Jan Regulski (1760 - 28 July 1807) was a Polish glyptic artist and

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

ist.

Family

Regulski came from an impoverished family. His parents' names and occupations are not known. His talent was recognized as a boy by two wealthy landowners of the area,

Stanisław Kostka Potocki Count Stanisław Kostka Potocki (; November 1755 – 14 September 1821) was a Polish nobleman, politician, writer, public intellectual and patron of the arts. Life Potocki was a son of General and starost of Lwów, Eustachy Potocki and An ...

and

Ignacy Potocki Count Roman Ignacy Potocki, generally known as Ignacy Potocki (; 1750–1809), was a Polish nobleman, member of the influential magnate Potocki family, owner of Klementowice and Olesin (near Kurów), a politician, writer, and office holder. H ...

, when he did carvings using an awl and knife with olive pits. The Potocki families paid for his education in national schools and then further training in Rome and Naples, which lasted until 1780. He married Marianne Chmielewska. They had three children, of whom the eldest son of Stanislaw distinguished himself as a translator and poet.

Career

In 1783, most likely by their patrons brothers Potocki, Regulski was appointed to the royal court as an officer medal collection and other collections of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. In order to create an Academy of Fine Arts, the king was planning to entrust the management of collections of antiques. But when the creation of a new university did not happen, he instead appointed Regulski as the official

Polish Mint The Mint of Poland ( pl, Mennica Polska) is a private company (''Mennica Polska S.A.'') which is the only body permitted to manufacture (mint (coin), mint) coins and investment products in Poland. It is located in Warsaw. It is a joint-stock compa ...

artist. Regulski was most successful in carving gems: the image of the king as gifts, the royal family, and different depictions of the mythical, historical and contemporary. As a sculptor he represented

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

. He executed a commemorative medal engraving, and made such a medal with a portrait of the king on the obverse to commemorate the start of construction of the church of St. Providence and medal-military gift for Prince Józef.

Politics

On April 19, 1794, Regulski joined the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

. Some sources imply that it belonged to the

Polish Jacobins Polish Jacobins (or Huguenots) was the name given to a group of late 18th century radical Polish politicians by their opponents. Polish Jacobins formed during the Great Sejm as an offshoot of the " Kołłątaj's Forge" (''Kuźnia Kołłątajska'') ...

. Soon he was brought before the court on charges of inciting the people of the capital and enforcing the

Targowica Confederation The Targowica Confederation ( pl, konfederacja targowicka, , lt, Targovicos konfederacija) was a Confederation (Poland), confederation established by Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Polish and Lithuanian magnates on 27 April 1792, in Saint Pe ...

, but after a hearing in the Supreme Court he was acquitted. After the

Third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polish ...

and the start of Prussian rule in Warsaw, Regulski was favored by

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

. In 1795 he moved to Berlin, and was appointed curator of the Royal Collection. The king sent him to Italy in order to make purchases antiques to enrich the Berlin collection. When Regulski returned to the Prussian capital, the king was already

Friedrich Wilhelm III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

. The new monarch was devoid of any interest in art, so he refused to pay for the purchases made. Regulski went with them in 1798 to Warsaw, where he devoted himself to art and enlarging his collection.

Death

On July 28, 1807, Regulski died in Warsaw. After his death his collections were dispersed. Unfortunately, he did not always sign the gem and small sculptures, so it is difficult to figure out which of the surviving engraved gems in Polish museums and cameos are his work.

References

* Bogdan Leśnodorski, Jacobins Polish, Warsaw, 1960 * Polish Biographical Dictionary, Volume XXX, Wrocław 1987 * Edward Rastawiecki, Message of John Regulski Library, Warsaw, 1848 * Stanislaw Szenic. 1790-1851 Powazki Cemetery, Warsaw 1982 {{DEFAULTSORT:Regulski, Jan Polish sculptors Polish male sculptors 18th-century medallists 19th-century medallists 1807 deaths 1760 births Artists from Lublin Burials at Powązki Cemetery