Illustration from the "Sielanki polskie z różnych autorów zebrane a teraz świeżo dla pożytku i zabawy czytelników po raz trzeci przedrukowane i poprawione. Kopersztychami ozdobione"

The engraving depicting two youngsters dressed in a Polish fashion is taken from the last book to appear in the First Republic of Poland, published in 1778 by the royal bookseller and printer Mikołaj Gröll. Illustrated with utmost care and artistry, the work was entitled Polish bucolics collected from various authors and now for the third time reprinted and corrected anew for the benefit and amusement of readers. Ornamented with copper etchings. The patron and benefactor of the publication was prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski, one of the most illustrious figures of the king Stanisław August Poniatowski’s times, a general from the Podole region, a commanding officer of the cadet corps and the School of Chivalry. 8 illustrations, or the so-called copper etchings, echoing the topics described in the bucolic poems, were made by two artists of French origin, Charles Dominique Eisen and Joseph de Longueil. In order to create illustrations that would be truly Polish in style the artists cooperated with two young graduates of the School of Chivalry, currently studying at the French Academy of Fine Arts, Józef Orłowski and Tadeusz Kościuszko. This collaboration led them to create engravings that contain the elegance of the 18th century. French art of illustration alongside with typically Polish ingredients, traceable first and foremost in the attire of the presented figures. A clear example is provided by the illustration found in the Wilanów collection. It depicts two young poets wearing robes with slit sleeves, typical for Polish nobles; a winged genius reveals to them the sources of inspiration, monumental antique edifices and a shepherd’s scene.