On the morning of May 3, 1791, Warsaw’s streets pulsed with hope as Poland’s parliament adopted the Constitution of 3 May—the first modern constitution in Europe and second in the world after the United States. Nearly a century later, Jan Matejko chose this moment of national pride for his monumental painting, but before the final canvas, he worked through his vision in this dynamic sketch. The Constitution’s passage was a flash of reform in a country beset by foreign powers, and Matejko’s sketch captures the feverish optimism that swept through the city that day. In the sketch, Matejko freezes the jubilant procession as it emerges from St.

John’s Cathedral. The central figure, King Stanisław August Poniatowski, is lifted by the crowd, his hand raised in a gesture of unity and resolve, while the reformers—Hugo Kołłątaj, Ignacy Potocki—cluster around him, their faces alive with conviction. The fluttering banners, the tricolor sashes, and the press of bodies all speak to a moment when the old order seemed to give way to possibility.

Unlike the more restrained approach of Jean-Louis David in The Tennis Court Oath, Matejko’s composition is crowded and energetic, emphasizing collective action over individual heroism. The precise medium of this sketch remains uncertain, but it was almost certainly executed in oil or gouache as a preparatory study for Matejko’s finished painting, now housed in Warsaw’s Royal Castle. This sketch was likely kept in Matejko’s Kraków studio, serving as both a working tool and a testament to his process. While the final painting became a touchstone of Polish national identity—especially during periods of partition and occupation—the sketch offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the artist’s hand at work.

Today, it stands as a vital link between Matejko’s vision and the enduring memory of May 3rd.