Portrait of Teresa Lubomirska (née Czartoryska) as Hebe

The artist's best works are portraits of women, characterised by the idealisation of female beauty. From the middle of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, mythological portraiture was a common type of representative complementary portraiture. It allowed the most spectacular features of the model's appearance and moral qualities to be highlighted. The image of Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of eternal youth, who provided the gods with nectar and ambrosia on Mount Olympus, was prevalent in art. She was usually depicted in a sleeveless white dress with a golden bowl in her hand, often with her father in the form of an eagle. This painting depicts Teresa Lubomirska (née Czartoryska) as Hebe against the background of a sky covered with light silver clouds. The girl is shown in a complex twist. She leans her knee on a cloud, elegantly lifting a bowl of nectar with her left hand and holding a golden cup in her right. A blue belt and a yellow shawl complement her white, Greek-style dress. The girl has a slight smile on her face. To her left is a giant eagle, a symbol of Zeus, Hebe's father.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery