Stańczyk is an oil-on-canvas painting by Jan Matejko, finished in 1862. It depicts Stańczyk, the court jester when Poland was at the height of its political, economic and cultural power during the era of the Renaissance in Poland, during the reign of King Sigismund I the Old in the 16th century. The painting contrasts the solemn jester, who sits alone in a dark room and is the focus of the painting, and the lively royal ball going on in the background. Stańczyk's appearance is gloomy and deep in thought. The painting was acquired by the Warsaw National Museum in 1924. During World War II it was looted by the Nazis and subsequently by the Soviet Union, but was returned to Poland around 1956.Painting credit: Jan Matejko