Jan Bogumił Plersch (1732-1817)

Court painter of the King, chief decorator (alongside Marcello Bacciarelli) of Royal buildings.

Son of sculptor Jan Jerzy Plersch, he studied painting in Augsburg, Vienna and Warsaw. He worked for Stanisław August for 30 years, until the monarch’s abdication. He gained fame as a creator of wall paintings. He decorated the following buildings at the Royal Łazienki: The White Pavilion, the Palace on the Isle, the Myślewicki Palace, and the currently non-existent Trebhauz (greenhouse).

He also adorned other residences belonging to the aristocracy. He executed the decoration of the Small Theatre at the Royal Łazienki, the Theatre in the Royal Castle, and the Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery.

After the King’s departure to Grodno, Plersch co-operated with the public theatre at the Krasiński Sqaure in Warsaw. He was also a portrait artist and miniature portrait artist. He painted religious paintings for churches and created works commemorating events from Polish history. He was a talented and versatile artist. His paintings exhibit late-Baroque, rococo, and classicist features.