[4][5] He was a popular figure; besides his fame as a jester he has been described as an eloquent, witty, and intelligent man, using satire to comment on the nation's past, present, and future.

[7] Scarcity of sources gave rise to four distinct hypotheses about Stańczyk in the 19th century: that he was entirely invented by Jan Kochanowski and his colleagues, that he was "perhaps a typical jester dressed by his contemporaries in an Aesopian attire, perhaps a Shakespearean vision of 19th-century writers, or perhaps indeed a grey eminence of the societatis ioculatorum".

[4] Stańczyk is shown sitting alone in a dark room, while a ball, hosted by the royal family, is in full swing in the neighbouring hall.

[4] His seriousness is reinforced by his accessories: his marotte lies discarded on the floor, whereas a holy medallion of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa can be seen on his torso.

[4] The letter seems to have been discarded by some official, and only the jester realizes its significance – while the rulers are partying, celebrating the recent victory at the Battle of Orsha, disregarding the bad news about Smolensk.

The note is incongruent with the actual date of the fall of Smolensk in 1514, and is a matter of ongoing debate, though an outright mistake by the meticulous Matejko, known for use of symbolism and iconography, is unlikely.

Through the open window, the darkened profile of Wawel Cathedral in Krakow is visible – the site of the coronation of Polish kings.

[14] In Greek mythology, Orion was a powerful hunter blinded by ego and his own greatness, but was ultimately brought down by the pinprick of a scorpion's sting.

[15] Matejko was fascinated by Stańczyk from the times of his youth, and portrayed him in several of his works (most notably, besides the painting discussed here, in Consecration of King Sigismund's Bell, 1874 and Prussian Homage, 1882).

[5] The painting has created an image of Stańczyk that has become iconic and has been repeated in other works such as the play Wesele (1901) of Stanisław Wyspiański.

[16] Upon its creation, the painting did not gather much attention, and was acquired by the Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts for a purpose of a gift lottery.