Kossakowscy

Kossakowscy is a Polish noble family that rose to prominence in the 19th century, primarily through its artistic legacy. The family name derives from the village of Kossaków in the Masovian Voivodeship, and the ancestors served in various administrative roles within the Crown of the Polish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth. By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Kossakowscy had established themselves as a patrician lineage in Warsaw and Kraków.

The most celebrated members were painters of the Polish Romantic period. Wojciech Kossak (1837–1905) became the preeminent painter of equestrian and military scenes, and his oeuvre is displayed in the National Museum in Kraków and the Schiller Museum in Wadowice. His son, Jan Kossak (1867–1949), continued the artistic tradition with landscape and portrait work, receiving recognition at the Paris Salon and winning multiple gold medals in international exhibitions. Another prominent painter, Peter Kossak (1949–2021), revived the family name in the second half of the 20th century, focusing on historical subjects and having his works acquired by the Smithsonian Institution.

Beyond the arts, several members of the Kossakowscy family were involved in the political life of the 19th and early 20th centuries. They served as deputies in the Sejm during the times of the Congress Kingdom and later as senators in the Second Polish Republic. The family’s influence thus spans cultural, political, and historical domains. The Kossakowscy closed their line with the late 20th century, leaving a legacy preserved in museums and through the study of Polish Romantic history.