, p. 73; Correspondance des directeurs, vol. 8, p. 165.
31 Correspondance des directeurs, vol. 8, pp. 168,251.
32 Subleyras 1699-1749 [exhibition catalogue, 20 fevrier - 26 avril 1987, Paris, Musee du Luxem-
bourg; 18 mai - 19 juillet 1987, Romę, Academie de France, Villa Medicis], edited by P. Rosenberg,
O. Michel, Paris 1987, pp. 71-73; M. Le Moel, P. Rosenberg, La collection de tableaux du duc de
Saint-Aignan et le catalogue de sa vente illustrepar Gabriel de Saint-Aubin,“Revue de l’Art”, 1969,
issue 6, pp. 53-54; S. Couturtier, Introduction, in: Drawn to Art. French Artists and Art Lovers
in i8th Century Romę [exhibition catalogue, 21 October 2011 - 2 January 2012, National Gallery
of Art, Ottawa, de. S. Couturier], Ottawa 2011, pp. 14,194; Correspondance des directeurs, vol. 9,
letter of 27 December 1733, no. 3779, p. 32.
33 Correspondance des directeurs, vol. 8, letter of 13 November 1731, no. 3606, p. 386; M. Le Moel,
S. Rosenberg, La collection de tableaux, pp. 51-67; Catalogue dune belle collection de tableaux
originaux [...] qui composent le cabinet defeu M. Le duc de Saint-Aignan, dont la vente sefera le
lundi 17 juin 1776, en son hotel rue Sainte Avoye, edited by J.-B. Lebrun, Paris 1776.

156

ARTICLES

Konrad Niemira