Study of the hands of Sigismund Augustus for the painting “Death of Barbara Radziwiłł” c. 1860

This study of the hands of Sigismund Augustus was created around 1860 by the Polish artist Józef Simmler. It is a preparatory study for Simmler's larger painting, "Death of Barbara Radziwiłł," and is intended to capture the precise detail and emotion of the subject's hands. The artist's brushstrokes are visible in the oil on canvas, adding a sense of dynamism to the composition. Simmler's meticulous attention to detail in this study would have been essential for the ultimate success of his larger portrait.