Prince Bear illustration for a polish legend.

A story of love and loneliness.

Here’s the polish legend of Prince Bear that inspired me to do the illustration:

Once upon a time in Mazovia, there was a prince whose name no one remembered because everyone called him Prince Bear – he was huge and strong like a bear. Unfortunately, he was also ugly, and although he was kind and noble, and the people loved him, he could not find a wife and was very lonely.One day, in the Jesuit church in Warsaw’s Old Town, the prince saw a beautiful girl. She was a young townswoman, but she didn’t care about her origin. It was love at first sight, and from that moment, the prince only thought about her. Every Sunday, he came to the Jesuit church to look at his beloved during the mass. However, he was too shy to tell her about his feelings. When the prince came to church the following Sunday, he saw a girl crossing the threshold. She was wearing a snow-white wedding dress, and her chosen one walked proudly at her side. The prince’s heart tightened with regret, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Suddenly he fell, his body began to change. After a while, he became a stone bear. The sadness that reached his heart made the prince turn into a hard boulder so that he would not suffer again.

Now the stone bear stands under the church of Jesuits in the Warsovian Old Town and waiting patiently. The legend says that if any lady loves him truly, the bear will regain his former form and with will live a long and happy life. If you walk past the Prince Bear sculpture, just stroke him in the mouth – maybe it will make him feel a little better in his bitterness of waiting?

prints available

The original artwork (small illustration made with a micron pen on 120×120 mm square paper) and signed prints are available to buy in formats: square 210×210 mm and 120×120 mm , A4 (210 x 297 mm) and postcard (148 x 105 mm or 120×120 mm). For more information and to order, please send me a message.