The painting, entitled Stańczyk, depicts a court jester who became a significant historical figure during the reign of King Sigismund the Old in 16th-century Poland.
Stańczyk, known for his wit and intelligence, used his position to comment on the nation's social and political issues and to criticise the king's policies.
Exhibition curator Élisabeth Antoine-König said: "It’s a fantastic work of art, perfectly symbolising the kind of renaissance of the figure of the jester, which we witnessed particularly in France during the Romantic period."
Talking to a Polish Radio correspondent in Paris, Antoine-König added: "Stańczyk is depicted as a court madman, in his characteristic attire and in the light of 19th-century concerns and political transformations."
The Matejko painting is displayed alongside works by the likes of Gustave Courbet, Francisco Goya and Victor Hugo.
The exhibition runs until February 3.
Born in 1838, Matejko won recognition for his historical paintings that shaped the consciousness of the Polish nation during the period of the partitions.
One of his most famous canvasses, entitled The Battle of Grunwald, depicts the battle, fought on July 15, 1410, in which Polish and Lithuanian forces, led by Polish King Wladysław Jagiełło, defeated the German Teutonic Order.
Jan Matejko's "The Battle of Grunwald." Image: National Museum in Warsaw/Public domain
In 2021, Matejko’s painting Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God generated a great deal of interest when it was shown at London's National Gallery.
Jan Matejko's "Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God." Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Matejko died in 1893.
(mk/gs)
Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Agnieszka Bielawska.