Prince Stanisław Poniatowski (November 23, 1754 – February 13, 1833) was a Polish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

, politician, diplomat, a member of the wealthy

Poniatowski family The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent Polish family that was part of the nobility of Poland. A member of this family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was elected as King of Poland and reigned from 1764 until his abdicatio ...

and a nephew of the last king of Poland,

Stanisław II Augustus Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

. He was the official Commander of the Royal Foot Guards regiment directly responsible for the monarch's life as well as the Grand Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1784–1791) and

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Stryj, which made him a key figure in Poland during the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

Biography

Stanisław was the son of Prince

Kazimierz Poniatowski Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski (15 September 1721 – 13 April 1800) was a Polish Szlachcic, ''podkomorzy wielki koronny'' (1742–1773), Lieutenant general of the Royal Polish forces, ''generał wojsk koronnych''. Knight of the Order of the ...

(September 15, 1721 – 1800), a Polish nobleman, Deputy Chamberlain of Lithuania (1742–1773), Commander of the Royal Army and a knight of the prestigious Order of the White Eagle, awarded on August 3, 1744 in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. His father was the brother of the last King of Poland and

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...

, who saw in his nephew a possible successor and heir to the throne of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

. Both Kazimierz and the monarch had been born to Konstancja Czartoryska, (January 29, 1700 – October 27, 1759), related by marriage to a russophilic Polish–Lithuanian family, the

Czartoryski The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; lt, Čartoriskiai) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dyna ...

s. Stanisław Poniatowski became a knight of the White Eagle on December 8, 1773. Very well educated and particularly interested in the finances and

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

of the country as well as in the

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

, Poniatowski was not popular amongst '' szlachta'' (the Polish nobility), who found him arrogant and competitive. Poniatowski commissioned about 2500 engraved precious gems from a group of gem-engravers in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

who turned to classical literature for inspiration. In 1830, Poniatowski published a summary catalogue of his gems, ''Catalogue des Pierres Gravees Antiques de S.A. le Prince Stanislas Poniatowski'', which contained elaborate descriptions. The collection was sold at a Christie's auction in 1839 and has been dispersed ever since. Following the partitions of Poland, Poniatowski emigrated to Italy, living first in Rome, then in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. He is the ancestor of the present members of the Poniatowski family bearing the title of Fürst Poniatowski or Principe Poniatowski di Monterotondo. Some sources state that he married Cassandra Luci (

, 1785 -

, 1863) in 1806,The Nathaniel Hawthorne review, Vol. 22, II, Nathaniel Hawthorne Society, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, 1996, p. 32 but apparently that never occurred as she was married to Vicenzo Venturini Benloch. Among his descendants are the Princes Poniatowski of the

Empire of Austria The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

and Counts and the Princes of Monterotondo in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany: * ''Isabella Luci'' (Rome, 1806 - Florence, 1896), married firstly in January/February 1821 to Count Prospero Bentivoglio (- 1821), without children, and secondly in 1822 to Count Zanobi di Ricci (- October 16, 1844), their daughter was Marie-Anne Walewska. Then, she married Marquess Filippo De Piccolellis. * ''Carlo Luci'' (Rome, 1808 - Florence, 1887), later Poniatowski, legitimized in 1847, made Conte di Monterotondo by the

Grand Duke of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origin ...

on November 20, 1847, Principe di Monterotondo by the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Prince Poniatowski by the

Emperor of Austria The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Hou ...

both on November 19, 1850 (Rome, August 4, 1808 -

San Pancrazio The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a Roman Catholic ancient basilica and titular church founded by Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta S ...

, July 23, 1887), married in Florence, September 21, 1831 to Elisa Napoleone Montecatini (

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

, November 4, 1808 - Lucca, April 18, 1893), without children. * ''Costanza Luci'' (Rome, 1811 - Florence, 1851), married to Count Daniele Zappi. * '' Giuseppe Michele Saverio Francesco Giovanni Luci''(Rome, February 21, 1816 - London, July 4, 1873), later known as Józef Michał Poniatowski, legitimized in 1847, made Conte di Monterotondo by the Grand Duke of Tuscany on November 20, 1847, Principe di Monterotondo by the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Prince Poniatowski by the Emperor of Austria both on November 19, 1850.W. L. Hubbard, The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, p. 168
/ref> He was a composer and a singer, and was sent to Paris as plenipotentiary by Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II. In 1834, he married Countess Matilda Perotti (1814 - February 1875) in Florence, and they had one son, Stanislaus August Friedrich Joseph Telemach Luci. * ''Michele Luci'' (Rome, 1816 - Florence, 1864), founder of ''Imparziale fiorentino''.

Gallery

File:Bacciarelli Apolonia Ustrzycka and her son.jpg, ''

Apolonia Ustrzycka Princess Apolonia Poniatowski (17 January 1736 – 1814) was a Polish noblewoman, the sister-in-law of the King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Biography She was the daughter of Bazyli Ustrzycki (1715-1751), castellan of Prze ...

and her son'', by

Marcello Bacciarelli Marcello Bacciarelli (; 16 February 1731 – 5 January 1818) was a Polish- Italian painter of the late-baroque and Neoclassic periods. Biography He was born in Rome, and studied there under Marco Benefial. In 1750, with the recommendation of t ...

File:Stanislaw Poniatowski young.jpg, Prince Stanisław Poniatowski File:Kauffman Stanisław Poniatowski.jpg, ''Portrait of Stanisław Poniatowski'', by Angelica Kauffman, 1786 File:Cassandra Luci.jpg, Cassandra Luci File:Costanza Luci.jpg, Costanza Luci File:Isabella Luci.jpg, Isabella Luci File:Luci-Poniatowscy 2.jpg, Carlo, Giuseppe and Michele Luci-Poniatowski File:Photo-pierre.JPG, Print from the "Catalogue des Pierres Gravees Antiques de S.A. le Prince Stanislas Poniatowski" depicting some of the mythological scenes carved on the gems of the prince's collection

References

Bibliography

* AA.VV, ''Polonia-Italia: relazioni artistiche dal medioevo al XVIII secolo'', Polska Akademia Nauk Stacja Naukowa w Rzymie, Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, 1979 * The Encyclopædia Britannica: a dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information, Vol. 22, 1911, p. 61. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poniatowski, Stanislaw 1754 births 1833 deaths Nobility from Warsaw Stanislaw 1754 18th-century Polish nobility Grand Treasurers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Politicians from Warsaw 18th-century Polish–Lithuanian politicians