3-068-861 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of Mikolaj Potocki "Bearpaw" (ca. 1593-1651), Grand Hetman of the Crown, 1749-1756. Additional Info: Hetman Potocki was born around 1593. As a young man, he participated in the siege of Smolensk (1609-1611). During the unfortunate expedition of Stanislaw Zólkiewski to Moldavia in 1620, ended in defeat at Cecora, he was taken prisoner, his family ransomed him after a year. In 1633 he was appointed the general of Podolian lands, and four years later the captain of the Field Crown Hetman In 1646, he was given high offices of the castellan of Krakow and the Grand Crown Hetman. After the outbreak of the Khmelnytsky Uprising in 1648, he was taken prisoner by the Cossacks in the Battle of Korsun. Released as late as in 1650, he continued fighting the following year (including at Berestechko). He died in the autumn of 1651. His nickname originated from a bear paw-shaped mark on his leg.