Benezit lists three Kotarbinskis; Milosz, Guillaume and V. A. Polish references refer to two cousins, Milosz (1854-1944) and Wilhelm Aleksandrovich. Vasiliy is a loose approximation for Wilhelm/William and there is, therefore, little doubt that Guillaume, V. A. and Wilhelm are the same person.

Like many Polish artists, Wilhelm Kotarbinski travelled extensively, leaving for Rome in 1871/2 (there is a picture in the Tretyakov from this period) and St. Petersburg in 1875-83, before returning to Poland where he became a teacher. The National Gallery in Warsaw is listed as having ten oil paintings by him.

We are grateful to Wojtek Szatkowski for his help in cataloguing this picture.