A Negress

A Negress () is an 1884 realistic portrait study oil painting on canvas by the Polish artist Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowicz. During World War II, the painting was stolen; it was recovered in 2012.

Description
The picture was painted in oil technique in 1884 in Paris. It is a portrait of a black woman located on a light background. She is shown from waist up, dressed in a white robe, but is part naked, exposing a breast. She wears a gold necklace, and a red head scarf. This type of painting of an exotic person was a  popular topic in the late nineteenth century. The canvas is signed in the upper right corner with the painter's family name and date of creation.

History
The painting originally belonged to the collector Dominik Witke-Jeżewski, who deposited the canvas at the National Museum in Warsaw in 1933. In 1939, the painting was purchased by the Museum for 700 złotys. During World War II, the painting was stolen in unknown circumstances, and since 1945 was sought by the Poles. In 2011, the painting appeared at an auction in Germany. It was recovered thanks to the effort of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the support of the Kronenberg Foundation of Citi Handlowy Bank. Since 2012 the picture is once more displayed at the Warsaw National Museum.

See also
Looted art
World War II looting of Poland

References

Category:1884 paintings
Category:Polish art
Category:Stolen works of art
Category:Black people in art
Category:Paintings of the National Museum, Warsaw
Category:19th-century portraits