Portrait of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich

• Before 1671 (?)/ After 1676 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3988

Alexis I Mikhailovich (March 19, 1629 – January 29, 1676)

Tsar, member of the Romanov dynasty, father of Peter the Great. Son of Mikhail Fedorovich and Eudoxia Streshneva. He assumed the throne on July 14, 1645, and was crowned on September 28, 1645. During his reign the Zemsky Sobor (Assembly of the Land) passed the Law Code of 1649; the Customs (1653) and New Trade (1667) Regulations were adopted; and Ukraine came under Russian rule (1654), which led to the signing of the Truce of Andrusovo between Russia and Poland (1667).  On January 16, 1648 Alexis married Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya (April 1, 1624 – March 3, 1669), together they had 13 children. On January 22, 1671 he entered into a second marriage with Natalia Naryshkina (August 22, 1651 – January 25, 1694), and had three children with her: Peter (May 30, 1672 – January 28, 1725), Natalia (August 22, 1673 – June 18, 1716), and Feodora (September 4, 1674 – November 28, 1678).

This portrait engraved by Cornelis Meyssens (1646–?) can be found among illustrations of the book Historia di Leopoldo Cesare (History of Leopold Caesar, Vienna, 1670); that is where its traditional dating comes from. However, an inscription made on the portrait “reigned and ruled” (in Latin, in the past tense) suggests that the portrait was made after the tsar’s death. The artist’s alterations and technical characteristics do not contradict the fact that the work was painted in the end of the 17^th century.

Александр Свирский

• Wood, tempera, , .
• The State Russian Museum
• ДРЖ-907

Portrait of Prince Anikita Repnin

• Late 1690s
• Canvas, oil. 181 х 128
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3947

Anikita Repnin (1668 – July 3, 1726). Middle son of Ivan Repnin (1615– 1697) who was a boyar close to the tsar and a house steward of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, and Ivan’s wife Yevdokia Nikiforovna Pleshcheyeva (? – April 8, 1695). Russian Field Marshal General (1725). From his early years Anikita was close to Peter the Great and took part in the creation of the emperor’s Toy Army. In 1685 he became Lieutenant and within two years he was promoted to Colonel. Repnin participated in the Azov campaigns of 1695–1696. In 1696 he commanded a frigate. In 1699 he became Major General. In the beginning of the Northern War he commanded a division. Following the order of Peter the Great he reconstituted Russian forces withdrawing from Narva after they were defeated in 1700. He took part in the Siege of Nöteborg (1702) and Narva (1704). During the Battle of Poltava (1709) he commanded the centre of the Russian troops. During the years 1709–1710 he commanded the siege and the seizure of Riga. During the years 1712–1713 and 1715–1716 he commanded troops in Pomerania. In 1719 he was appointed Governor General of Livonia, and at the same time he acted as President of the Military College from 1724–1725. After the death of Peter the Great, he supported the enthronement of Catherine I, but shortly afterwards Alexander Menshikov sent him away to Riga.

From the second half of the 19^th century to the early 21^st century almost all scholars believed the person depicted here to be Ivan Borisovich Repnin; however, this traditional view was recently reconsidered. In 2014 a new version was accepted by the Attribution Council of the Russian Museum.

Portrait of Count Boris Sheremetev

• Late 17th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3939

Boris Sheremetev (April 25, 1652 – February 17, 1719). Statesman, commander and diplomat. In 1682 he was made Boyar. He took part in the first Azov campaign. He was a close associate of Peter the Great and fought in all the most important battles of the Northen War (Dorpat, Narva, and Riga). He became Field Marshal General in 1701 and was the first Russian count (1706). At the battle of Poltava he commanded the centre of the Russian Army. Peter the Great called Sheremetev his “Turenne” and valued him greatly for his selflessness.

The portrait was dated based on technological research. The upper left corner of the painting features a coat of arms belonging to the Sheremetev family, corresponding to the time when the item was created. Evidence suggests that this painting was used by Leonty Tarasevich, when he created his engraving for a panegyric presented to Sheremetev in 1695, commemorating the Count’s successful seizure of four Ottoman fortresses. Sergei Sheremetev, descendant of Count Boris Sheremetev, maintained that the original painting used for the engraving, was kept in the village of Borisovka, the family estate near Belgorod. It is possible that this particular painting, now in the collection of the State Russian Museum, is the very same work.

Portrait of Peter I

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28586

Capture of Azov

• Allegorical painting
• After 1702
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3981

This painting copies the composition of Leonty Tarasevich’s engraving that was placed on the frontispiece of the Kiev-Pechora Patericon, but with some alterations. In the center, there is a double-headed eagle with the Holy Mother and the Christ Child (Our Lady of the Sign icon type). Above them, you can see God the Father surrounded by cherubim. Below them a dove represents the Holy Spirit. To the right and to the left, the artist depicted the patron saints of the imperial family (Saint Peter and Saint Alexius, Man of God). Below on the clouds you can see the Kiev-Pechora saints (Theodosius of Kiev, also called Theodosius of the Caves, and Anthony of Kiev, also called Anthony of the Caves) on the left and on the right there are the Moscow saints (Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow, Sergius, Nikon and Kirill of Radonezh). An equestrian portrait of Peter the Great is placed in the bottom row of persons depicted together with portraits of Alexei and Boris Sheremetev. Saint George, who has the face of Sheremetev (with no nimbus), is defeating the dragon, which symbolizes the Ottoman Empire; and heaven’s wrath, represented by lighting, is defeating the lion, which is a symbol of Sweden.

Медаль «Небываемое бывает» / За взятие двух шведских судов 6 мая 1703 г. в устье р. Невы

• 1703
• Silver.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-522

Portrait of Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev

• After 1710
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5798

Boris Sheremetev (April 25, 1652 – February 17, 1719). Statesman, commander and diplomat. In 1682 he was made Boyar. He took part in the first Azov campaign. He was a close associate of Peter the Great and fought in all the most important battles of the Northen War (Dorpat, Narva, and Riga). He became Field Marshal General in 1701 and was the first Russian count (1706). At the battle of Poltava he commanded the centre of the Russian Army. Peter the Great called Sheremetev his “Turenne” and valued him greatly for his selflessness.

In 1905 the painting was kept in the Sheremetev Palace and exhibited within the Tauride Exhibition as work of Ivan Argunov. Later the portrait was attributed to Schurmann, even though some scholars have doubted the existence of this artist. An inscription recently read on the portrait; “Karl Schurmann pictorducalis curl […]” suggests that during the siege of Riga in 1710, Karl Schurmann was painter to Frederick William, the Duke of Courland, and the future husband of Anna Ioannovna.

Портрет князя Якова Федоровича Долгорукого

• Canvas, oil. 68 x 54
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4725

Ввод судов в Петербург после Гангутской победы

• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-32299

Medal Commemorating the Capture of Nyenschantz in 1703

• 1703
• Silver. D-46. Total weight: 41.93 g.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-514

The desire of Peter the Great to make Russia one of the European commonwealths initiated the birth of medallic art, which before this was unknown in the Tsardom of Moscow. The famous Nuremberg medallist Philipp Heinrich Müller was ordered to create a series of 26 medals commemorating events of the Northern War. The medals were produced in 1713‒1714 using the highest quality materials and corresponding to European medallic traditions. Beginning in 1716, these commemorative medals were produced in Moscow for presentational purposes: they were presented as gifts to foreigners and senior officers of the state. The letters highlighted in the Latin legend refer to the date, on which the event took place.

Portrait of Peter I

• 1718
• etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-31063

Торжественный ввод в Санкт-Петербург шведских судов после победы при Гренгаме

• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-32305

Портрет Петра I

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4906

Portrait of Peter I

• Late 1717
• Canvas, oil. 69 x 55
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-1

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

Emperor is depicted in uniform of artillery company of Life Guards of Preobrazhensky regiment. In Cat. 1980 – Nikitin I.N. (?). Portrait was located in the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. In 1773 Catherine II gave it to the sculptor E.M. Falconet for the work on the monument of Peter I. Leaving for the Hague Falconet took the portrait with him. After his death in Paris in 1791 it was passed to his daughter in law Marie-Anne Collot (Marimont estate near Nancy, France), and then – to her daughter, the Baroness Jankovich. In 1866, under the will of the Baroness Jankovich the portrait was transferred to the Gatchina Palace. In 1925 it was moved to the Russian Museum (Weinberg, 1971, p. 229–237).

In the Gatchina Palace in the second half of the 19th century the portrait has been attributed to Caravaque (?) (Weinberg, 1971) or Nikitin (Rovinskii. Portraits, Vol. 4, col 279), in the Russian Museum – to Nikitin. N.M. Moleva and E.M. Belyutin considered the portrait to be the indisputable work of Ivan Nikitin and associated it with the recording about the artist’s work on the portrait of Peter I in 1721 "on Kotlin Island" (Moleva, Belyutin 1965, pp. 45–47).

A.L. Weinberg considered that this portrait is the work of L. Caravaque on the basis of painting style and iconographic similarities of Peter I with engraving made by P. Soubeyrand (1743) from the original work of Caravaque (1723). Weinberg assumed that this is the very portrait that Caravaque painted from Peter I in 1722 in Astrakhan (Weinberg, 1971). S.V. Rimskaya-Korsakova also confirms the authorship of L. Caravaque on the basis of technological analysis.

Мир и Победа («Ништадтский мир»)

• 1722-1723
• Marble. 175 х 122 х 72
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛС-1

Peter I at the Battle of Poltava

• 1724 (1725?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4901

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

The painting was created in the European tradition, with the monarch participating in a battle scene. A scholar doing research on Peter’s iconography pointed out as far back as one and a half centuries ago that this “image of the tsar is not so similar to other portraits of his.” In the catalogue of a portrait exhibition organized in 1870, the painting was said to be a “study completed” for a large painting, which was ordered from Tannauer in 1718.

Portrait of Baron Sergei Stroganov, Youngest Son of the Salt manufacturer Grigory Stroganov and his Wife Maria

• 1726
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4908

Sergei Stroganov (August 20, 1707 – September 30, 1756). Youngest son of Grigory Stroganov, a prominent person and salt manufacturer, and his second wife Maria Yakovlevna, née Novosiltseva. Baron (from 1722), actual gentleman-in-waiting, Lieutenant General. Owner of a palace located on Nevsky Prospect, St Petersburg designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Collector and founder of the Stroganov Art Gallery. In 1735 he married Sofia Kirillovna Naryshkina. His son, Alexander Stroganov, would become president of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

The work was first attributed to Ivan Nikitin in 1804 and there is no question of his authorship. This is one of the few works of the artist that was signed and dated. Researchers note that the technique of the portrait is very good, and it has been preserved better than other works, which makes the individual manner of the artist more apparent. A similar style is visible on his portraits of Prasovia Ioannovna and Anna Petrovna.

Self-Portrait with Wife

• 1729 (?). After 1727 (?)
• Canvas, oil. 75,5 x 90,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4913

Andrei Matveyev (1702, (?) – 1739, St Petersburg). Painter, portrait artist, and icon painter, who created allegorical, and decorative and monumental compositions. In 1716, at the request of Peter the Great, he was then sent to study painting in Holland. From September 1717 to September 1723, he studied under Arnold Boonen in Amsterdam, and from December 1723 to May (?) 1727 – in the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts under (?) Sperwer. In August 1727, he came back to Petersburg and began his work in the Chancellery of Construction. In 1731, Matveyev attained the rank of Master and became the head of the Painting Brigade of the Chancellery of Construction. He participated in creating murals for the Peter and Paul Cathedral, as well as tsarist residences in Petersburg, he also painted icons for the Church of The Holy Righteous Simeon and Anna The Prophetess.

Irina Matveyeva (1712/14–1740s). Daughter of the blacksmith Stepan Antropov. In 1729 (or 1728) she married the artist Andrey Matveyev. She later entered into a second marriage with the merchant Turgenev.

The portrait is thought to have been painted in 1729, the year the artist got married. Some researchers believed that the woman depicted is much older than the artist’s wife (who was only 16 years old when the portrait was painted), and that the people depicted are Princess Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick. Modern technical analysis established that the woman’s face was “aged” by alterations introduced after the work was completed.

Портрет Феофана Прокоповича

• Canvas, oil. 66,5 x 50
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-2018

Portrait of Admiral Count Nikolai Golovin

• Between 1740 and 1744
• Canvas, oil. 94 x 71 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3937

Nilolai Fedorovich Golovin (1695 – July 15, 1745). Count, son of Fyodor Golovin; from 1706 he studied at the Naval School. In 1708 Peter the Great sent him to England and Holland to study maritime affairs. Upon his return to Russia in 1715, he was assigned to the Navy in position of Lieutenant. In 1720 he was promoted to Captain Lieutenant; in 1721 upon the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystad he was made Captain 3^rd rank. In 1724 he was appointed attendee of the Admiralty Division. During the reign of Empress Catherine I in 1725, he was appointed special envoy to the Swedish court. In 1726 Golovin was promoted to Captain 2^nd rank and Adjutant General of the fleet (Captain 1^st rank). In 1730 he became Schout-bij-nacht (Rear Admiral), and in 1733 he was appointed Admiral and President of the Admiralty Board. In 1738 he took command of the galley harbor and fleet. After the restoration of the Senate in 1741, he was appointed senator, as he was still president of the Admiralty Board. During the Russo-Swedish War in 1742 he was Governor-General of St Petersburg. As Commander-in-Chief of the troops, he was assigned to protect the capital in the event of Swedish attack. He was married to Sophia Nikitishna (?) with whom he had a daughter named Natalia; Natalia later married Field Marshal General Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck).

It is hard to identify the uniform because rules and regulations concerning navy uniforms constantly changed until 1745. It is possible that Golovin is depicted in civilian dress. The portrait is dated based on him having a ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called that he received on November 10, 1740, and a decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna dated June 18, 1744, according to which Count Nikolai Golovin was placed “on leave so that he can treat his disease.”

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna

• Enamel.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-634

Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna (1709–1761) was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, née Marta Skowrońska. She was considered illegitimate, but after the official wedding of her parents in 1712 she began to bear the title of Tsesarevna. Later on this detail of her biography would prevent her from marrying a European prince. She ascended to the throne on 25 November 1741 following a palace coup carried out with the support of the Guards. She waged successful wars against Sweden (1741–1743) and Prussia (the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763). Her domestic policies were marked by an extension in the rights of the gentry to own land and peasants, but at the same time the death penalty was abolished (1756) and the use of torture was reduced. Elizabeth was famous for her beauty, her merry disposition and her love of luxury and entertainment; her wardrobe contained as many as 12,000 dresses. The tastes of the Empress and her favourites helped the development of art and enlightenment. The network of primary schools in Russia was enlarged, military training schools were reorganised and the first grammar schools were opened. Moscow University was founded in 1755, and the Academy of Arts opened its doors in St Petersburg in 1757. The capital and its environs were decorated with magnificent palaces and churches in the baroque style. The Empress probably had no children, but she was possibly secretly married to Count Alexei Razumovsky, whom she had raised from among the court choristers.

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna in a Black Masquerade Domino with Mask in her Hand

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5344

Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna (1709–1761) was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, née Marta Skowrońska. She was considered illegitimate, but after the official wedding of her parents in 1712 she began to bear the title of Tsesarevna. Later on this detail of her biography would prevent her from marrying a European prince. She ascended to the throne on 25 November 1741 following a palace coup carried out with the support of the Guards. She waged successful wars against Sweden (1741–1743) and Prussia (the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763). Her domestic policies were marked by an extension in the rights of the gentry to own land and peasants, but at the same time the death penalty was abolished (1756) and the use of torture was reduced. Elizabeth was famous for her beauty, her merry disposition and her love of luxury and entertainment; her wardrobe contained as many as 12,000 dresses. The tastes of the Empress and her favourites helped the development of art and enlightenment. The network of primary schools in Russia was enlarged, military training schools were reorganised and the first grammar schools were opened. Moscow University was founded in 1755, and the Academy of Arts opened its doors in St Petersburg in 1757. The capital and its environs were decorated with magnificent palaces and churches in the baroque style. The Empress probably had no children, but she was possibly secretly married to Count Alexei Razumovsky, whom she had raised from among the court choristers.

Положение ризы Господней царем Михаилом Федоровичем Романовым и его отцом патриархом Филаретом

• 18 c.
• Wood, , , , pavoloka, gesso, tempera, .
• The State Russian Museum
• ДРЖ-3102

Портрет графа Петра Ивановича Шувалова

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-44

Portrait of Ivan Shuvalov

• Canvas, oil. 71,5 x 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-9281

Ivan Shuvalov (1727–1797) was an adjutant general. As he became the favourite of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in 1749, he had a great influence on Russian foreign and domestic affairs. He was the curator of the Moscow University and the Academy of Art. He took Mikhail Lomonosov under his wing and was acquainted with Voltaire and Helvétius. After the accession of Catherine the Great to the throne, he lived abroad until 1777. After his return to Russia, he became Grand Chamberlain. The painting depicts Shuvalov in uniform with the Orders of St. Anna and the White Eagle. This painting is one of Rokotov’s early works.

Портрет архитектора Ф.-Б. Растрелли

• Canvas, oil. 56 х 47
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4936

Portrait of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna

• 1758–1760
• Mosaic. 130 х 120
• The State Russian Museum
• СТ-3

Elizaveta I Petrovna (18/29 December 1709 – 25 December 1761/5) – Russian Empress (1741).

She was the illegitimate daughter of Peter I and Martha Skavronskaya. Thus, during the official succession in the 1725–1730 she has never been considered as one of the contenders. With the support of guards Elizaveta I Petrovna carried out a coup, overthrew Ivan VI and ruler-regent Anna Leopoldovna. He reigned from 25 November / December 6, 1741 at 25 December 1761 / January 5, 1762. The beginning of the epoch of the Enlightenment and the reorganization of military educational institutions are associated with the rule of Elizaveta I Petrovna . In 1744 she issued a decree on the extension of the network of primary schools. First gymnasiums were opened in Moscow (1755) and Kazan (1758).

In 1755 at the initiative of Shuvalov there was founded the Moscow University, and in 1757 – the Academy of Arts. The Empress supported M.V. Lomonosov and other representatives of Russian science and culture. In 1756 she signed the decree on the establishment of the Imperial Theatre. Huge funds were allocated from the state treasury for the resettlement of the royal residences. Under the supervision of the Royal Court architect Rastrelli there were built the Winter Palace, which served since then as the main residence of the Russian monarchs, and the Ekaterininskiy Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. Peter’s residences on the Gulf of Finland – Strelna and Peterhof – were thoroughly reconstructed. The Portrait was made in the workshop of M.V.Lomonosov, who in the second half of 1740 began to work as a glass technician and mosaic artist and painter. After discovering the mosaics in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, and in churches of Novgorod, the scientist have been looking for many years for the secret of making smalt (colored glassy mass of various shades).

In the first Russian chemical laboratory he developed the technology and technique of production of smalts. And since the beginning of the 1750s he has started his creative practice. He used smalts of quite large size for his set. Mosaic portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna is characterized by its refined polychromy. Texture of objects and softness of fabrics are brilliantly reflected. Moire ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called consists of skillfully selected blue, azure and blue smalt.

Портрет архиепископа Вениамина Пуцек-Григоровича

• 1755-1761
• Canvas, oil. 106 x 84
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-21

Portrait of Sylvester Kulyabka

• Archbishop of St Petersburg and Schlüsselburg
• 1760
• Canvas, oil. 102 x 77,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4916

The portrait is one of a series of portraits of archimandrites of the St Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St Petersburg painted by Alexei Antropov in the 1760s and 1770s.
Sylvester (Semyon) Kulyabka (1701 or 1704–1761) was rector of Kiev Religious Academy (1740), Archbishop of St Petersburg and Schlüsselburg and Archimandrite of the St Alexander Nevsky Monastery (from 1750). The subject is depicted in the vestments of an archbishop, with a crosier and a panagia. On the background is the Kulyabka family coat of arms.

Портрет А. П. Сумарокова

• 1760
• Canvas, oil. 74 х 64,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4966

Портрет И. И. Шувалова

• 1760
• Canvas, oil. 85 х 70,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4965

Портрет адмирала Семена Ивановича Мордвинова (1701-1777)

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6247

Catherine II's Accession to the Throne

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5784

Portrait of Catherine II

• Iconographic type of Pietro Antonio Rotari
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-14

Портрет князя М. М. Голицына младшего, президента Адмиралтейств-коллегии

• 1763
• Canvas, oil. 126 x 102
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4928

Battle of Poltava

• Tapestry
• Wool, silk, weaving.
• The State Russian Museum
• Тк-1032

The tapestry "Battle of Poltava" is one of the most significant and famous works of St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory, which was founded in 1716 on the initiative of Peter the Great. Battle paintings appeared to be a new genre in Russian art, brought to life by the brilliant victories of the Russian army in the Great Northern War. The victory at Poltava was often embodied in all kinds of art, including in weaving. "The Battle of Poltava" is one of the most significant and most famous works of the St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory.

In the centre of the tapestry is the equestrian portrait of Peter I, a convincing monumental image of the commander. The figure of the emperor on the rampant bay horse is spectacularly depicted against the background of the battle. The artist and the makers of the tapestry managed to find the necessary degree of generalization and achieve the monumentality necessary for this kind of work, creating an expressive artistic image through the means of carpet making.

Initially, the tapestry was surrounded by a wide frame with the images of the coats of arms of Russian towns. It is difficult to say, when and under what circumstances the tapestry lost this spectacular frame. Until 1863 the St. Petersburg furniture manufacturer Karl Tur owned the carpet. Then until 1912 the carpet decorated the rooms of the Petrovsky palace on Petrovsky island.

The fragments of the frame are currently kept in the State Russian Museum and the Historical Museum in Moscow.

The tapestry is an example of the most interesting monumental Russian decorative art of the 18^th century thanks to the mastery of its performance.

Портрет действительного тайного советника вице-канцлера князя Александра Михайловича Голицына (1723-1807)

• 1766
• Canvas, oil. 62,5 х 49,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4921

Портрет А. Ф. Кокоринова

• 1769
• Canvas, oil. 134 x 102
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4985

Catherine II as Minerva, Patroness of the Arts

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5490

Portrait of Admiral Alexei Senyavin

• 1770s
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4951

Portrait of Peter the Great

• 1770
• Canvas, oil. 268 x 159
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-25

Peter the Great is depicted in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Guards and an Imperial mantle. He is wearing the chain and star of the Order of St Andrew. The Russian Imperial crown stands on the table. The Emperor is pointing to an open book displaying the text of the Manifesto of 1721 with which he established the Synod, a collegiate body that would administer the Church in place of the traditional Patriarchate. The portrait was painted by Alexei Antropov, who served as a painter at the Synod from 1761.

Portrait of Alexander Stroganov

• Canvas, oil. 115,5 х 87
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4541

Alexander Roslin (1718-1793) was a Swedish painter, who worked in St. Petersburg from 1775 until 1777. He painted many portraits of members of the imperial family and the high nobility.

Alexander Stroganov (1733–1811) was count and son of Sergei Stroganov and Sofia Kirillovna (née Naryshkina). He was a privy councilor, senator, Great Chamberlain and member of the State Council. He was also Director of the Public Library and President of the Imperial Academy of Arts, as well as a collector. He is depicted with the Orders of the White Eagle (ribbon and star) and St. Anne (cross).  

Portrait of Rear Admiral Samuel Greig

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6295

Портрет Василия Алексеевича Злобина

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4809

Портрет графа С. Р. Воронцова

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5384

Portrait of Admiral Ivan Talyzin

• Canvas, oil. 62 х 48
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-58

Портрет художника А. П. Антропова с сыном перед портретом жены

• 1776
• Canvas, oil. 84 х 70,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4929

Портрет Е. Р. Дашковой (урожд. Воронцовой)

• 1777
• etching. 25,4 х 18,9
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-30657

Чесменский бой под командой Алексея Орлова ночью между 6-м и 7-м июля 1770 года

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-29698

Чесменский бой под командой Алексея Орлова утром 7 июля 1770 года

• Paper, etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-29697

Portrait of Lieutenant General of the Infantry Prince Grigory Volkonsky

• Between 1780 and 1786
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4952

Портрет графа Михаила Семеновича Воронцова в детстве

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-7477

Portrait of the Writer Alexander Khrapovitsky

• 1781
• Canvas, oil. 60,5 х 49
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4994

Khrapovitsky Aleksandr Vasilyevich (1749–1801) – a writer. He graduated from the Overland Gentry Corps, from a young age he was fond of literature. He was acquainted with M.V. Lomonosov. Khrapovitsky Aleksandr Vasilyevich was a friend of G.R. Derzhavin. From 1782 to 1793 he was the State Secretary of Catherine II. Since 1793 he was a senator. Mason. The author of the well-known "Memorandum Pads".

Khrapovitsky is depicted with the Order of St. Vladimir. He received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd Class in 1783, and 2nd Class – in 1785.

Портрет Н. А. Львова, архитектора, художника и поэта

• 1780s
• Canvas, oil. 71 x 55,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5002

Portrait of Catherine II the Legislatress in the Temple of the Goddess of Justice

• 1783
• Canvas, oil. 261 x 201
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4998

Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Pyotr Fyodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Ekaterina Alexeevna. She married Pyotr Fyodorovich in August 1745. In 1754, she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762, she led a conspiracy with his guards and overthrew Peter III, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign, she adhered to a policy of "enlightened absolution", but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768‒1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska. Russia's prestige in Europe increased manifold. Catherine II is depicted with the Order of St Andrew (ribbon, star and cross). 

Catherine II’s Journey across Russia in 1787

• 1790s
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3931

Portrait of the Architect and Adjunct Rector of the Academy of Arts Georg Friedrich Felten

• Canvas, oil. 60 х 47
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3229

Взятие Очакова русской армией под командованием генерал-фельдмаршала светлейшего князя Г.А.Потемкина-Таврического 6 декабря 1788 года

• Paper, watercolours, gouache.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5651

Catherine II the Legislatress

• Marble.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ск-306

This sculpture is an allegoric and an official portrait of Empress Catherine the Great. This sculpture of the Empress has an important place in Shubin’s work. This statue “Catherine the Legislatress” was created for a celebration organised by Grigory Potemkin in honour of the Empress at the Tauride Palace. A special rotunda was built in the Winter Garden for this statue. The white marble statue stands on a porphyry pedestal and is surrounded by greenery and gleamed by flickering candles. The appearance of the Empress, depicted wearing a tiara of laurel on her head, a chain on her chest and the Royal sceptre, is a combination of a ceremonial portrait and her individual features. The loose tunic and an ermine mantle does not conceal the proportions of the figure of the ageing woman. Shubin remained faithful to his realistic interpretation when he painted the ceremonial appearance of the Empress. For this work the sculptor was awarded the title of Professor in 1794.

Empress Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna. She married Peter Feodorovich in August 1745. In 1754 she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762 she led a conspiracy of Peter’s guards and overthrew him, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign she adhered to a policy of “enlightened absolutism”, but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768–1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, the Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland, and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska, and Eastern Georgia was taken under the protection of Russia. Russia’s prestige in Europe increased greatly.

Портрет И. П. Елагина

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5388

Portrait of the Most Serene Prince Grigoriy Potemkin

• After 1791
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5996

Взятие Измаила (со стороны Дуная)

• Paper, watercolours.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5650

Взятие Измаила русскими войсками под командованием генерал-аншефа А. В. Суворова 11 декабря 1791 года

• Paper, watercolours, ink, nib, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5877

Портрет графа А. А. Безбородко

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4553

Portrait of the Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich

• 1792
• Canvas, oil. 68 х 55
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5385

Крещение княгини Ольги в Константинополе

• Canvas, oil. 71,5 х 88
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-10724

Count Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky

• Marble.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ск-409

Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (Trans-Danubian) (1725, Moscow – 1796, village of Tahsany in the Poltava Province), a talented Russian commander and field-marshal.

In the beginning of the Seven Year’s War of 1756-63 Rumyantsev reformed the Russian Cavalry very successfully. In 1757 he won the battle at Gross-Jägersdorf by skilled actions and at the battle at Kunersdorf he emerged as one of the best commanders. His defeat of the Turks at Larga and Kagula in 1770 led to the conclusion of the Küçük Kaynarca Treaty in 1774 which was profitable for Russia. Rumyantsev was awarded the title Trans-Danubian and rose to the rank of Field-Marshal. The military ideas of Rumyantsev played an important role in the reorganisation of the Russian Army and in the development of national military science.

Портрет императрицы Екатерины II с аллегорическими фигурами Сатурна и Истории

• Canvas, oil. 60 х 50
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4554

Прием Екатериной II турецкого посольства в Большом зале Зимнего дворца 13 октября 1793 года

• Paper, watercolours, gouache, ink, nib.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5394

Portrait of Prince Nikolai Yassupov, Senator and Honorary Lover of the Academy of Art

• 1794
• Canvas, oil. 71 х 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4552

Nikolai Yusupov (1750–1831) was a Prince. He was a collector, an honourary amateur of the Imperial Academy of Arts, an actual councillor of state, senator, member of the State Council under Catherine II. He was the director of the Imperial Theatres, was in charge of the Imperial Hermitage. He was the owner and architect of the Arkhangelskoye estate, and a patron of the arts. He was married to Tatyana Potemkina (née von Engelhardt; 1769–1841). He is depicted with the Orders of the White Eagle (ribbon) and St Stanislaus (cross).

Portrait of Peter I

• 1795
• Canvas, oil. 288 х 200
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3928

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

His foreign and domestic policy was conducted with the aim of integrating Russia into the international European system. Under Peter I, reformations were carried out in all spheres of public life: the government, the Church, the army, education, everyday culture. He founded the Russian Navy; and led wars with Turkey, with an aim of gaining an outlet to the Black Sea; and with Sweden, for an outlet to the Baltic Sea, so as to provide Russia with a waterway to Western Europe. He is depicted with the Order of St Andrew (ribbon and star). The portrait was gifted in 1795 to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra by Catherine the Great.

The Anointing of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alexeyevna

• 1795
• Canvas, oil. 268 х 392
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5786

This scene represents the baptism of Louise Maria Augusta, daughter of Margrave Karl Ludwig of Baden, in Orthodoxy of Elizabeth Alexeyevna. The ceremony took place on 9^th of May 1793 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. Metropolitan Gabriel performed the anointing in the centre of the painting, and on the right, there are Grand Dukes Alexander Pavlovich, Konstantin Pavlovich, Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Fedorovna. On the left, there are the Mother Superior of the Syrkov Monastery in Novgorod, Alexandra Shubina, their Highnesses Princes Platon Zubov and Alexander Bezborodko and the teacher of the older sons of Paul, Baron Andrei Budberg. Most of the characters are from the original painting of Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder.

Портрет великой княгини Марии Федоровны

• Canvas, oil. 55 x 40
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4560

Testing the Strength of Jan Usmar

• 1796 (1797?)
• Canvas, oil. 283 x 404
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5052

Portrait of the Empress Marie Fyodorovna

• Iconographic type of Jean Louis Voille
• 1797
• Canvas, oil. 71 х 57,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-73

Портрет адъюнкт-ректора Академии художеств И. Е. Старова

• Canvas, oil. 129 x 103
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3199

Портрет митрополита Гавриила (Петрова) (1730-1801)

• Canvas, oil. 66 x 53
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-2016

Portrait of Emperor Paul I

• 1798-1801
• Canvas, oil. 152 х 109
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3207

Emperor Paul I (1754–1801) was the only son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine the Great. In 1762 he was named heir to the throne and given the title of Tsesarevich. He received an excellent education and believed in the romantic ideals of enlightened absolutism, but was critical of the policies of Catherine the Great. He spent decades waiting for the power that his mother had usurped. He became emperor in 1796. His efforts were intended to be to the state’s benefit, but he often acted against common sense. At his coronation in Moscow in 1797 he promulgated the Establishment of the Imperial Family which laid down that accession to the throne should be by primogeniture in the male line. He reformed local government. He restricted the rights of the nobility and allowed corporal punishment to be used on them. Military reforms affected not only uniforms and equipment, but also training and the tactics of officers and soldiers, with an emphasis on the Prussian military school. In an effort to protect Russia from revolutionary ideas, he banned the import of books from France and tightened censorship. In 1798, he took on the title of Grand Master of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (Hospitaller), and took it under his patronage. He was killed by conspirators in St Michael’s Castle during the night of 11–12 March 1801, but according to the official version he died of an apoplectic fit (a stroke).

Emperor Paul I is depicted in the robes of the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. He is wearing the black mantle of the Order with a white eight-pointed Maltese cross, and a golden dalmatic under the mantle. A black stole with embroidered scenes of Christ’s sufferings hangs from his shoulder. He is wearing the Maltese crown on his head and the golden chain of the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order around his neck. On his chest is the blue ribbon of St Andrew and a crimson sash. The Grand Master’s regalia stand on a nearby table.

View onto the St Sergius Trinity Monastery from the Bethany Monastery of Our Saviour

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5995

Российская эскадра под командованием вице-адмирала Ф.Ф. Ушакова, идущая Константинопольским проливом 8 сентября 1798 года

• Watercolours, ink, nib, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5875

Portrait of Major General Fyodor Borowsky

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 80,5 x 62,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5014

Feodor Artemyevitch Borowsky (1746–1805) – the army general, the close associate of A.V. Suvorov, M.I. Kutuzov and N.V. Repnin. At the end of 1760 – the adjutant of the regiment of yellow Hussars. In 1768 he participated in the work of the Commission on composing a New Codex as a representative of the nobility of the Novorossiysk province. From 1796 he was the commander of the regiment of Hussars named after him. That regiment stood near Mogilev. In 1797 on a false denunciation Fedor Artemyevitch Borowsky was brought to justice, and thus, resigned. In March 1798 he was arrested, but was soon justified by the verdict of a special commission. Being retired, by the decree of Paul I he got permission to wear his uniform.

The artist depicted general Borowsky in the embroidered hussar uniform with the Order of St. George that was an award for military merit. He is introduced to the audience as brave, courageous, but at the same time quite ordinary person. Probably, this characteristic comes in some disagreement with the general upbeat tone of the portrait. But most of all it is an evidence of the brilliant author's observation. Energetic turn of the head gives a portrait a certain pathos.

Portrait of Prince Alexander Kurakin

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 178 x 137
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5013

Prince Alexander Kurakin is depicted in the mantel of St Andrew, worn above a dalmatic of St John of Jerusalem, with the chain and star of St Andrew and the cross of St John of Jerusalem. Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin (1752–1818): Russian statesman, diplomat. Fellow pupil and close friend of the future Tsar Paul. Studied at Leipzig University. Gentleman of the bedchamber and procurator-general of the Senate (1778). Vice chancellor (1796), dismissed (1798), reinstated (1801). President of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1801), member of the State Council (1802). Helped to negotiate the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon (1807). Visited Vienna with a Russian diplomatic mission. Russian ambassador in Paris (1809–12). Buried in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene in Pavlovsk, where the inscription on his gravestone To the Friend of My Husband was written by Empress Marie Fyodorovna.

Portrait of the Director of the Artillery School Lieutenant General Alexei Korsakov

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 70 x 57
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3228

The Election of Mikhail Romanov as Tsar

• Canvas, oil. 510 х 393
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5054

Portrait of Count Fyodor Rostopchin with a Billiard Cue in his Hand

• Circa 1812
• Canvas, oil. 63 х 46
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3208

China is usually credited as being the homeland of billiards. The game first appeared in Europe around the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. One of the first documented references to billiards appears in 1514. The game was introduced to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725). Under Anna Ioannovna (1730-40), billiards was played in both the palaces and the austerias. Catherine the Great, the German princess who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, was herself a great fan of the game and billiard clubs began to spring up over St Petersburg in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The all English club is regarded as being the first. Billiards thus joined cards as one of the most popular club pastimes.
By the start of the nineteenth century or, to be more exact, by 1812, the game had established itself in almost all public places, including the homes of the Russian aristocracy. Prince A. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who served under Alexander I, threw particularly famous annual receptions. They were held for men only during Lent and the most important entertainment at them was a billiards tournament. M. Pylyaev recalled that "foreign ambassadors and other important guests competed at billiards in their tails and all their medals... The winner of those tournaments was always Count I. Vorontsov-Dashkov."
In 1827, a Frenchman invented a cue with a leather tip at the end. This made the game even more attractive for the players. As one connoisseur wrote in 1880: "Billiards can now be encountered in every well-to-do and prosperous family home, as well as all clubs, hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. Everywhere it attracts curious viewers and everywhere it is the object of feverish competition." Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 270.

Fyodor Rostopchin (1763 (65) 1826): Count from 1799, favourite of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, later Emperor Paul I. Privy councillor (1798) , president of the College of International Affairs, grand chancellor of the order of St John of Jerusalem (1799), member of the State Council (1800) . Fell out of favour at the end of the reign of Paul I and lived in Moscow from 1801. In 1812 he was made a general of the infantry, named governor and commander of Moscow. Distinguished himself in the war against Napoleon, discharged on 30 August 1814 and emigrated abroad. Rostopchin was a great host and, according to contemporaries, had a fantastic billiard room. Tonci had occasion to play there once when a group of men played for money, and the most venturesome of all was the host. Perhaps that was when Tonci started to draw this picture of Count Rostopchin. He could not finish it, however, due to the outbreak of the war. Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 271.

Portrait of Emperor Paul I

• Canvas, oil. 73 x 57
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3170

Emperor Paul I (1754–1801) was the only son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine the Great. In 1762 he was named heir to the throne and given the title of Tsesarevich. He received an excellent education and believed in the romantic ideals of enlightened absolutism, but was critical of the policies of Catherine the Great. He spent decades waiting for the power that his mother had usurped. He became emperor in 1796. His efforts were intended to be to the state’s benefit, but he often acted against common sense. At his coronation in Moscow in 1797 he promulgated the Establishment of the Imperial Family which laid down that accession to the throne should be by primogeniture in the male line. He reformed local government. He restricted the rights of the nobility and allowed corporal punishment to be used on them. Military reforms affected not only uniforms and equipment, but also training and the tactics of officers and soldiers, with an emphasis on the Prussian military school. In an effort to protect Russia from revolutionary ideas, he banned the import of books from France and tightened censorship. In 1798, he took on the title of Grand Master of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (Hospitaller), and took it under his patronage. He was killed by conspirators in St Michael’s Castle during the night of 11–12 March 1801, but according to the official version he died of an apoplectic fit (a stroke).

Portrait of Paul I

• 1800
• Canvas, oil. 266 х 202
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5015

Портрет А. Б. Куракина

• 1800
• Wood, oil. 40,5 x 31,7
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5400

Портрет Г.Г. Кушелева

• Cardboard, canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5486

Transferring the Tikhvin Icon of God from the Blessed Virgin to the Cathedral of the Dormiton in Tikhvin on 9 June 1798

• 1801
• Canvas, oil. 283 х 254
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5797

The event depicted on this painting is a religious procession, which took place in the Tikhvin Dormition Monastery. This procession consisted in the transferring of the Icon of Holy Mother (also called the Tikhvin Icon) after winter to the Cathedral of the Dormition, which is the main storage and reliquary for icons. The Icon of the Mother of God Hodigitria of Tikhvin has been venerated since the times of the Kievian Rus, due to its miraculous travel from a church in Constantinople to the confines of Northern Rus, to its many healing miracles and to its protection of the monastery from the enemies. This icon is considered to be the image of the Mother of God and was, according to the legend, painted by Apostle Luke. This composition, which involves many figures, is full of topographic and iconographic details. Paul I and Alexander, his legitimate heir, took part in the ceremony of the transfer of the icon. They are both holding the icon. Next to them, there are Empress Maria and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. Many faces of real people are depicted on this painting. There are Count Alexander Bezborodko and next to the Grand Duke there is Andreï Rimsky-Korsakov, the father of the composer. The person who ordered this painting was the archimandrite of the Tikhvin monastery Gerasim. He wears a mitre and his figure stands out among the other clergymen. The artist himself is depicted in the foreground, turning his face toward the spectator and holding a scroll with this inscription:" Vasily Istomin painted this picture from 20^th of May and finished it on 2^nd of November 1801."

View of the St. Sergius Trinity Monastery , taken from the Bethany Monastery, the Seat of his Eminence of the Moscow Bishop and Metropolitan Plato

• After the original by De la Barthe Gerard View of Bethany Monastery with the Image of Metropolitan Plato, Surrounded by his Brethren
• early 1800s
• Paper, etching, aquatint with hand colouring.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-31602

Портрет Александра I

• 1802-1803
• Canvas, oil. 58,5 х 40,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3161

Автопортрет

• 1804
• Paper, watercolours, , nib, graphite pencil. 21,4 х 13,8
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-6792

Крещение Российского народа при великом князе Владимире

• 1804
• Sepia, brush, nib. 55,9 х 82
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5979

Портрет архитектора А. Д. Захарова

• Canvas, oil. 59 х 54
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5029

Portrait of Alexander Stroganov

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4594

Count Alexander Stroganov (1794-1814) was the only son of Sofia and Pavel Stroganovs. He went to the army in the  field with his father during the Patriotic War of 1812. He was tragically killed during the Battle of Craonne in France (A shot from a cannon decapitated him).

Дмитрий Донской на Куликовом поле

• Canvas, oil. 54 х 70
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-12044

Дмитрий Донской на Куликовом поле

• 1805
• Canvas, oil. 118 х 167
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5129

Catherine II Promenading in the Tsarskoye Selo Park (With the Obelisk to Count Pyotr Rumyantsev's Victories in the Background)

• Late 1800s — early 1810s
• Canvas, oil. 99 х 68
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5008

Empress Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna. She married Peter Feodorovich in August 1745. In 1754 she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762 she led a conspiracy of Peter’s guards and overthrew him, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign she adhered to a policy of “enlightened absolutism”, but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768–1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, the Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland, and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska, and Eastern Georgia was taken under the protection of Russia. Russia’s prestige in Europe increased greatly.

Borovikovsky did not have the possibility to paint a portrait from life, and when he painted Empress Catherine II, it was the lady in waiting of the Empress, Maria Perekusikhina, who posed. The first version of this portrait (with the Chesme Column in the background) was made in 1794 and is displayed at the Tretyakov Gallery. This portrait was then engraved by Nikolai Utkin in 1827.

Unknown painter

Шенк Петр

Kalashnikov Osip

Schurmann, Karl

Зубов Алексей Федорович

Müller/ Miller/ Myller Philipp Heinrich

Heu Beracken

Nikitin Ivan Nikitich

Painter, portraitist. Son of a Moscow priest, brother of Roman Nikitin. Possibly educated at the Armoury School of Printing in Moscow. Lived in St Petersburg (from 1711). Studied under Tommaso Redi in Florence as a fellow of Peter the Great (1716-19). Returned to Russia (1720). Court portraitist (from 1721). Painted life portraits of Peter the Great on Kronstadt (1715-21). Married and divorced Maria Fyodorovna Mamens, lady of the bedchamber to Empress Catherine I (1727). Arrested in St Petersburg in connection with the libelling of Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich (1732). Spent five years in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Exiled to Siberia (1737). Released by the Privy Council (1742). Died on the way from Siberia to Moscow. 

Baratta Pietro

An Italian sculptor of the Venice school. One of the early Classicism masters in Veneto plastic arts. Born in Carrara, he worked at F. Cabianca\'s workshop in Venice since 1693. Apart from his work in Venice he performed commissions for the Udine Cathedral and the court of Saxony prince-elector in Dresden. He was a nephew of the sculptor Francesco Baratta the Elder (1590–1666), who worked in Lorenzo Bernini\'s laboratory in Rome. Since 1716, already being famous in Veneto, Baratta performed commissions for Russia. The following works are attributed to him: Peace and Justice (Pavlovsk), Winter, Venus, Flora and Adonis (Peterhof), Amphitrite (1717), Galatea, Apollo (1720, all situated in Pushkin). In the Summer Garden collection there are 11 marble sculptures by Pietro Baratta: statues "Mercy", "Justice", "Glory", "Peace and Victory" (The Treaty of Nystad) (1722), busts "Bacchus", "Camilla", "Boy", "Woman in Diadem", "Alexander the Great", "Apollo" (1717), "Young Woman (Roman)". In the period of 2009–2011 these original sculptures were fully renovated and replaced to the Engineers\' Castle (St. Michael\'s Castle) in Saint Petersburg for permanent museum preservation. Since 2012 their exact copies made of marezzo marble are situated in the Summer Garden.

Karavak Louis

Painter, portraitist, designer, miniaturist, graphic artist. Member of the third generation of French painters working in Marseilles and Tulon. Invited to Russia by Peter the Great (1715). Lived and worked in St Petersburg (from 1716). Painted portraits of Peter the Great and members of the Imperial family. Painted murals and headed painting work in Peterhof and in the Summer Palace in St Petersburg. Compiled festival projects for the Imperial court. Court artist with an exclusive right to paint Imperial portraits during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740) and Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1761). Taught painting to Ivan Vishnyakov, Alexei Antropov and Mikhail Zakharov.

Tannauer (Tanauer, Danhauer, Danauer) Johann Gottfried

German painter, portrait artist, and miniaturist. Initially, Tannauer would practice watchmaking and music. He studied painting in Venice under S. Bombelli. Subsequently, he lived in Holland, where he would copy Rubens’s paintings. When Peter the Great was abroad, he invited Tannauer to come to Russia upon the recommendation of Johannes Kupezky. On October 1, 1710 an agreement was signed in Vienna, making Tannauer a painter serving in Russia. In March 1711 the artist came to Smolensk. During the Pruth River Campaign, he accompanied Peter the Great, and then settled down in St Petersburg. He was a court artist. Tannauer painted portraits, historical pictures, and miniatures; he also created ink drawings and fixed clocks. His son, Johann Sebastian Tannauer, studied engraving at the Academy of Sciences.

Matveyev Andrei Matveyevich

Painter, portraitist, iconpainter, author of allegorical and decorative-monumental compositions. Awarded a fellowship to study in Holland by Peter the Great (1716). Studied under Arnold Boonen in Amsterdam (1717–1723) and under Sperwer at the Antwerp Academy of Arts (1723–1727). Returned to St Petersburg and employed by the Chancellery of Construction (1727). Awarded the title of master and headed the team of painters at the Chancellery of Construction (1731). Helped to decorate the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul and Imperial residences in St Petersburg. Painted icons for the Church of St Simeon and St Anne.

Rokotov Fyodor Stepanovich

Painter, portraitist. Believed to have studied in his youth under Moscow icon-painters. Moved to St. Petersburg (17505). Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1760). Junior assistant (1762). Academician (1765). Returned to Moscow (17605) and worked there as a free artist.

Rotari Pietro Antonio

Antropov Alexei Petrovich

Painter, portraitist, icon-painter. Studied under Louis Caravaque, Andrei Matveyev and Alexander Zakharov, took lessons from Pietro de Rotari (from 1732). Joined the painting department of the Ministry of Construction (1739), foreman (1749). Helped to decorate the interiors of palaces in and around St Petersburg and Moscow. Painted the interior decor of the Si Petersburg Opera House (1750). Created murals and icons for St Andrew’s Cathedral in Kiev (1750-55). Lived in St Petersburg (from 1758). Worked for the Holy Synod and supervised the work of painters (from 1761), Taught Dmitry Levitsky and Pyotr Drozhdin.

Ust-Ruditsa Factory of Mikhail Lomonosov

Losenko Anton Pavlovich

History painter, portraitist, draughtsman. Studied at Ivan Argunov\'\'s studio (from 1753) and under Jean-Louis de Velly and Louis-Jean-Francois Lagrenee at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1758-60). Taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Adjunct (1762). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in France (1760-62, 1763-65), studied under Jean Restout and Joseph-Marie Vien. Awarded silver medals for drawings by the Academic des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1763, 1764,1765). Studied in Italy (1765-69). Nominated to the Imperial Academy of Arts (1769), academician and professor (1770). Head of the history painting class, director of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1772-73

Argunov Ivan Petrovich

Painter, portraitist. Studied art under his father Ivan Argunov, a Sheremetyev serf artist. Copied the paintings of West European artists in the Imperial Hermitage. Freed from serfdom (1816). Made an academician (1818) for his portrait of Pavel Runich (1817). Painted miniature portraits. 

Fontebasso Francesco

Christinecke Carl Ludwig

Imperial Tapestry Manufactory

Levitsky Dmitry Grigoryevich

Leading Russian eighteenth-century painter and portraitist. Son of Grigory Levitsky Nos, a priest and Ukrainian engraver. Moved to St Petersburg (c. 1758). Studied under Alexei Antropov. Worked in Moscow (17605). Nominated to the Academy (c. 1769). Academician (1770). Headed the portraiture class at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1771-87). Councillor (1776), member of the Academy council (1780). Retired for unknown reasons (1787). Worked as a free painter. Returned to the Academy council (1807).

Torelli Stefano

Roslin Alexander

Voille Jean Louis

Serdyukov Grigory

Painter, portraitist, author of monumental and allegorical compositions. Worked at the St Petersburg Construction Office. Contributed to decorating the Triumphal Gate in Moscow in preparation for the coronation of Catherine II. His latest work dates back to 1778

Drozhdin Pyotr Semyonovich

Painter; portraitist. Studied at the icon-painting studio of Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, then under Alexei Antropov in St Petersburg and later under Dmitry Levitsky. Appointed academician (1776), academician (1785). Copied paintings by Guido Reni, Pietro Testa, Jacopo Amigoni.

Кано Пьер-Шарль

Скородумов Гаврила Иванович

Mеys Fеrdinand dе

SHCHUKIN, Stepan Semyonovich

Painter, portraitist, miniaturist, author of church paintings, teacher. Son of an army corporal Semyon Petrov and Euphemia Evlampieva. After the death of his parents, entered the Orphan House in Moscow (1765), where he received his prima

Иванов Михаил Матвеевич

Shubin Fedot Ivanovich

Leading Russian Neoclassical sculptor, portraitist. Son of a tusk carver in Archangel Province. Studied under Nicolas-Francois Gillet at the Imperial Academy of Arts through the intercession of Mikhail Lomonosov (1761-66), under Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in Paris (from 1767) and under Joseph Nollekens in Rome (from 1770). Combination of psychology and Neoclassical idealisation was highly rated by Catherine the Great. Portrayed many leading Russian statesmen.

Lampi Johann Baptist I

Austrian painter, miniaturist, portraitist, author of compositions on historical and mythological themes. Son of the Tyrolean artist Matteo Lampi. Studied under F. Kb\'nig and F. N. Streicher in Salzburg, thereafter under F. and D. Lorenzi in Verona. Worked in Italy (1770-1780), Austria (1781-1788), Poland (1788-1791) at the invitation of the King Stanistaw August Poniatowski, and in Russia (1792-1797). Member of the Verona Academy of Arts (from 1773), professor of the Vienna Academy of Arts (from 1786) for the portrait of Joseph II as a Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece; honoured associate member of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts (from 1794). Taught Russian artists. Head of the Council of the Verona Academy of Arts (from 1800). Handed over his studio to Johann Baptiste Lampi the Younger and practically stopped working (1822).

Akimov Ivan Akimovich

Historical artist. Son of typesetter in Senate printing house of Akim Fedorov. Starting from 1764 studied in Academy of Arts in class of historical painting under Gavriil Kozlov and Anton Losenko. In 1773–1778 a scholar of Academy in Italy (Bologna, Rome). In 1778 was appointed and in 1779 started professing at the Academy of Arts. Academician (since 1782), adjunct professor (since 1785), senior professor (since 1794), director of Academy of Arts (1796–1800). Since 1786 — inspector and member of Imperial Tapestry Manufacture office, since 1791 — its director. Gave the children of Paul I drawing lessons. Composed “Brief Historical Journal on Some of Russian Artists”.

Voronikhin Andrey Nikifirovich

Rachett Jacques Dominique

Moshkov (Mashkov) Yevstafy (Yevstify, Yevstefei, Yevtikhy) Vasiliyevich

Ugryumov Grigory Ivanovich

Painter, portraitist, history painter, icon-painter. Merchant\'s son. Studied under Gavriil Kozlov, Ivan Akimov and Pyotr Sokolov at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1770-85). Awarded a minor silver medal (1783), major silver medal (1774) and minor gold medal and first-class certificate for Hagar and Ismail in the Desert (1785). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1787-1791). Taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1791). Nominated (1794) and elected (1797) to the Imperial Academy of Arts for Testing the Strength of Jan Usmar (Russian Museum. St Petersburg). Assistant professor (1798), professor (1800), rector of history painting (1820). Painted icons for the Trinity Cathedral in the St Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Kazan Cathedral, Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour and the Chapel of St Michael the Archangel in St Michael\'s Castle.

Камеженков Ермолай Дементьевич

De La Barthe G.

French painter, landscapist. Studied under Joseph-Marie Vien. Worked in Russia (1787–1810). Information on the artist is extremely sketchy. Several publications identify him with his namesake, also a painter who worked in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Painted a series of views of Moscow and its environs in oil and watercolours (1794‒1798) which are well-known thanks to the engravings done by various engravers, first published in Moscow in 1799 by Johann Walser.

TONCI, Salvatore (Nikolai Ivanovich)

Italian painter, portraitist. Studied art in Italy. Member of the Accademia de Forti in Rome (1792) and Accademia of Bologna (1793). Moved to St Petersburg (1795). Moved in Moscow (1804) and married Princess Natalia Gagarina (1778–1832). Lived in Vladimir (1812–1814). Worked as inspector at the Kremlin Construction Department (from 1815). One of the founders of the School of Architecture. Retired in the rank of collegiate counselor (1842) after 25 years of service.

Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich

Painter, draughtsman, miniaturist, icon painter, portraitist. Born into a family of  low rank Cossacks. Studied painting under his father, the icon painter Luke Borovik, in Mirgorod. Listed "above the specified number" in the Mirgorod regiment where his father and relatives served (1774). Awarded the rank of  "comrade of  the colours" (1783), resigned with the rank of lieutenant. Moved to St Petersburg (1788) and studied under Dmitry Levitsky and Johann Baptiste I Lampi. Nominated to the Imperial Academy of  Arts (1794), academician of portrait painting (1795). Councillor of  the Imperial Academy of Arts (1802). Contributed to the iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedralin St Petersburg (1804). Mason and member of Ekaterina Tatarinova\'\'s  mystical sect. 

Гуттенбрунн Людвиг

Istomin Vasiliy

Lafond Simon Daniel

Tolstoy Fyodor Petrovich

Vasily Shebuev

Kiprensky Orest Adamovich

Portraitist, history painter, draughtsman.

Illegitimate son of a serf woman, Anna Gavrilova, who gave him the name Kipreisky, later changed to Kiprensky. Grew up in the family of his foster father Adam Schwalde. Emancipated from serfdom and enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Arts (1788). Studied history painting under Grigory Ugryumov and Gabriele-Francois Doyen. Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1803-09). Worked in St Petersburg, Moscow and Tver. Academician of portrait painting (1812), councillor of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1815). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Lived in Italy (1816-23, 1828-36). Contributed to the Paris Salon (1822). Donated Self-Portrait (1820) to the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence (1825). Appointed second-class professor of history and portrait painting with automatic member¬ship of the nobility (1831). Councillor of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples (1831). Buried at Sant\'\' Andrea delle Fratte in Rome. 

Mosnier Jean Laurent

French painter, portraitist, miniaturist. Pupil of Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée the Elder. Court painter to Queen Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Contributed to the Paris Salon. Admitted into the Paris Academy of Arts in 1788. Fled to London during the French Revolution. Worked in Russia (1795(6?)–1808). Moved to St Petersburg (1795(6?)). Academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1802), headed the portrait class (from 1806).

Угрюмов Иван Афанасьевич

Portrait of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich

• Before 1671 (?)/ After 1676 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3988

Alexis I Mikhailovich (March 19, 1629 – January 29, 1676)

Tsar, member of the Romanov dynasty, father of Peter the Great. Son of Mikhail Fedorovich and Eudoxia Streshneva. He assumed the throne on July 14, 1645, and was crowned on September 28, 1645. During his reign the Zemsky Sobor (Assembly of the Land) passed the Law Code of 1649; the Customs (1653) and New Trade (1667) Regulations were adopted; and Ukraine came under Russian rule (1654), which led to the signing of the Truce of Andrusovo between Russia and Poland (1667).  On January 16, 1648 Alexis married Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya (April 1, 1624 – March 3, 1669), together they had 13 children. On January 22, 1671 he entered into a second marriage with Natalia Naryshkina (August 22, 1651 – January 25, 1694), and had three children with her: Peter (May 30, 1672 – January 28, 1725), Natalia (August 22, 1673 – June 18, 1716), and Feodora (September 4, 1674 – November 28, 1678).

This portrait engraved by Cornelis Meyssens (1646–?) can be found among illustrations of the book Historia di Leopoldo Cesare (History of Leopold Caesar, Vienna, 1670); that is where its traditional dating comes from. However, an inscription made on the portrait “reigned and ruled” (in Latin, in the past tense) suggests that the portrait was made after the tsar’s death. The artist’s alterations and technical characteristics do not contradict the fact that the work was painted in the end of the 17^th century.

Portrait of Count Boris Sheremetev

• Late 17th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3939

Boris Sheremetev (April 25, 1652 – February 17, 1719). Statesman, commander and diplomat. In 1682 he was made Boyar. He took part in the first Azov campaign. He was a close associate of Peter the Great and fought in all the most important battles of the Northen War (Dorpat, Narva, and Riga). He became Field Marshal General in 1701 and was the first Russian count (1706). At the battle of Poltava he commanded the centre of the Russian Army. Peter the Great called Sheremetev his “Turenne” and valued him greatly for his selflessness.

The portrait was dated based on technological research. The upper left corner of the painting features a coat of arms belonging to the Sheremetev family, corresponding to the time when the item was created. Evidence suggests that this painting was used by Leonty Tarasevich, when he created his engraving for a panegyric presented to Sheremetev in 1695, commemorating the Count’s successful seizure of four Ottoman fortresses. Sergei Sheremetev, descendant of Count Boris Sheremetev, maintained that the original painting used for the engraving, was kept in the village of Borisovka, the family estate near Belgorod. It is possible that this particular painting, now in the collection of the State Russian Museum, is the very same work.

Portrait of Peter I

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28586

Портрет князя Якова Федоровича Долгорукого

• Canvas, oil. 68 x 54
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4725

Портрет Петра I

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4906

Portrait of Peter I

• Late 1717
• Canvas, oil. 69 x 55
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-1

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

Emperor is depicted in uniform of artillery company of Life Guards of Preobrazhensky regiment. In Cat. 1980 – Nikitin I.N. (?). Portrait was located in the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. In 1773 Catherine II gave it to the sculptor E.M. Falconet for the work on the monument of Peter I. Leaving for the Hague Falconet took the portrait with him. After his death in Paris in 1791 it was passed to his daughter in law Marie-Anne Collot (Marimont estate near Nancy, France), and then – to her daughter, the Baroness Jankovich. In 1866, under the will of the Baroness Jankovich the portrait was transferred to the Gatchina Palace. In 1925 it was moved to the Russian Museum (Weinberg, 1971, p. 229–237).

In the Gatchina Palace in the second half of the 19th century the portrait has been attributed to Caravaque (?) (Weinberg, 1971) or Nikitin (Rovinskii. Portraits, Vol. 4, col 279), in the Russian Museum – to Nikitin. N.M. Moleva and E.M. Belyutin considered the portrait to be the indisputable work of Ivan Nikitin and associated it with the recording about the artist’s work on the portrait of Peter I in 1721 "on Kotlin Island" (Moleva, Belyutin 1965, pp. 45–47).

A.L. Weinberg considered that this portrait is the work of L. Caravaque on the basis of painting style and iconographic similarities of Peter I with engraving made by P. Soubeyrand (1743) from the original work of Caravaque (1723). Weinberg assumed that this is the very portrait that Caravaque painted from Peter I in 1722 in Astrakhan (Weinberg, 1971). S.V. Rimskaya-Korsakova also confirms the authorship of L. Caravaque on the basis of technological analysis.

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna

• Enamel.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-634

Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna (1709–1761) was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, née Marta Skowrońska. She was considered illegitimate, but after the official wedding of her parents in 1712 she began to bear the title of Tsesarevna. Later on this detail of her biography would prevent her from marrying a European prince. She ascended to the throne on 25 November 1741 following a palace coup carried out with the support of the Guards. She waged successful wars against Sweden (1741–1743) and Prussia (the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763). Her domestic policies were marked by an extension in the rights of the gentry to own land and peasants, but at the same time the death penalty was abolished (1756) and the use of torture was reduced. Elizabeth was famous for her beauty, her merry disposition and her love of luxury and entertainment; her wardrobe contained as many as 12,000 dresses. The tastes of the Empress and her favourites helped the development of art and enlightenment. The network of primary schools in Russia was enlarged, military training schools were reorganised and the first grammar schools were opened. Moscow University was founded in 1755, and the Academy of Arts opened its doors in St Petersburg in 1757. The capital and its environs were decorated with magnificent palaces and churches in the baroque style. The Empress probably had no children, but she was possibly secretly married to Count Alexei Razumovsky, whom she had raised from among the court choristers.

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna in a Black Masquerade Domino with Mask in her Hand

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5344

Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna (1709–1761) was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, née Marta Skowrońska. She was considered illegitimate, but after the official wedding of her parents in 1712 she began to bear the title of Tsesarevna. Later on this detail of her biography would prevent her from marrying a European prince. She ascended to the throne on 25 November 1741 following a palace coup carried out with the support of the Guards. She waged successful wars against Sweden (1741–1743) and Prussia (the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763). Her domestic policies were marked by an extension in the rights of the gentry to own land and peasants, but at the same time the death penalty was abolished (1756) and the use of torture was reduced. Elizabeth was famous for her beauty, her merry disposition and her love of luxury and entertainment; her wardrobe contained as many as 12,000 dresses. The tastes of the Empress and her favourites helped the development of art and enlightenment. The network of primary schools in Russia was enlarged, military training schools were reorganised and the first grammar schools were opened. Moscow University was founded in 1755, and the Academy of Arts opened its doors in St Petersburg in 1757. The capital and its environs were decorated with magnificent palaces and churches in the baroque style. The Empress probably had no children, but she was possibly secretly married to Count Alexei Razumovsky, whom she had raised from among the court choristers.

Портрет графа Петра Ивановича Шувалова

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-44

Portrait of Ivan Shuvalov

• Canvas, oil. 71,5 x 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-9281

Ivan Shuvalov (1727–1797) was an adjutant general. As he became the favourite of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in 1749, he had a great influence on Russian foreign and domestic affairs. He was the curator of the Moscow University and the Academy of Art. He took Mikhail Lomonosov under his wing and was acquainted with Voltaire and Helvétius. After the accession of Catherine the Great to the throne, he lived abroad until 1777. After his return to Russia, he became Grand Chamberlain. The painting depicts Shuvalov in uniform with the Orders of St. Anna and the White Eagle. This painting is one of Rokotov’s early works.

Portrait of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna

• 1758–1760
• Mosaic. 130 х 120
• The State Russian Museum
• СТ-3

Elizaveta I Petrovna (18/29 December 1709 – 25 December 1761/5) – Russian Empress (1741).

She was the illegitimate daughter of Peter I and Martha Skavronskaya. Thus, during the official succession in the 1725–1730 she has never been considered as one of the contenders. With the support of guards Elizaveta I Petrovna carried out a coup, overthrew Ivan VI and ruler-regent Anna Leopoldovna. He reigned from 25 November / December 6, 1741 at 25 December 1761 / January 5, 1762. The beginning of the epoch of the Enlightenment and the reorganization of military educational institutions are associated with the rule of Elizaveta I Petrovna . In 1744 she issued a decree on the extension of the network of primary schools. First gymnasiums were opened in Moscow (1755) and Kazan (1758).

In 1755 at the initiative of Shuvalov there was founded the Moscow University, and in 1757 – the Academy of Arts. The Empress supported M.V. Lomonosov and other representatives of Russian science and culture. In 1756 she signed the decree on the establishment of the Imperial Theatre. Huge funds were allocated from the state treasury for the resettlement of the royal residences. Under the supervision of the Royal Court architect Rastrelli there were built the Winter Palace, which served since then as the main residence of the Russian monarchs, and the Ekaterininskiy Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. Peter’s residences on the Gulf of Finland – Strelna and Peterhof – were thoroughly reconstructed. The Portrait was made in the workshop of M.V.Lomonosov, who in the second half of 1740 began to work as a glass technician and mosaic artist and painter. After discovering the mosaics in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, and in churches of Novgorod, the scientist have been looking for many years for the secret of making smalt (colored glassy mass of various shades).

In the first Russian chemical laboratory he developed the technology and technique of production of smalts. And since the beginning of the 1750s he has started his creative practice. He used smalts of quite large size for his set. Mosaic portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna is characterized by its refined polychromy. Texture of objects and softness of fabrics are brilliantly reflected. Moire ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called consists of skillfully selected blue, azure and blue smalt.

Портрет И. И. Шувалова

• 1760
• Canvas, oil. 85 х 70,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4965

Catherine II's Accession to the Throne

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5784

Portrait of Catherine II

• Iconographic type of Pietro Antonio Rotari
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-14

Портрет действительного тайного советника вице-канцлера князя Александра Михайловича Голицына (1723-1807)

• 1766
• Canvas, oil. 62,5 х 49,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4921

Portrait of Peter the Great

• 1770
• Canvas, oil. 268 x 159
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-25

Peter the Great is depicted in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Guards and an Imperial mantle. He is wearing the chain and star of the Order of St Andrew. The Russian Imperial crown stands on the table. The Emperor is pointing to an open book displaying the text of the Manifesto of 1721 with which he established the Synod, a collegiate body that would administer the Church in place of the traditional Patriarchate. The portrait was painted by Alexei Antropov, who served as a painter at the Synod from 1761.

Portrait of Alexander Stroganov

• Canvas, oil. 115,5 х 87
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4541

Alexander Roslin (1718-1793) was a Swedish painter, who worked in St. Petersburg from 1775 until 1777. He painted many portraits of members of the imperial family and the high nobility.

Alexander Stroganov (1733–1811) was count and son of Sergei Stroganov and Sofia Kirillovna (née Naryshkina). He was a privy councilor, senator, Great Chamberlain and member of the State Council. He was also Director of the Public Library and President of the Imperial Academy of Arts, as well as a collector. He is depicted with the Orders of the White Eagle (ribbon and star) and St. Anne (cross).  

Портрет Е. Р. Дашковой (урожд. Воронцовой)

• 1777
• etching. 25,4 х 18,9
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-30657

Portrait of Lieutenant General of the Infantry Prince Grigory Volkonsky

• Between 1780 and 1786
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4952

Портрет графа Михаила Семеновича Воронцова в детстве

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-7477

Portrait of Catherine II the Legislatress in the Temple of the Goddess of Justice

• 1783
• Canvas, oil. 261 x 201
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4998

Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Pyotr Fyodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Ekaterina Alexeevna. She married Pyotr Fyodorovich in August 1745. In 1754, she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762, she led a conspiracy with his guards and overthrew Peter III, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign, she adhered to a policy of "enlightened absolution", but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768‒1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska. Russia's prestige in Europe increased manifold. Catherine II is depicted with the Order of St Andrew (ribbon, star and cross). 

Catherine II’s Journey across Russia in 1787

• 1790s
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3931

Catherine II the Legislatress

• Marble.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ск-306

This sculpture is an allegoric and an official portrait of Empress Catherine the Great. This sculpture of the Empress has an important place in Shubin’s work. This statue “Catherine the Legislatress” was created for a celebration organised by Grigory Potemkin in honour of the Empress at the Tauride Palace. A special rotunda was built in the Winter Garden for this statue. The white marble statue stands on a porphyry pedestal and is surrounded by greenery and gleamed by flickering candles. The appearance of the Empress, depicted wearing a tiara of laurel on her head, a chain on her chest and the Royal sceptre, is a combination of a ceremonial portrait and her individual features. The loose tunic and an ermine mantle does not conceal the proportions of the figure of the ageing woman. Shubin remained faithful to his realistic interpretation when he painted the ceremonial appearance of the Empress. For this work the sculptor was awarded the title of Professor in 1794.

Empress Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna. She married Peter Feodorovich in August 1745. In 1754 she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762 she led a conspiracy of Peter’s guards and overthrew him, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign she adhered to a policy of “enlightened absolutism”, but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768–1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, the Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland, and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska, and Eastern Georgia was taken under the protection of Russia. Russia’s prestige in Europe increased greatly.

Portrait of the Most Serene Prince Grigoriy Potemkin

• After 1791
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5996

Портрет графа А. А. Безбородко

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4553

Portrait of the Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich

• 1792
• Canvas, oil. 68 х 55
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5385

Портрет императрицы Екатерины II с аллегорическими фигурами Сатурна и Истории

• Canvas, oil. 60 х 50
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4554

Прием Екатериной II турецкого посольства в Большом зале Зимнего дворца 13 октября 1793 года

• Paper, watercolours, gouache, ink, nib.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5394

Portrait of Prince Nikolai Yassupov, Senator and Honorary Lover of the Academy of Art

• 1794
• Canvas, oil. 71 х 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4552

Nikolai Yusupov (1750–1831) was a Prince. He was a collector, an honourary amateur of the Imperial Academy of Arts, an actual councillor of state, senator, member of the State Council under Catherine II. He was the director of the Imperial Theatres, was in charge of the Imperial Hermitage. He was the owner and architect of the Arkhangelskoye estate, and a patron of the arts. He was married to Tatyana Potemkina (née von Engelhardt; 1769–1841). He is depicted with the Orders of the White Eagle (ribbon) and St Stanislaus (cross).

Portrait of Peter I

• 1795
• Canvas, oil. 288 х 200
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3928

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

His foreign and domestic policy was conducted with the aim of integrating Russia into the international European system. Under Peter I, reformations were carried out in all spheres of public life: the government, the Church, the army, education, everyday culture. He founded the Russian Navy; and led wars with Turkey, with an aim of gaining an outlet to the Black Sea; and with Sweden, for an outlet to the Baltic Sea, so as to provide Russia with a waterway to Western Europe. He is depicted with the Order of St Andrew (ribbon and star). The portrait was gifted in 1795 to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra by Catherine the Great.

The Anointing of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alexeyevna

• 1795
• Canvas, oil. 268 х 392
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5786

This scene represents the baptism of Louise Maria Augusta, daughter of Margrave Karl Ludwig of Baden, in Orthodoxy of Elizabeth Alexeyevna. The ceremony took place on 9^th of May 1793 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. Metropolitan Gabriel performed the anointing in the centre of the painting, and on the right, there are Grand Dukes Alexander Pavlovich, Konstantin Pavlovich, Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Fedorovna. On the left, there are the Mother Superior of the Syrkov Monastery in Novgorod, Alexandra Shubina, their Highnesses Princes Platon Zubov and Alexander Bezborodko and the teacher of the older sons of Paul, Baron Andrei Budberg. Most of the characters are from the original painting of Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder.

Portrait of Emperor Paul I

• 1798-1801
• Canvas, oil. 152 х 109
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3207

Emperor Paul I (1754–1801) was the only son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine the Great. In 1762 he was named heir to the throne and given the title of Tsesarevich. He received an excellent education and believed in the romantic ideals of enlightened absolutism, but was critical of the policies of Catherine the Great. He spent decades waiting for the power that his mother had usurped. He became emperor in 1796. His efforts were intended to be to the state’s benefit, but he often acted against common sense. At his coronation in Moscow in 1797 he promulgated the Establishment of the Imperial Family which laid down that accession to the throne should be by primogeniture in the male line. He reformed local government. He restricted the rights of the nobility and allowed corporal punishment to be used on them. Military reforms affected not only uniforms and equipment, but also training and the tactics of officers and soldiers, with an emphasis on the Prussian military school. In an effort to protect Russia from revolutionary ideas, he banned the import of books from France and tightened censorship. In 1798, he took on the title of Grand Master of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (Hospitaller), and took it under his patronage. He was killed by conspirators in St Michael’s Castle during the night of 11–12 March 1801, but according to the official version he died of an apoplectic fit (a stroke).

Emperor Paul I is depicted in the robes of the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. He is wearing the black mantle of the Order with a white eight-pointed Maltese cross, and a golden dalmatic under the mantle. A black stole with embroidered scenes of Christ’s sufferings hangs from his shoulder. He is wearing the Maltese crown on his head and the golden chain of the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order around his neck. On his chest is the blue ribbon of St Andrew and a crimson sash. The Grand Master’s regalia stand on a nearby table.

Portrait of Prince Alexander Kurakin

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 178 x 137
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5013

Prince Alexander Kurakin is depicted in the mantel of St Andrew, worn above a dalmatic of St John of Jerusalem, with the chain and star of St Andrew and the cross of St John of Jerusalem. Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin (1752–1818): Russian statesman, diplomat. Fellow pupil and close friend of the future Tsar Paul. Studied at Leipzig University. Gentleman of the bedchamber and procurator-general of the Senate (1778). Vice chancellor (1796), dismissed (1798), reinstated (1801). President of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1801), member of the State Council (1802). Helped to negotiate the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon (1807). Visited Vienna with a Russian diplomatic mission. Russian ambassador in Paris (1809–12). Buried in the parish church of St Mary Magdalene in Pavlovsk, where the inscription on his gravestone To the Friend of My Husband was written by Empress Marie Fyodorovna.

The Election of Mikhail Romanov as Tsar

• Canvas, oil. 510 х 393
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5054

Portrait of Count Fyodor Rostopchin with a Billiard Cue in his Hand

• Circa 1812
• Canvas, oil. 63 х 46
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3208

China is usually credited as being the homeland of billiards. The game first appeared in Europe around the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. One of the first documented references to billiards appears in 1514. The game was introduced to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725). Under Anna Ioannovna (1730-40), billiards was played in both the palaces and the austerias. Catherine the Great, the German princess who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, was herself a great fan of the game and billiard clubs began to spring up over St Petersburg in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The all English club is regarded as being the first. Billiards thus joined cards as one of the most popular club pastimes.
By the start of the nineteenth century or, to be more exact, by 1812, the game had established itself in almost all public places, including the homes of the Russian aristocracy. Prince A. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who served under Alexander I, threw particularly famous annual receptions. They were held for men only during Lent and the most important entertainment at them was a billiards tournament. M. Pylyaev recalled that "foreign ambassadors and other important guests competed at billiards in their tails and all their medals... The winner of those tournaments was always Count I. Vorontsov-Dashkov."
In 1827, a Frenchman invented a cue with a leather tip at the end. This made the game even more attractive for the players. As one connoisseur wrote in 1880: "Billiards can now be encountered in every well-to-do and prosperous family home, as well as all clubs, hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. Everywhere it attracts curious viewers and everywhere it is the object of feverish competition." Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 270.

Fyodor Rostopchin (1763 (65) 1826): Count from 1799, favourite of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, later Emperor Paul I. Privy councillor (1798) , president of the College of International Affairs, grand chancellor of the order of St John of Jerusalem (1799), member of the State Council (1800) . Fell out of favour at the end of the reign of Paul I and lived in Moscow from 1801. In 1812 he was made a general of the infantry, named governor and commander of Moscow. Distinguished himself in the war against Napoleon, discharged on 30 August 1814 and emigrated abroad. Rostopchin was a great host and, according to contemporaries, had a fantastic billiard room. Tonci had occasion to play there once when a group of men played for money, and the most venturesome of all was the host. Perhaps that was when Tonci started to draw this picture of Count Rostopchin. He could not finish it, however, due to the outbreak of the war. Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 271.

Portrait of Emperor Paul I

• Canvas, oil. 73 x 57
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3170

Emperor Paul I (1754–1801) was the only son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine the Great. In 1762 he was named heir to the throne and given the title of Tsesarevich. He received an excellent education and believed in the romantic ideals of enlightened absolutism, but was critical of the policies of Catherine the Great. He spent decades waiting for the power that his mother had usurped. He became emperor in 1796. His efforts were intended to be to the state’s benefit, but he often acted against common sense. At his coronation in Moscow in 1797 he promulgated the Establishment of the Imperial Family which laid down that accession to the throne should be by primogeniture in the male line. He reformed local government. He restricted the rights of the nobility and allowed corporal punishment to be used on them. Military reforms affected not only uniforms and equipment, but also training and the tactics of officers and soldiers, with an emphasis on the Prussian military school. In an effort to protect Russia from revolutionary ideas, he banned the import of books from France and tightened censorship. In 1798, he took on the title of Grand Master of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (Hospitaller), and took it under his patronage. He was killed by conspirators in St Michael’s Castle during the night of 11–12 March 1801, but according to the official version he died of an apoplectic fit (a stroke).

Portrait of Paul I

• 1800
• Canvas, oil. 266 х 202
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5015

Портрет А. Б. Куракина

• 1800
• Wood, oil. 40,5 x 31,7
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5400

Портрет Александра I

• 1802-1803
• Canvas, oil. 58,5 х 40,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3161

Catherine II Promenading in the Tsarskoye Selo Park (With the Obelisk to Count Pyotr Rumyantsev's Victories in the Background)

• Late 1800s — early 1810s
• Canvas, oil. 99 х 68
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5008

Empress Catherine II (the Great; 1729–1796), née Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, was born in the Prussian city of Stettin. In 1744, she arrived in Russia as the bride of Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich, the future Emperor Peter III. That same year, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna. She married Peter Feodorovich in August 1745. In 1754 she gave birth to an heir, the future Emperor Paul I. The relationship with her husband did not work out, and he planned to have her sent to a convent. In the summer of 1762 she led a conspiracy of Peter’s guards and overthrew him, becoming Empress. In the first years of her reign she adhered to a policy of “enlightened absolutism”, but after the peasant rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773–1775) and the French Revolution (1789), she was forced to toughen her regime. She led victorious campaigns against Turkey (1768–1774; 1787–1792) and Sweden (1788–1790). During her reign, the Crimea (1783), the Northern Baltic Sea, the Baltic states, the eastern part of Poland, and the Aleutian Islands became part of Russia. Russian settlements were established in Alaska, and Eastern Georgia was taken under the protection of Russia. Russia’s prestige in Europe increased greatly.

Borovikovsky did not have the possibility to paint a portrait from life, and when he painted Empress Catherine II, it was the lady in waiting of the Empress, Maria Perekusikhina, who posed. The first version of this portrait (with the Chesme Column in the background) was made in 1794 and is displayed at the Tretyakov Gallery. This portrait was then engraved by Nikolai Utkin in 1827.

Portrait of Count Pavel Stroganov

• 1808
• Canvas, oil. 69 х 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4596

Pavel Stroganov (1772–1817) was count and son of Alexander Stroganov and Yekaterina Petrovna (née Trubetskaya). He traveled a great deal around Russia. He went to Switzerland in order to complete his education and went to Paris in 1789. He took part in events of the French Revolution. He was called back to Russia in 1790. He became a gentleman in waiting in 1798. He was a member of the Private Committee at the beginning of the reign of Alexander I. He was also the assistant of the Minister of the Internal Affairs. He became a senator in 1806. He fought in the Finnish War (1808-1809), the Russo-Turkish War (1806-1812) and the Patriotic War of 1812.

Портрет графа Николая Николаевича Новосильцева (1762-1838), члена "негласного комитета" при Александре I

• Canvas, oil. 75 x 61
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6182

Портрет кн. А. Б. Куракина

• Canvas, oil. 116,5 x 89,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4567

Portrait of the Member of the State Council and Collector Count Alexander Stroganov

• 1814
• Canvas, oil. 251 х 184
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5497

Alexander Stroganov (1733–1811) was a Count and the son of Sergei Stroganov and Sofia Stroganova (née Naryshkina). From 1752 through 1757, he studied abroad. In 1761, he was created Count of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1762 he was made Chamberlain and in 1770, privy councillor; he was a senator and was made Great Chamberlain in 1796, and in 1798 Count of the Russian Empire, and he was Director of the Public Library. He was made President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1800. From 1784 until 1811, he was the Province Marshal of the Nobility for St Petersburg, and was made a member of the State Council in 1801. He was a collector. He personally compiled and published a small portion of his collection under the title “Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, que composent la collection du comte A. de Stroganoff”. He was married twice. His first wife was Anna Vorontsova, and his second was Princess Yekaterina Trubetskaya. 

Портрет А.Н.Оленина

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-13132

Автопортрет

• Paper, graphite pencil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-1440

Портрет Александра Николаевича Муравьева

• Canvas, oil. 69 x 59
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-12088

Портрет графа С. Г. Строганова

• 1815–1825
• Bone, watercolours, gouache. 6,4 х 5,3
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-376

Портрет князя Дмитрия Ивановича Лобанова-Ростовского (1752-1838)

• Canvas, oil. 71,5 x 58,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6224

Ф. Ф. Беллинсгаузен, М. П. Лазарев и П. Н. Михайлов на завтраке у Таитского короля

• 1820
• Paper, watercolours, graphite pencil. 28,7 х 41,4
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-1439

Портрет И.Ф. Крузенштерна

• Lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-7656

Portrait of the Military Officer and Statesman Count Alexei Arakcheyev

• 1823
• Canvas, oil. 88 x 61
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6349

Alexei Andreyevich Arakcheyev (1769–1834) was a Count. He studied at the Artillery Cadet Corps and in 1787 was made an officer. He was a favourite of the Grand Duke Paul Pavlovich. In 1796 he became major general, Commandant of St Petersburg.
He was made Baron (5 April 1797), Knight of the Order of St Alexander Nevsky (1797), and then Count (5 May 1799). His fall into disgrace took place from 1799 to 1808. Under the reign of Alexander I he became minister and Inspector General of all Infantry and Artillery. In the last decade of his rule Alexander I exerted unlimited influence over every area of Imperial rule. He was the author of the project (making plans, drawings, estimates) for military settlements, and the first barracks which were built on his estate in Gruzino served as a pattern for the building of similar barracks and other structures. From 1819 he was the head of military settlements. Following the accession of Nicholas I he retired and lived in the Gruzino estate, where he was buried in the Cathedral of St Andrew. He appears here in uniform against the background of the barracks of the military settlement in Gruzino. On his epaulettes is the monogram of Alexander I. On the neck ribbon of the Order of St Andrew is a silver medal “In Memory of the Patriotic War of 1812” and a medallion he was granted with a miniature portrait of Alexander I. On his chest is the Order of St Alexander Nevsky (star).

Portrait of Emperor Alexander I against the Cameron Gallery

• 1825
• Canvas, oil. 87,5 х 61
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6348

Portrait of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich

• Before 1826
• Canvas, oil. 85 х 71
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4597

Grand Duke Michael (Mikhail) Pavlovich (1798–1849) was the fourth son of Emperor Paul I and his second wife, Empress Marie Feodorovna. Since the day of his birth, he held the rank of General of the Branch, but actually joined the management of the Artillery Department in 1819. Beginning in 1831, he was the main chief of the Page Corps and all of the ground Cadet Corps. He fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 and in the Polish Campaign of 1830–1831. He facilitated a series of transformations in the army. In 1844, he became the commander of the Guards and Grenadier Corps. In 1824 he married his cousin Princess Friederike Charlotte Marie of Württemberg (Elena Pavlovna after her conversion to Orthodoxy). In George Dawe’s portrait, he is depicted in the uniform of the Guard Artillery with the Order of St Andrew (star). The Mikhailovsky Palace in St Petersburg, which today is occupied by the Russian Museum, was named after the Grand Duke.

Portrait of Emperor Nicholas I

• 1828
• Canvas, oil. 86 х 59
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4598

Портрет профессора Медико-хирургической академии Ильи Васильевича Буяльского (1789—1866)

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5244

Царь Петр I принимает титло: 1721 г.

• 1836
• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-1154

Parade Celebrating the End of Millitary Action in the Kingdom of Poland on Tsaritsa Meadow in St Petersburg on 6 October 1831

• 1837
• Canvas, oil. 212 х 345
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6350

The parade took place one month after the capture of Warsaw. The painting depicts the panorama of Tsaritsa Meadow (today the Fields of Mars): the Summer Garden, the Engineers Castle, the Mikhailovsky Garden and the Rossi Pavilion, the Michailovsky Palace and the Barracks of the Pavlovsky Regiment. Alongside the barracks, two regiments are formed: a regiment of cavalry along the Palace and a regiment of artillery along the Summer Garden. Nikolai I, followed by his suite, rides to the Empress carriage from the place of moleben. Among the crowd of spectators, one can find Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Ivan Krylov, Karl Brullov and Alexei Olenin alongside with other musicians, diplomats, scientists and merchants. The artist supplemented the painting by an outline drawing of 223 figures and the list of depicted characters.

Портрет князя Александра Николаевича Голицына (1773-1844)

• Canvas, oil. 73 x 59
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6221

Портрет патриарха Филарета

• Enamel.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-972

Александр Невский принимает благословение перед боем со шведами

• 1855
• Paper, watercolours, whiting, gold. 46 х 34,6
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-1143

Portrait of Alexander II

• 1856
• Canvas, oil. 265 x 172
• The State Russian Museum
• Жб-1942

Alexander II (the Liberator; 1818–1881) was the oldest son of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, née Charlotte of Prussia. He was educated under the direction of the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. He was made Emperor of All the Russias in 1855. His reign began with reforms in the social-political life of the country. On the occasion of his coronation (August 1856), amnesty was granted to Decembrists and the Circle of Mikhail Petrashevsky, as well as to participants in the November Uprising in Poland of 1830–1831; he also suspended conscription for three years. In 1856, he formed a Special Secret Committee “For the Consideration of the Conditions of the Peasants”. In 1857, he decided to eliminate military settlements. Among his reforms were the abolition of serfdom (1861), the introduction of budget transparency (1861), the abolition of corporal punishment (1863), the implementation of land and judicial reforms (1864) and the introduction of universal conscription (1874). Under Alexander II, a new credit and banking system was created, trial by jury was introduced and private enterprise intensified. New territories in the Caucasus, Central Asia and in the Far East became part of the Russian Empire. On 1 March 1881, Alexander II was fatally wounded by a bomb set by terrorists on the Catherine Canal Embankment.

Царь Иоанн Грозный и иерей Сильвестр во время большого московского пожара 24 июня 1547 года

• 1856
• Canvas, oil. 333 x 240
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5834

Portrait of Peter I

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3951

Portrait of Count Sergei Stroganov

• Canvas, oil. 179 х 125
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-620

Secular portraits and painting on the theme of the life of the boyars (members of the old aristocracy of Russia) occupied a predominant place in Konstantin Makovsky’s art. He was a popular and highly paid painter.

Sergei Stroganov (1794-1882) was the eldest son of baron Grigory Stroganov and baroness Anna Stroganov (née princess Trubetskaya). He married Natalia Stroganov, who was the daughter of Pavel Stroganov, to whom he was nephew. He served as governor of Moscow. Sergei Stroganov was also an archeologist, art patron and collector, the founder of the Stroganov School.

Portrait of Alexander III

• 1886
• Canvas, oil. 129 x 91,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2715

Portrait of the Astronomer Wilhelm Von Struve

• Canvas, oil. 135,5 х 102
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2991

Ivan Kramskoi was a portraitist, author of thematic paintings, art critic and thought leader of an entire generation of Russian artists. He was the head of the Peredvizhniki Society (The Wanderers, the society of Russian Realist artists). He saw the mission of the artist in the civic consciousness, in the service of the people’s interest. He is the author of many portraits of Russian scientists and cultural figures.

Otto Wilhelm von Struve (1819-1905) was a Russian astronomer and academician. He was the head of the Pulkovo Observatory for more than  25 years. He is depicted in the attic story of the Pulkovo Observatory tower and is concentrated on himself.

Portrait of Alexander Borodin

• 1888
• Canvas, oil. 209 x 138,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4011

Borodin, Alexander Porfiryevich (1833–1887): Composer, scholar, chemist.

Portrait of Alexander III

• Canvas, oil. 263 х 192
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-936

Alexander III (the Peacemaker; 1845–1894) was the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, née Princess Maria of Hesse and by Rhine of Darmstadt. Before the death of his older brother Nikolai (1865) he was not in line for the throne and was preparing for a military career. In 1866 he married the Danish princess Dagmar, daughter of King Christian IX, who was christened Maria Fyodorovna when she converted to the Russian Orthodox religion. He came to the throne in March 1881 after the tragic death of his father, who was killed by terrorists. He conducted a conservative domestic policy which revealed that his main intention, having reversed the positive results of the liberal reforms, was to stave off the beginning of a period of revolutionary chaos in Russia. There was an increase in censorship, new regulations were introduced in universities, there were restrictions on autonomy, and the position of land captain was established in rural districts, aimed at securing the pre-eminence of the gentry in the social hierarchy. National politics were characterised by an attempt to prioritise a cohesive internal trajectory for a polyethnic Russia in place of a plethora of ethnic Russians.

The stabilization of the political situation created the prerequisites for an impressive economic and cultural emergence. The budgetary deficit caused by the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was overcome, the military was rearmed, the Black Sea fleet was reinstated, and a network of Parish Church Schools and professional-technical schools was organised to meet the new needs of industrialisation. Russia’s foreign policy was notable for its peacefulness and ensured international security. Giving state and personal support to museums, he established cultural centers in both capitals and in the provinces and was a passionate collector of art. His collections laid the foundations for the Emperor Alexander III Russian Museum in St Petersburg.

Portrait of Alexander III

• 1900
• Canvas, oil. 160 х 107
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2004

Alexander III (the Peacemaker; 1845–1894) was the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, née Princess Maria of Hesse and by Rhine of Darmstadt. Before the death of his older brother Nikolai (1865) he was not in line for the throne and was preparing for a military career. In 1866 he married the Danish princess Dagmar, daughter of King Christian IX, who was christened Maria Fyodorovna when she converted to the Russian Orthodox religion. He came to the throne in March 1881 after the tragic death of his father, who was killed by terrorists. He conducted a conservative domestic policy which revealed that his main intention, having reversed the positive results of the liberal reforms, was to stave off the beginning of a period of revolutionary chaos in Russia. There was an increase in censorship, new regulations were introduced in universities, there were restrictions on autonomy, and the position of land captain was established in rural districts, aimed at securing the pre-eminence of the gentry in the social hierarchy. National politics were characterised by an attempt to prioritise a cohesive internal trajectory for a polyethnic Russia in place of a plethora of ethnic Russians.

The stabilization of the political situation created the prerequisites for an impressive economic and cultural emergence. The budgetary deficit caused by the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway was overcome, the military was rearmed, the Black Sea fleet was reinstated, and a network of Parish Church Schools and professional-technical schools was organised to meet the new needs of industrialisation. Russia’s foreign policy was notable for its peacefulness and ensured international security. Giving state and personal support to museums, he established cultural centers in both capitals and in the provinces and was a passionate collector of art. His collections laid the foundations for the Emperor Alexander III Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation

• 1903
• Canvas, oil. 400 x 877
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4088

Founded by Tsar Alexander I (1801–25), the State Council celebrated its centenary with a ceremonial sitting in the Round Room of the Mariinsky Palace in St Petersburg on 7 May 1901. All the members of the State Council and the State Chancellery attended in full-dress uniform. Tsar Nicholas II (1894–1917) and senior members of the Imperial family are flanked by their ministers. Repin painted the scene from behind the chairs on the right (next to the columns).

He rapidly sketched the original modello on a canvas on which the perspective of the hall had already been marked out, working from a previously selected point. The artist later turned this study into a large picture with the help of two students of the Imperial Academy of Arts — Boris Kustodiev and Ivan Kulikov. Every member of the State Council is depicted in natural and diverse poses, with strong physical resemblances.

Лампи младший Иоганн Баптист

Warnek Alexander Grigoryevich

Painter, draughtsman, portraitist. Son of Georg Dietrich Warnek, a mahogany furniture maker. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1795-1803). Fourteenth-class artist. Awarded a fellowship to Italy (1804-09). Academician of portraiture for Portrait of the Writer, Historian, Ethnographer, Geographer, Archaeologist and Honorary Member of the Imperial Academy of Arts Ivan Pototsky (1810). Painted icons for the iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral (1810). Taught portraiture at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1810) and miniature painting (from 1815). Councillor (1814), second-class professor (1831), first-class professor (1832), professor emeritus (1834). Curator of drawings and prints at the Imperial Hermitage (from 1824). Contributed to the work of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts. Contributed to the exhibitions of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1814-24).

Михайлов Павел Николаевич

Тулов Федор Андреевич

Росси Петр Осипович (Pierre de Rossi)

Гиппиус Густав Фомич (Густав Адольф)

Dawe George Edward

Painter, draughtsman; portraitist. Son and student of engraver F. Dawe. Elder brother of engraver Henry Edward Dawe. Studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1803). Academician (1813). Honourary member of the academies of arts of Florence, Dresden, Stockholm and Paris. Worked in Russia at the invitation of Emperor Alexander I (1819). Together with his Russian assistances Alexander Polyakov and Vasily Golike created 322 portraits of Russian generals for the Military Gallery in the Winter Palace. Produced many paintings on commission. Honourary associate member of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg (1820). First portrait painter of the Imperial Court (1828). Returned to London (1829).

Теребенев Михаил Иванович

Иванов Петр

Chernetsov Grigory Grigoryevich

Outstanding Russian artist, master of landscapes. Auditor at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Stepan Galaktionov (from 1821) and later in Maxim Vorobyov’s “views and landscapes class”, where Aivazovsky would later study.

Солнцев Федор Григорьевич

Bottman Georg

Painter, portraitist. Academician (from 1853). Court painter (from 1873).

Pleshanov, Pavel Fyodorovich

Painter, portraitist and creator of paintings on religious and historical subjects. Son of a merchant. Studied at the St Petersburg Commercial College and the Imperial Academy of Arts (under Fyodor Bruni). Awarded a minor gold medal and a title of the artist of the third degree (1854) for The Prophet Elisha Raising the Widow of Zarephath’s Son. Academician (1857) for Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible and Priest Sylvester. Professor (1869) for Murder of TsarevichDimitryinUglich. Executed paintings after his studies for the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Assistant of the head of the mosaic department at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1878).

Makovsky Konstantin Yegorovich

Painter, draughtsman, watercolourist; portraitist, genre artist, author of painting on historical themes. Studied under Mikhail Scotti, Sergei Zaryanko at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1851–1858), under Alexei Markov at the Imperial Academy of Arts(1858–1863). Minor gold medal (1862) for Agents of the False Dmitry Kill the Son of Boris Godunov. Contributed to exhibitions (from 1860). One of “the rebellious fourteen” (1863). Academician (1867), professor (1869). Member of the St Petersburg Artel of Artists (1863). Founding member of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1870) and the St Petersburg Society of Artists (1898).

Kramskoi Ivan Nikolaevich

Painter, draughtsman, engraver, portraitist, history painter. Worked as a retoucher with a travelling photographer (1853-57). Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1857-63). Initiator of the rebellion of the fourteen (1863). Headed the St Petersburg Artel of Artists (1863-70). One of the founders and the ideological head of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1870-87). Academician (1869). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Imperial Academy of Arts, World Exhibition in Paris (1878) and the All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow (1882). Taught at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1863- 69, with interval). Member of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1863-69, with intervals). 

BOGATSKY Nikolai Timofeyevich

Painter. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1860-1861, 1870-1872, he was an external student). Participant of exhibitions since 1862.

Repin Ilya Efimovich

Painter, draughtsman, watercolour painter, portraitist, history painter. Studied under local artists at the School of Military Topography in Chuguyev (1854-57), under Ivan Kramskoi at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1863) and at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1864-71). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Italy and France, lived mostly in Paris (1873-76). Academician (1876). Professor, full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1893). Member of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1878, exhibited from 1874). Headed a studio at the Higher School of Art, Imperial Academy of Arts (1894-1907) and taught at Princess Maria Tenisheva\'\'s school of art (1895-98). Lived in St Petersburg and Moscow, settled in Kuokkala (1900).

Serov Valentin Alexandrovich

Painter, graphic artist, teacher, portraitist, landscapist, history painter. Son of the composer Alexander Serov. Studied under Ilya Repin in Paris and Moscow (1874-75, 1878-80) and under Pavel Chistyakov at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1880-85). Academician of painting (1898), full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1903-05). Member of the Abramtsevo circle (from the 18705). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1889). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1890-99; member from 1894), Munich Sezession (1896, 1898,1899; member from 1899), Exhibition of Russian and Finnish Artists (1898), World of Art (1896-1906, member from 1900; 1911-12, founding member), Berlin Sezession (1903), Exhibition of Historical Russian Portraits at the Tauride Palace in St Petersburg (1905), Union of Russian Artists (1905-10; member from 1903), Sergei Makovsky Salon (1909), Exposition Universelle in Paris (1900, grand prix), International Exhibitions in Munich (1909), Vienna (1902), Venice (1907), Brussels (1910) and Rome (1911) and the Exhibitions of Russian Art in Paris (1906, 1910), Berlin (1906) and Vienna (1908). Member of the board of the Tretyakov Gallery. Taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1897-1909). Designed for theatres in Moscow and St Petersburg and Sergei Diaghilev\'\'s Saisons Russes (from 1886).

Portrait of Prince Anikita Repnin

• Late 1690s
• Canvas, oil. 181 х 128
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3947

Anikita Repnin (1668 – July 3, 1726). Middle son of Ivan Repnin (1615– 1697) who was a boyar close to the tsar and a house steward of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, and Ivan’s wife Yevdokia Nikiforovna Pleshcheyeva (? – April 8, 1695). Russian Field Marshal General (1725). From his early years Anikita was close to Peter the Great and took part in the creation of the emperor’s Toy Army. In 1685 he became Lieutenant and within two years he was promoted to Colonel. Repnin participated in the Azov campaigns of 1695–1696. In 1696 he commanded a frigate. In 1699 he became Major General. In the beginning of the Northern War he commanded a division. Following the order of Peter the Great he reconstituted Russian forces withdrawing from Narva after they were defeated in 1700. He took part in the Siege of Nöteborg (1702) and Narva (1704). During the Battle of Poltava (1709) he commanded the centre of the Russian troops. During the years 1709–1710 he commanded the siege and the seizure of Riga. During the years 1712–1713 and 1715–1716 he commanded troops in Pomerania. In 1719 he was appointed Governor General of Livonia, and at the same time he acted as President of the Military College from 1724–1725. After the death of Peter the Great, he supported the enthronement of Catherine I, but shortly afterwards Alexander Menshikov sent him away to Riga.

From the second half of the 19^th century to the early 21^st century almost all scholars believed the person depicted here to be Ivan Borisovich Repnin; however, this traditional view was recently reconsidered. In 2014 a new version was accepted by the Attribution Council of the Russian Museum.

Portrait of Count Boris Sheremetev

• Late 17th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3939

Boris Sheremetev (April 25, 1652 – February 17, 1719). Statesman, commander and diplomat. In 1682 he was made Boyar. He took part in the first Azov campaign. He was a close associate of Peter the Great and fought in all the most important battles of the Northen War (Dorpat, Narva, and Riga). He became Field Marshal General in 1701 and was the first Russian count (1706). At the battle of Poltava he commanded the centre of the Russian Army. Peter the Great called Sheremetev his “Turenne” and valued him greatly for his selflessness.

The portrait was dated based on technological research. The upper left corner of the painting features a coat of arms belonging to the Sheremetev family, corresponding to the time when the item was created. Evidence suggests that this painting was used by Leonty Tarasevich, when he created his engraving for a panegyric presented to Sheremetev in 1695, commemorating the Count’s successful seizure of four Ottoman fortresses. Sergei Sheremetev, descendant of Count Boris Sheremetev, maintained that the original painting used for the engraving, was kept in the village of Borisovka, the family estate near Belgorod. It is possible that this particular painting, now in the collection of the State Russian Museum, is the very same work.

Capture of Azov

• Allegorical painting
• After 1702
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3981

This painting copies the composition of Leonty Tarasevich’s engraving that was placed on the frontispiece of the Kiev-Pechora Patericon, but with some alterations. In the center, there is a double-headed eagle with the Holy Mother and the Christ Child (Our Lady of the Sign icon type). Above them, you can see God the Father surrounded by cherubim. Below them a dove represents the Holy Spirit. To the right and to the left, the artist depicted the patron saints of the imperial family (Saint Peter and Saint Alexius, Man of God). Below on the clouds you can see the Kiev-Pechora saints (Theodosius of Kiev, also called Theodosius of the Caves, and Anthony of Kiev, also called Anthony of the Caves) on the left and on the right there are the Moscow saints (Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow, Sergius, Nikon and Kirill of Radonezh). An equestrian portrait of Peter the Great is placed in the bottom row of persons depicted together with portraits of Alexei and Boris Sheremetev. Saint George, who has the face of Sheremetev (with no nimbus), is defeating the dragon, which symbolizes the Ottoman Empire; and heaven’s wrath, represented by lighting, is defeating the lion, which is a symbol of Sweden.

Медаль «Небываемое бывает» / За взятие двух шведских судов 6 мая 1703 г. в устье р. Невы

• 1703
• Silver.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-522

Portrait of Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev

• After 1710
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5798

Boris Sheremetev (April 25, 1652 – February 17, 1719). Statesman, commander and diplomat. In 1682 he was made Boyar. He took part in the first Azov campaign. He was a close associate of Peter the Great and fought in all the most important battles of the Northen War (Dorpat, Narva, and Riga). He became Field Marshal General in 1701 and was the first Russian count (1706). At the battle of Poltava he commanded the centre of the Russian Army. Peter the Great called Sheremetev his “Turenne” and valued him greatly for his selflessness.

In 1905 the painting was kept in the Sheremetev Palace and exhibited within the Tauride Exhibition as work of Ivan Argunov. Later the portrait was attributed to Schurmann, even though some scholars have doubted the existence of this artist. An inscription recently read on the portrait; “Karl Schurmann pictorducalis curl […]” suggests that during the siege of Riga in 1710, Karl Schurmann was painter to Frederick William, the Duke of Courland, and the future husband of Anna Ioannovna.

Портрет князя Якова Федоровича Долгорукого

• Canvas, oil. 68 x 54
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4725

Ввод судов в Петербург после Гангутской победы

• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-32299

Medal Commemorating the Capture of Nyenschantz in 1703

• 1703
• Silver. D-46. Total weight: 41.93 g.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-514

The desire of Peter the Great to make Russia one of the European commonwealths initiated the birth of medallic art, which before this was unknown in the Tsardom of Moscow. The famous Nuremberg medallist Philipp Heinrich Müller was ordered to create a series of 26 medals commemorating events of the Northern War. The medals were produced in 1713‒1714 using the highest quality materials and corresponding to European medallic traditions. Beginning in 1716, these commemorative medals were produced in Moscow for presentational purposes: they were presented as gifts to foreigners and senior officers of the state. The letters highlighted in the Latin legend refer to the date, on which the event took place.

Portrait of Peter I

• 1718
• etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-31063

Торжественный ввод в Санкт-Петербург шведских судов после победы при Гренгаме

• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-32305

Мир и Победа («Ништадтский мир»)

• 1722-1723
• Marble. 175 х 122 х 72
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛС-1

Peter I at the Battle of Poltava

• 1724 (1725?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4901

Peter I (the Great; 1672–1725) was the younger son of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. He became Tsar in 1682 (until 1696, he ruled jointly with his brother Ivan V). From 1721, he was the first Emperor of All the Russias.

The painting was created in the European tradition, with the monarch participating in a battle scene. A scholar doing research on Peter’s iconography pointed out as far back as one and a half centuries ago that this “image of the tsar is not so similar to other portraits of his.” In the catalogue of a portrait exhibition organized in 1870, the painting was said to be a “study completed” for a large painting, which was ordered from Tannauer in 1718.

Portrait of Admiral Count Nikolai Golovin

• Between 1740 and 1744
• Canvas, oil. 94 x 71 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3937

Nilolai Fedorovich Golovin (1695 – July 15, 1745). Count, son of Fyodor Golovin; from 1706 he studied at the Naval School. In 1708 Peter the Great sent him to England and Holland to study maritime affairs. Upon his return to Russia in 1715, he was assigned to the Navy in position of Lieutenant. In 1720 he was promoted to Captain Lieutenant; in 1721 upon the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystad he was made Captain 3^rd rank. In 1724 he was appointed attendee of the Admiralty Division. During the reign of Empress Catherine I in 1725, he was appointed special envoy to the Swedish court. In 1726 Golovin was promoted to Captain 2^nd rank and Adjutant General of the fleet (Captain 1^st rank). In 1730 he became Schout-bij-nacht (Rear Admiral), and in 1733 he was appointed Admiral and President of the Admiralty Board. In 1738 he took command of the galley harbor and fleet. After the restoration of the Senate in 1741, he was appointed senator, as he was still president of the Admiralty Board. During the Russo-Swedish War in 1742 he was Governor-General of St Petersburg. As Commander-in-Chief of the troops, he was assigned to protect the capital in the event of Swedish attack. He was married to Sophia Nikitishna (?) with whom he had a daughter named Natalia; Natalia later married Field Marshal General Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck).

It is hard to identify the uniform because rules and regulations concerning navy uniforms constantly changed until 1745. It is possible that Golovin is depicted in civilian dress. The portrait is dated based on him having a ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called that he received on November 10, 1740, and a decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna dated June 18, 1744, according to which Count Nikolai Golovin was placed “on leave so that he can treat his disease.”

Портрет графа Петра Ивановича Шувалова

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-44

Портрет адмирала Семена Ивановича Мордвинова (1701-1777)

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6247

Портрет князя М. М. Голицына младшего, президента Адмиралтейств-коллегии

• 1763
• Canvas, oil. 126 x 102
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4928

Battle of Poltava

• Tapestry
• Wool, silk, weaving.
• The State Russian Museum
• Тк-1032

The tapestry "Battle of Poltava" is one of the most significant and famous works of St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory, which was founded in 1716 on the initiative of Peter the Great. Battle paintings appeared to be a new genre in Russian art, brought to life by the brilliant victories of the Russian army in the Great Northern War. The victory at Poltava was often embodied in all kinds of art, including in weaving. "The Battle of Poltava" is one of the most significant and most famous works of the St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory.

In the centre of the tapestry is the equestrian portrait of Peter I, a convincing monumental image of the commander. The figure of the emperor on the rampant bay horse is spectacularly depicted against the background of the battle. The artist and the makers of the tapestry managed to find the necessary degree of generalization and achieve the monumentality necessary for this kind of work, creating an expressive artistic image through the means of carpet making.

Initially, the tapestry was surrounded by a wide frame with the images of the coats of arms of Russian towns. It is difficult to say, when and under what circumstances the tapestry lost this spectacular frame. Until 1863 the St. Petersburg furniture manufacturer Karl Tur owned the carpet. Then until 1912 the carpet decorated the rooms of the Petrovsky palace on Petrovsky island.

The fragments of the frame are currently kept in the State Russian Museum and the Historical Museum in Moscow.

The tapestry is an example of the most interesting monumental Russian decorative art of the 18^th century thanks to the mastery of its performance.

Portrait of Admiral Alexei Senyavin

• 1770s
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4951

Portrait of Rear Admiral Samuel Greig

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6295

Портрет графа С. Р. Воронцова

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5384

Portrait of Admiral Ivan Talyzin

• Canvas, oil. 62 х 48
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-58

Чесменский бой под командой Алексея Орлова ночью между 6-м и 7-м июля 1770 года

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-29698

Чесменский бой под командой Алексея Орлова утром 7 июля 1770 года

• Paper, etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-29697

Portrait of Lieutenant General of the Infantry Prince Grigory Volkonsky

• Between 1780 and 1786
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4952

Портрет графа Михаила Семеновича Воронцова в детстве

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-7477

Взятие Очакова русской армией под командованием генерал-фельдмаршала светлейшего князя Г.А.Потемкина-Таврического 6 декабря 1788 года

• Paper, watercolours, gouache.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5651

Portrait of the Most Serene Prince Grigoriy Potemkin

• After 1791
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5996

Взятие Измаила (со стороны Дуная)

• Paper, watercolours.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5650

Взятие Измаила русскими войсками под командованием генерал-аншефа А. В. Суворова 11 декабря 1791 года

• Paper, watercolours, ink, nib, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5877

Count Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky

• Marble.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ск-409

Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (Trans-Danubian) (1725, Moscow – 1796, village of Tahsany in the Poltava Province), a talented Russian commander and field-marshal.

In the beginning of the Seven Year’s War of 1756-63 Rumyantsev reformed the Russian Cavalry very successfully. In 1757 he won the battle at Gross-Jägersdorf by skilled actions and at the battle at Kunersdorf he emerged as one of the best commanders. His defeat of the Turks at Larga and Kagula in 1770 led to the conclusion of the Küçük Kaynarca Treaty in 1774 which was profitable for Russia. Rumyantsev was awarded the title Trans-Danubian and rose to the rank of Field-Marshal. The military ideas of Rumyantsev played an important role in the reorganisation of the Russian Army and in the development of national military science.

Testing the Strength of Jan Usmar

• 1796 (1797?)
• Canvas, oil. 283 x 404
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5052

Российская эскадра под командованием вице-адмирала Ф.Ф. Ушакова, идущая Константинопольским проливом 8 сентября 1798 года

• Watercolours, ink, nib, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5875

Portrait of Major General Fyodor Borowsky

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 80,5 x 62,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5014

Feodor Artemyevitch Borowsky (1746–1805) – the army general, the close associate of A.V. Suvorov, M.I. Kutuzov and N.V. Repnin. At the end of 1760 – the adjutant of the regiment of yellow Hussars. In 1768 he participated in the work of the Commission on composing a New Codex as a representative of the nobility of the Novorossiysk province. From 1796 he was the commander of the regiment of Hussars named after him. That regiment stood near Mogilev. In 1797 on a false denunciation Fedor Artemyevitch Borowsky was brought to justice, and thus, resigned. In March 1798 he was arrested, but was soon justified by the verdict of a special commission. Being retired, by the decree of Paul I he got permission to wear his uniform.

The artist depicted general Borowsky in the embroidered hussar uniform with the Order of St. George that was an award for military merit. He is introduced to the audience as brave, courageous, but at the same time quite ordinary person. Probably, this characteristic comes in some disagreement with the general upbeat tone of the portrait. But most of all it is an evidence of the brilliant author's observation. Energetic turn of the head gives a portrait a certain pathos.

Portrait of the Director of the Artillery School Lieutenant General Alexei Korsakov

• 1799
• Canvas, oil. 70 x 57
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3228

Portrait of Count Fyodor Rostopchin with a Billiard Cue in his Hand

• Circa 1812
• Canvas, oil. 63 х 46
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3208

China is usually credited as being the homeland of billiards. The game first appeared in Europe around the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. One of the first documented references to billiards appears in 1514. The game was introduced to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725). Under Anna Ioannovna (1730-40), billiards was played in both the palaces and the austerias. Catherine the Great, the German princess who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, was herself a great fan of the game and billiard clubs began to spring up over St Petersburg in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The all English club is regarded as being the first. Billiards thus joined cards as one of the most popular club pastimes.
By the start of the nineteenth century or, to be more exact, by 1812, the game had established itself in almost all public places, including the homes of the Russian aristocracy. Prince A. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who served under Alexander I, threw particularly famous annual receptions. They were held for men only during Lent and the most important entertainment at them was a billiards tournament. M. Pylyaev recalled that "foreign ambassadors and other important guests competed at billiards in their tails and all their medals... The winner of those tournaments was always Count I. Vorontsov-Dashkov."
In 1827, a Frenchman invented a cue with a leather tip at the end. This made the game even more attractive for the players. As one connoisseur wrote in 1880: "Billiards can now be encountered in every well-to-do and prosperous family home, as well as all clubs, hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. Everywhere it attracts curious viewers and everywhere it is the object of feverish competition." Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 270.

Fyodor Rostopchin (1763 (65) 1826): Count from 1799, favourite of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, later Emperor Paul I. Privy councillor (1798) , president of the College of International Affairs, grand chancellor of the order of St John of Jerusalem (1799), member of the State Council (1800) . Fell out of favour at the end of the reign of Paul I and lived in Moscow from 1801. In 1812 he was made a general of the infantry, named governor and commander of Moscow. Distinguished himself in the war against Napoleon, discharged on 30 August 1814 and emigrated abroad. Rostopchin was a great host and, according to contemporaries, had a fantastic billiard room. Tonci had occasion to play there once when a group of men played for money, and the most venturesome of all was the host. Perhaps that was when Tonci started to draw this picture of Count Rostopchin. He could not finish it, however, due to the outbreak of the war. Play and Passion in Russian Fine Art. St-Petersburg. 1999. P. 271.

Portrait of Alexander Stroganov

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4594

Count Alexander Stroganov (1794-1814) was the only son of Sofia and Pavel Stroganovs. He went to the army in the  field with his father during the Patriotic War of 1812. He was tragically killed during the Battle of Craonne in France (A shot from a cannon decapitated him).

Дмитрий Донской на Куликовом поле

• Canvas, oil. 54 х 70
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-12044

Дмитрий Донской на Куликовом поле

• 1805
• Canvas, oil. 118 х 167
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5129

Portrait of Count Pavel Stroganov

• 1808
• Canvas, oil. 69 х 56,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4596

Pavel Stroganov (1772–1817) was count and son of Alexander Stroganov and Yekaterina Petrovna (née Trubetskaya). He traveled a great deal around Russia. He went to Switzerland in order to complete his education and went to Paris in 1789. He took part in events of the French Revolution. He was called back to Russia in 1790. He became a gentleman in waiting in 1798. He was a member of the Private Committee at the beginning of the reign of Alexander I. He was also the assistant of the Minister of the Internal Affairs. He became a senator in 1806. He fought in the Finnish War (1808-1809), the Russo-Turkish War (1806-1812) and the Patriotic War of 1812.

Portrait of Life Guard Colonel Yevgraf Davydov

• 1809
• Canvas, oil. 162 x 116
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5134

The portrait is Orest Kiprensky’s most famous canvas and a specific manifesto of the art of the Romantic era in Russia. It was one of the works for which Kiprensky was made an academician in 1812.

Yevgraf Davydov (1775–1823): Sergeant major of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment (1791), cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment (1799), colonel (1807). Fought in the Napoleonic Wars at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) and the Battle of Ostrovnoye near Vitebsk (1812). Lost his left leg and right arm beneath the elbow at the Battle of Leipzig (August 1813), awarded the Order of St George (3rd class), the Order of Leopold of Austria, the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia (2nd class) and promoted to the rank of major-general.

The Heroism of a Young Kievian at the siege of Kiev by the Pechenegs in 968

• About 1810
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5065

The plot of the painting was taken from one of the heroic episodes of the old chronicles. In 968 when the troops of Prince Sviatoslav were in campaign the Pecheneg nomads besieged Kiev. The main character of the painting is an unknown young Kievan. Speaking Pecheneg language he had passed the enemy’s encampment holding a bridle. When the enemies called for him he answered that he was looking for the gone horse. Having swum the Dnieper he found the Russian troops and brought them to the besieged city.

The main character is rushing through the enemy’s encampment like a whirlwind. Having reached the Dnieper (a narrow strip of water at the bottom of the painting) he listened to the sounds of the chase. The arrow shot after him struck the Pecheneg who fell from a horse and lay dying near on the bank. In the background one can see the riders and outlines of town’s walls. The moment depicted by the artist expresses laconically and purely the idea of the work – nothing is going to stop the man who does his patriotic duty.

The Monomachy of Prince Mstislav the Daring and Prince Rededia of the Adyghes

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5064

Andrei Ivanov is a representative of Russian academic school of the late 18th century – early 19th century. He created paintings on historical, mythological and biblical subjects. In his most significant works he embodied the idea of citizenship and patriotism. The plot of the painting is described in the chronicles. According to the chronicles in a year of 6530 (1022) Mstislav Vladimirivich the Daring, Prince of Tmutorokan set out for fighting against the Kassogians. Having known about it the prime Prince of the Adyghe union Rededia came forward to meet the enemy. When both armies had met Rededia suggested that they could solve the battle by the monomachy and escape bloodshed. According to the conditions the winner would take the family, land and everything including the life of the conquered. While fighting Mstislav began to lose might but in the end he managed to defeat Rededia. Having defeated his rival Msticlav killed him. Afterwards, Mstislav attributed his victory to protection of Mother of God who he was praying during the fight. The painting is arranged by the rules of classicism: the composition is finely balanced in which two central figures of the athletes creates a conditional triangle in the centre of the canvas, local contrasts of colour and the use of chiaroscuro that suggests modelling of volumes. All these features enable the viewer to get the simple perception of the plot and accentuate the main characters. The artist depicts the final stage of the struggle and the troops shown in the background wait for the outcome of the monomachy. Mstislav stands over the defeated Kassogian Prince and the Fame hovers over his head. Depicting the events of the 11th century the artists responded in the allegorical form to the events of 1812 when the troops of Napoleon invaded in Russia. Andrei Ivanov was awarded the title of the professor for this painting.

Поражение корпуса маршала Даву 5 ноября 1812 года при городе Красном

• 1812–1813
• Paper, charcoal pencil. 55,3 х 96,4
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5976

Portrait of Aleksey Lanskoi

• 1813
• Paper, . 25,5 х 20,8
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-2890

Portrait of Mikhail Lanskoi

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-13128

Mikhail Lanskoi (circa 1787—?): Saw action in the military campaigns of 1806—07 and the Patriotic War of 1812. Served in Saratov. Commanded a Hussar division in Kovno (1832). Nephew of Alexei Tomilov, whom he helped to put his art collection together. Depicted with the Orders of St George (4th class) and St Vladimir (4th class). Awarded the St George’s Cross in June 1807.

Russian Scaevola

• Bronze.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ск-1859

The sculptor portrayed the feat of an unknown peasant, who, according to a legend, was captured by the French during the war of 1812. The hero was particularly athletic and therefore he was taken to serve in the French army, and as a sign that he belonged to the Emperor Napoleon, he was branded with the initial "N". The peasant didn’t want to serve the enemies of his Fatherland, so he cut off his hand with an ax. Such courage caused respect from the enemy, and he was released.

The sculptor compares the act of this Russian peasant with the feat of the ancient Roman Gaius Mucius Scaevola, who in 508 BC sacrifices his hand in the name of saving the homeland. In accordance with the norms of classicism, the author ennobles the face of the hero: he has clayey features, his expression is calm, the body is composed harmoniously. Only a cross on his neck indicates that he is not an ancient warrior, but a Russian hero.

Кончина генерала-фельдмаршала светлейшего князя Михаила Илларионовича Голенищева-Кутузова Смоленского. Бессмертен тот, отечество кто спас

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-3518

Портрет А. Р. Томилова (в форме ополченца)

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-13136

Портрет графа Матвея Ивановича Платова на коне

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4873

Расстрел французами русских патриотов в Москве в 1812 году

• 1813
• Canvas, oil. 140 х 188
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5056

Alexander I. Scene in the Military Camp

• 1840s
• Canvas, oil. 98,5 x 89,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-11852

The people and the panorama of the city in the distance depicted in the painting fairly accurately show the events related to March 1814: Emperor Alexander I convinced Austrian Field Marshal Karl Schwarzenberg to move the allied troops to Paris. Near the emperor stands Prince Pyotr Volkonsky, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian troops, who is believed to have suggested taking Paris rather than pursuing Napoleon across France. The stylistic characteristics of the work, as well as the initials “G.W.”, allow us to suggest that the artist of the canvas is the battle painter Gottfried (Bogdan) Willewalde, who did paintings on the subject of the Napoleonic Wars, among others.

Портрет А. И. Дмитриева-Мамонова

• Paper, , pastel, сharcoal , chalk.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5710

Битва Бородинская, 1812 год

• 1816
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-524

Народное ополчение 1812 г. Барельеф

• 1816
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-523

Битва Бородинская. 1812 год

• 1817
• Gypsum. 19,5 х 19,5
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-1745

Портрет Александра Николаевича Муравьева

• Canvas, oil. 69 x 59
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-12088

Бой при Малом Ярославце

• 1817-1819
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-698

Освобождение Москвы, 1812 год

• 1817–1819
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-525

Трехдневный бой при Красном. 1812 год

• 1817-1819
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-695

Портрет графа С. Г. Строганова

• 1815–1825
• Bone, watercolours, gouache. 6,4 х 5,3
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-376

Портрет князя Дмитрия Ивановича Лобанова-Ростовского (1752-1838)

• Canvas, oil. 71,5 x 58,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6224

Сражение при Березине. 1812 год

• 1820
• Gypsum. 19,5 х 19,5
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-1735

Portrait of Dmitry Kuruta

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4602

Dmitry Dmitrievich Kuruta (1770–1833), a migrant from Greece, served Russia from 1787. He took part in the campaigns of 1805 and 1806–1807. In 1812 he was made senior Quartermaster of the College of Guards. In 1816 he became lieutenant general, Chief of Staff of the Polish forces, Marshall at the Court of the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich in Warsaw and in 1828 an Infantry general. In 1826 he was elevated to the level of Count. He is depicted here in his quartermaster’s uniform with the Orders of St Alexander Nevsky (star), of St Vladimir of the 2nd class (star and cross on the neck), of St Anne of the 1st class (cross with diamonds), of the White Eagle (star), of Leopold of the 2nd class (Austria, cross), of Maximilian Josef (Bavaria, cross) and the Kulm Cross (Prussia). On the mounting are the Order of St George of the 4th class, the medal “In Memory of the Patriotic War of 1812” (silver, on St Andrew’s ribbon) and the Order of St John of Jerusalem (the Maltese Cross). An identical (unsigned) copy which was completed “before 1825” can be found in the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace.

Битва при Лейпциге. 1813 год

• 1823
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-697

Dmitry of the Don in the Kulikovo Battlefield

• 1824
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5066

Portrait of Vasily Perovsky

• 1824
• Paper, watercolours, lacquer. 29,7 х 19,4
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-192

A well-known architect, Alexander Brullov was also a distinguished draughtsman and watercolourist. Including pencil and watercolour portraits, views and genre scenes, the artist’s graphic heritage was immense and exceedingly diverse. Alexander Brullov spent a great deal of time with Vasily Perovsky in the summer of 1824. In a letter home to his parents, he describes him as “a direct and wonderful man who loves a quiet life and the arts.”Vasily Alexeyevich Perovsky (1795-1857): Illegitimate son of Count Alexei Razumovsky. Fought in the Patriotic War (1812) and the Russo-Turkish War (1828). Adjutant general (1833), member of the State Council (1845), count (1855). Brother of the writer Anton Pogorelsky and friend of the poet Vasily Zhukovsky.

Покорение Парижа

• 1814
• .
• The State Russian Museum
• СК-696

Portrait of Count Pavel Shuvalov

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6229

Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov (1774, 1776 or 1777–1823) was a Count, the son of Count Andrei Shuvalov and Countess Yekaterina Saltykova. In 1786–1796 he served in the Life Guards Horse Regiment, as a gentleman of the Bedchamber (1796), colonel (1798); Adjutant General of Emperor Alexander I (from 1807), Commander of the Fourth Infantry Corps (1811). He participated in the storming of Prague (1794), the Italian campaign led by Alexander Suvorov, the Russo-Swiss war (1808–1809), the Patriotic War of 1812. He accompanied Napoleon from Fontainebleau to exile on the island of Elba. He was married to the Princess Varvara Shakhovskaya (1796–1871). He appears here in the uniform of a general of the Imperial Suite with the following orders: St Alexander Nevsky (star); St Vladimir of the 2nd class (star and cross on the neck); St Anna of the 1st class (star); St George of the 4th class (cross); the Sign of the Order of St John (Maltese cross); Military Merit (Württemberg); St Louis (France); Maximilian Joseph (Bavaria) and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Leopold (Austria).

This is a copy of the signed portrait, which is located in the military gallery of the Winter Palace (State Hermitage). It is possible that it was completed in Dawe’s studio.

Portrait of Emperor Alexander I

• 1825
• Canvas, oil. 239 х 152
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3922

Alexander I (the Blessed; 1777–1825) was the older son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Marie Feodorovna, née the Princess of Württemberg. He was raised by his grandmother, Catherine the Great, in the spirit of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. He ascended to the throne in 1801, after his father was murdered by a group of conspirators. The main aims of his initial domestic policies were granting equal rights for land ownership and abolishing serfdom. In the first years of his reign, he relied on a Secret (or Intimate) Committee, comprised of friends from his youth, associates and supporters of a constitutional mode of government to help him realise these goals. He enacted a series of decrees that began the process of abolishing serfdom. In “Regulations on the Establishment of Educational Institutions” (1803), three new principles were established: classless education, free education at the lower levels and consistency of educational programs. Five universities and three lyceums, including the one in Tsarkoye Selo, were founded. After the Patriotic War of 1812 and the foreign campaign of the Russian army, he had great international authority. At the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), he initiated the creation of a Holy Alliance of European Monarchs (1815), which he himself headed. He led victorious wars against Persia (1804–1813), Turkey (1806–1812) and Sweden (1808). As a result, Western Georgia (1801), Finland (1809), Bessarabia (1812) and Azerbaijan (1813) were added to the Russian Empire. He is depicted in the uniform of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment with the following orders: St Andrew (star), Order of the Garter (England) and the Iron Cross (Prussia) and the military order of the Sword (Sweden). On the medal brooch: Cross of the Order of St George, Fourth Class; a medal inscribed with “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812”, Order of the Iron Cross (Prussia), Military Order of Maria Theresa (Sweden), Military Order of the Sword (Sweden), cross “In Memory of the War of 1813–1814” (Austria) and medal in “In Memory of the War of 1813–1814” (Prussian).

Portrait of Count Grigory Kushelev

• 1827 (?)
• Canvas, oil. 126 x 98
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3386

Grigory Grigorievich Kushelev (1754–1833) was a count (since 1799), a graduate of the Marine Cadets Corps, a participant of the Archipelago Expedition during the Russo-Turkish War of 1771–1774, a commander of Gatchina Fleet, a general-admiral of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem (since 1799), a general major and an adjutant general, since 1798 – an admiral and a vice president of the Collegium of Admiralties. During the reign of Alexander I he was dismissed from all positions. Grigory Grigorievich collected a large number of paintings and was an honored amateur member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He was married twice, and his second wife was Lyubov Ilyinichna Bezborodko, a niece of the state chancellor.

Grigory Grigorievich is depicted with the orders of St. Andrew the Protoclete (a band and a star, 1799); St. Alexander Nevsky (a pendant cross – 1797, a cross with diamonds – 1798); St. Anna (1^st grade, a pendant cross – 1796), St. John of Jerusalem (a pendant cross of a commander – 1798, a big cross – 1799), and a French order of St. Lazarus (a green cross on a green band and a golden star).

Feat of Peter the Great in the Storm

• 1832
• Canvas, oil. 49 х 58
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2684

Smaller copy-version of Peter the Great Saving Drowning People in the Storm on Lake Ladoga by Charles de Steuben (1812; Museum of Fine Arts, Amiens).

Quite a number of myths have grown up about the death of Peter the Great, including the fateful chill that he caught when saving some drowning fishermen, and also the suggestion of a poisoning organised by some of his closest associates. In his dynamic picture, which was copied by Alexander von Kotzebue, Charles de Steuben depicted the first of these stories, one that was truly worthy of the great monarch’s heroic reputation. In its time de Steuben’s painting greatly impressed the public, and it was acquired by Napoleon Bonaparte. Louis XVIII ordered a Gobelin to be made of it which was then sent as a gift to Emperor Alexander I (it is now in the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve).

Портрет В. А. Корнилова на борту брига "Фемистокл"

• Paper, watercolours, graphite pencil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-42271

Parade Celebrating the End of Millitary Action in the Kingdom of Poland on Tsaritsa Meadow in St Petersburg on 6 October 1831

• 1837
• Canvas, oil. 212 х 345
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6350

The parade took place one month after the capture of Warsaw. The painting depicts the panorama of Tsaritsa Meadow (today the Fields of Mars): the Summer Garden, the Engineers Castle, the Mikhailovsky Garden and the Rossi Pavilion, the Michailovsky Palace and the Barracks of the Pavlovsky Regiment. Alongside the barracks, two regiments are formed: a regiment of cavalry along the Palace and a regiment of artillery along the Summer Garden. Nikolai I, followed by his suite, rides to the Empress carriage from the place of moleben. Among the crowd of spectators, one can find Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Ivan Krylov, Karl Brullov and Alexei Olenin alongside with other musicians, diplomats, scientists and merchants. The artist supplemented the painting by an outline drawing of 223 figures and the list of depicted characters.

A Feat of the Merchany Igolkin from Novgogod in the Northern War against the Swedes

• 1839
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5063

Парад на Дворцовой площади

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6344

Ceremonial Consecration of the Alexander Column on Palace Square in St Petersburg on 30 August 1834

• 1840
• Canvas, oil. 301 х 485
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5765

Portrait of Alexei Yermolov

• 1843
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3762

Alexei Petrovich Yermolov (1777–1861) was the son of state councillor Pyotr Yermolov and Maria Denisovna, née Davydova. He was enrolled in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment as a child. He was educated at home.

Under the reign of Paul I he lived in exile. He took part in the military campaign of 1805-1807. In 1806 he was made a colonel, in 1808 — major general, in 1810 — Commander of an Artillery Guards Brigade, then — Commander of the Infantry Guards Division of the Lithuanian Regiment. In 1812–1814, during the Patriotic War, he was head of the staff of the 1st Army. He excelled at the Battle of Borodino. In 1816 he was named Commander-in-Chief in Georgia where military action was then taking place. Lines of fortification were built from Grozny to Yekaterinodar (now Krasnodar). Yermolov did a great deal for the Caucasus, promoting the development of trade, industry and education. Relying on military and administrative methods, he appeased many Caucasian tribes and annexed Abkhazia and the Khanates of Shirvan and Karabakh. In 1818 he was made general of Infantry. In 1827 he retired. Member of the State Council. In March 1839 “he went on holiday for medical treatment”. Living in Moscow, he was made head of the Moscow militia in 1855. He appears here in general’s uniform of the Horse Artillery Army with Orders of St Andrew the First-Called (star), St George of the 2nd class (cross on the neck and star), St Vladimir of the 1st class (star), the Kulm Cross (Prussia), Military Order of Maria Theresa (Austria). In his buttonhole are the medals “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812” (silver, on the ribbon of St Andrew) and “For the taking of Paris”.

A Russian Squadron on the Sevastopole Roadstead

• 1846
• Canvas, oil. 121 х 191
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-8237

The painting “Sevastopol before Midday during the Tsar’s Visit” was presented during an exhibition in Feodosia on 18^th  March 1846. To judge from the facts that there is an yacht with the Emperor Standard lifted up, the people greeting the Emperor on the shore and the ships  of the Black Sea Fleet lined up in front of the yacht, it is the painting of the Russian Museum that was commissioned to the artist by Nicholas I.

Nothing in this painting foresees the tragic destiny of Sevastopol, a Black Sea pearl of the Russian crown, and the Russian fleet in the Crimean War of 1853–1856.

The boats depicted in the painting, including the 130 cannons flagship “The Twelve apostles” of the Black Sea of the Russian fleet, were submerged at the entrance to the Sevastopol Bay in 1854 to prevent the entry of the French, British and Turkish fleet. By doing so, Sevastopol was protected from the sea. The painting also depicts the ritual of sailors, which was afterwards abolished: while remaining off the harbour, the sailors would stand on the mast of the boat and keep the alignment.

Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka Lighting a Fire on the Shore to Signal to his Sinking Ships

• 1846
• Canvas, oil. 223 х 335
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5879

Portrait of Alexei Filosofov

• Canvas, oil. 92,5 х 67
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3328

Alexei Illarionovich Filosofov (1799–1874). He got education in the Page Corps. In 1818 he was an ensign in the 1st Life Guards Artillery Brigade. He took part in the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829. In August 1828 during the taking of Akhaltsikhe he was awarded a gold sword with the inscription “for courage” along with the rank of colonel and the Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun, and named adjutant to the Field Marshal General Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich. In 1830 he took part in the French expedition against the Algerian Uprising, and in 1831 in the suppression of the rebellion in Poland. In 1836 he was made major general. From 1838 he was tutor to their Imperial Highnesses Nicholas Nikolayevich and Michael Nikolayevich; from December he was the retinue of His Imperial Majesty Nicholas I. In July 1842 he became adjutant general, and in March 1847— lieutenant general. From 1854 he superintended the Kronstadt Artillery and in 1859 became general of Artillery.
He died in Paris. He appears here in the uniform of major general with the Orders of St Anne of the 1st class, St Vladimir of the 3rd class (cross on the neck), Sword (Sweden), Order of Military Merit Virtuti Militari; on the block: Order of St George of the 4th class, medal “For the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829” and “For the taking of Warsaw in 1831”.

The Heroism of Leonty Korenoi, Grenadier of the Finland Life Gurds Regiment, at the Leipzig in 1813

• 1846
• Canvas, oil. 172 х 215
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3561

Leontiy Korennoy took part in the battle of 1812 being in the Finland Life Gurds Regiment, in which there were the best and worthy soldiers. Korennoy fought bravely during the battle of Borodino, but it is for the events of 4^th of October 1813, during the “Battle of the Nations” in Leipzig, that he has been the subject of Polidor Babaev’s painting. His battalion of Finland Life Gurds Regiment was massively attacked by the enemy, who outnumbered them, so they began to retreat. Korennoy and some of his fellow grenadiers allow the commanders and the wounded officers to escape. After he received 18 wounds, the enemy captured him as he was the only one left alive. Napoleon, who heard about Korennoy’s heroic actions, met him in person. After that, Napoleon issued a decree, in which he called Korennoy a hero and set him as an example for his French soldiers to follow. When Korennoy was recovered, he was released on Napoleon’s personal orders and was taken home.

Mercury Brig Meeting a Russian Squadron after her Victory over Two Turkish Vessels

• 1848
• Canvas, oil. 123,5 х 190
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2209

One of the episodes of the heroic epic of the Russian brig “Mercury”, which occurred on 14^th of May 1828–1829. The 18 guns brig under the command of captain lieutenant Alexander Kozarsky was under attack of the Turkish line ships “Selimiye” and “Real bay”, which together counted 184 guns. Thanks to a skilled manoeuvre and the high bravery of her crew, the ship inflicted considerable casualties to her opponents, forced the ships to heave aback, escaped pursuit and reunited with the Russian Squadron. Aivazovsky depicted the final moment of the combat, when the “Mercury”, which had many shot holes, moved in full sail toward the Russian ships.

Portrait of Ivan Paskevich

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3432

Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich (1782–1856) was a Russian military official. He participated in military action against the Turkish army (1806–1811), the Patriotic War of 1812 (Smolensk, Borodino, Vyazma), the Battle of Nations near Leipzig and others. By order of Nicholas I, he took part in the Decembrist trial. He began serving in the Caucasus under the command of Yermolov in 1826, and in 1827 he succeeded him as Commander of the Caucasian Corps and the Commander-in-Chief in Georgia. His successful actions against the Persians resulted in the capture of Erivan and the Treaty of Turkmenchay, which recognised Russia’s suzerainty over the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates, and he was created Count Erivan. His skilful leadership against the Turks in Asia Minor (1828–1829) yielded him the title of Field Marshal, and his suppression of the Polish Uprising (1831) created him Prince of Warsaw and was made governor of the Kingdom of Poland. He led the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution (1848–1849), participated in the Crimean War (1853–1856) and was commander-in-chief of troops on the western borders and on the Danube. He is depicted in the uniform of the Hussar Regiment of Alexandria, of which he became the colonel-in-chief on 1 September 1845, with the Orders of St Andrew the Apostle (ribbon and star; 1828); St George of the 1st class (cross on the neck and star; 1829); Turkish Order of the Moon (?) and medal brooch, as well as an award medallion with a portrait of Nicholas I.

Портрет адмирала П. С. Нахимова

• 1850s
• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-5683

Сражение при Бородине 26 августа 1812 года

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-31419

Портрет П. М. Волконского

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-714

Александр Невский принимает благословение перед боем со шведами

• 1855
• Paper, watercolours, whiting, gold. 46 х 34,6
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-1143

Бородино 26 августа 1812 года

• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28267

Кульм. 18 августа 1813 года

• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28272

Полоцк 6 августа 1812 года

• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28266

Battle Between the Russians and the Swedes at Lesnaya on 28 October 1708

• 1870
• Canvas, oil. 225 x 481
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5591

Lesnaya is a village in Belarus, and a battle took place nearby on 28 September 1708, during the Northern War, in which the 12,000-strong force of Peter the Great defeated the 16,000-strong Swedish corps of General Adam Lewenhaupt. The Russians also captured a very large supply train, with food for three months, artillery and munitions. Peter the Great saw the Battle of Lesnaya as the “mother of the Battle of Poltava” – the Russian army’s main and concluding victory in the Northern War (27 June 1709) – since the army of Charles XII was greatly weakened after the loss of its supply train. Alexander von Kotzebue painted battle pieces showing victories by Russian arms to commissions from the Imperial Court. The artist’s painting devoted to the Battle of Lesnaya is remarkable both for the masterly way that he constructs dynamic scenes involving figures and also for his expressive treatment of the landscape which, with its sense of anxiety, increases the power of the emotional effect on the viewer.

Portrait of Peter I

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3951

Seeing off a Recruit

• 1879
• Canvas, oil. 143 х 225
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4061

In the end of 1870-s, after returning home from a foreign trip, Repin started to pay special attention to the life of peasants. This interest was reflecting in his major work on the topic – Seeing off a Recruit. The painting was created under the influence of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The artist depicted one of the most touching moments – a farewell bid by the family to a young recruit. The scene takes place in a typical country yard that the painter found in Bykovo village in the vicinity of Moscow. All feelings of the characters are expressed in a simple, clear, and sincere way. The artist thoroughly prepared for this panting and created numerous studies for it. The work was being painted in 1877-1879 in Moscow and in summer – also in the vicinity of Moscow, in Abramtsevo, a homestead of the famous art patron Savva Mamontov where famous artists and musicians used to meet. Immediately after the painting was finished it was purchased by the President of the Academy of Arts, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

Military Council in Fili in 1812

• 1880
• Canvas, oil. 79,2 х 164
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4176

After the Battle of Borodino, the Russian army, due to enormous losses, retreated to Moscow, taking a defensive position near Poklonnaya Hill and Sparrow Hills. On 1 September 1812 in the village of Fili near Moscow, the commander of the Russian Army, Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, called a military council to discuss the question of whether to give Napoleon a new battle or to leave Moscow without a fight in order to preserve the army and give it a chance to rest and gather the reserves. Listening to the opinions of those present, the majority of whom preferred the former, Kutuzov made a unilateral decision to leave the ancient capital. The meeting occurred in complete secrecy and no minutes were taken, so the exact number of participants is unknown. The scene in the darkened hut is full of drama. With the help of lighting, Kivshenko concentrates attention on the faces and, fleshing out the character of each person, shows the individuality of his reaction to what is happening.

Бой скифов со славянами

• Canvas, oil. 161,5 x 295
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4215

Shipka-Sheinovo (Skobelev at Shipka)

• Canvas, oil. 188 x 405
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-8238

The painting had finished the Vereshagin’s large-scale Balkan series comprising about 30 canvases that were created in Paris in 1878-1879 on the base of studies and original artefacts brought from Bulgaria. In 1877-1878 Russia took part in the war against the Turks for the liberation of Bulgarians from the Ottoman Rule. While Vereshagin was working at the painting he came twice to the place of military actions to Shipka and in the vicinity of Plevna.

The Turks were defeated at Sheinovo on 9th January 1878. The painting belonging to the Russian Museum is the author’s copy. The painting highlights dramatic tension of the event even more, the artist showed that the victory over the enemy was purchased too dearly. In the foreground there are the frozen bodies of died Russian soldiers carpeting the snowy field. The general Mikhail Skobelev is depicted on the left at the foot of the mountain range, he rides round the lines of Russian soldiers and congratulates them on the victory. The artist represented himself in the retinue of the general Skobelev, near the standard bearer, in a white coat. The soldiers meet him with loud hurray and throw their hats up.

Минин на площади Нижнего Новгорода, призывающий народ к пожертвованиям

• Canvas, oil. 273 x 233
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-1544

Yermak’s Conquest of Siberia

• 1895
• Canvas, oil. 285 x 599
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4231

The painter has been working on this colossal painting for four years and event undertook long trips to the places relevant for the topic of the picture. Surikov was born and spent his early years in Siberia, and its unkind nature, brave and free-spirited people that carefully preserved ancient traditions were especially close for him. He was proud of his ancestors, Don Cossacks that, according to the legend, came to Siberia with Yermak in the 16^th century. The painting depicts the final battle of Yermak’s brigade with the vast hordes of enemies under the command of khan Kuchum in 1582. Surikov sees this battle as an act of people’s heroism and connects Yermak’s campaign as a part of national liberation struggle of the Russians against the conquerors. The artist shows the culmination of the battle to add a more dramatic edge to this historical event. In the left one can see the avant-garde of the Cossacks that is given special compositions emphasis. The Cossacks form a powerful wedge-shaped group that literally cuts into the enemy’s ranks. Surikov underlines a strong connection between Yermak and his soldiers and depicts them in a single battle urge. Kuchum’s patchy army is pressed to the clayey river bank, and we can see panic growing among the soldiers. Surikov pays special attention to character development. In the diverse crowd one can distinguish Cossacks with sharply delineated faces and fiery eyes. The artist viewed these brave, composed, and confident people as an ideal historical type that Siberia has brought up in him. Repin wrote: “The impression from this picture is so unbelievably mighty…The viewers are just stunned, and their imagination is defied”.

Bogatyr

• 1898–1899
• Canvas, oil. 321.5 x 222 (rectangle with triangular top)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-1837

Mikhail Vrubel was drawn to the mystery, primordial purity and spirituality of the bylina — a traditional Russian heroic poem. The ancient hero in his decorative attire and his trusty horse are inseparable from their environment — a morose forest closely guarding its secrets.This sensation was possibly even stronger before the first owner, Malich, decided to change the original square format of the picture. The canvas was cut on three sides and inserted into a Gothic frame with an angular top. The artist wrote to his sister in January 1899: “The work is almost finished. I am so delighted by it that I want to risk showing it at the Academy exhibition — if it is accepted. After all, I am an attested decadent. This, however, is a misunderstanding; I believe that my new work will set the record straight.” Mikhail Vrubel’s panel was highly rated by the famous Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov.

Suvorov Crossing the Alps in 1799

• 1899
• Canvas, oil. 495 x 373
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4242

Count Alexander Suvorov (1729–1800) was a Russian fieldmarshal who commanded a Russo-Austrian force in Italy in 1799. Ordered to relieve Russian troops in Switzerland, he famously marched across the Alps. Shown at the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions in 1899, this work was painted in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of Suvorov’s campaign. Vasily Surikov specially travelled to Switzerland, painting landscape studies at the historical sites and sliding down the mountains near Interlaken in order to capture the sense of movement. The artist explained his concept: “The most important thing in the picture is the movement. The selfless courage. The men proceed, subordinating to their commander.” The master succeeds in conveying the emotions gripping each man at this moment of tension and the single surge of the soldiers in response to their commander’s leadership.

Ivanov Andrei Ivanovich

History painter, portraitist, draughtsman, iconpainter, lithographer, teacher. Studied at the Moscow Foundling Hospital (from 1778) and the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1782). Awarded silver medals (1794, 1795) and first gold medal for Noah Offering a Sacrifice to God After Leaving the Ark (1797). Awarded first-class degree, fellowship and post of teacher of drawing at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1797). Nominated to the Imperial Academy of Arts (1800), academician of history painting for Adam and Eve Under a Tree After the Banishment from Paradise (1803). Assistant professor (1806), professor (1812), senior professor (1821). Member of the Free Society of Lovers of Writing, Science and Arts (1802).

Demut-Malinovsky Vasily

Sculptor. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1785–1800). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Rome (1803–1806). Taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1808). Professor (from 1813), chancellor of the sculpture department (from 1836). Oversaw the sculpture of palaces and parks in St Petersburg. Author of many ornamental and monumental works decorating St Petersburg’s buildings, indoor and memorial sculptures as well.

Тихонов Михаил Тихонович

WILLEWALDE, Gottfried (Bogdan)

Painter, battle painter, genre artist, portraitist, landscapist. Studied under Karl Brullov and Alexander Sauerweid at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1843-1844). Taught at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists, St Petersburg (1840-1842). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1842). Foreign fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1843-1844). Summoned to St Petersburg by order of Nicholas I to complete works commissioned from deceased Alexander Sauerweid (1864). Appointed teacher of drawing for Grand Dukes Nicholas Nikolayevich and Michael Nikolayevich. Taught at the school of the Society of St Petersburg Artists (1840-1842). Taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1848-1894). Academician of painting (from 1845), professor of battle-painting (from 1848), member of the Academy Council (from 1859), first-class professor (с 1872). Professor emeritus (1888).

Brullov (Bruleau) Alexander Pavlovich

Architect, draughtsman, watercolour artist, lithographer. Portraitist, genre painter, landscape artist. Studied at the Academy of Arts (1810-21). Sent abroad along with his brother Karl by the Artists Support Society. Lived and worked mostly in Italy, though also lived and worked in France and Germany (1821-30). Designed the restoration project for the Pompeii bath-houses (1826), engraved in Paris (1829). Made an academician for a series of projects and watercolour portraits (1831). Taught architecture at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1831-37), professor (1832), professor emeritus (1854). Member of the Milan Academy of Arts, corresponding member of the Paris Academy of Arts, full member of the London Royal Institute.

Sazonov (Sozonov) Vasily Kondratyevich

Kotzebue, Alexander von

Painter, battle painter. Son of German playwright August von Kotzebue, brother of famous explorer Otto von Kotzebue (1788–1846), and eminent military leader and statesman Paul von Kotzebue (1801–1884). Studied at the Second Petersburg Cadet Corps, served as an officer in the Life Guards Lithuanian Regiment. Audited Alexander Sauerweid’s battle class at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1837–1844). By imperial decree, was sent abroad on an assignment trip (1847) to study the theatre of military operations of the Seven Year’s War and produce the commissioned paintings. Awarded the title of academician without creating a painting specifically for this honour (1850). Went to Italy (1852) to depict commissioned scenes from Alexander Suvorov’s Swiss and Italian expeditions. In 1858, exhibited three paintings related to this subject at the Imperial Academy of Art: Russians Crossing Over the Devil’s Bridgein Switzerland in 1799, Battle of Novi in 1799 and Battle in the Mutten Valley in 1799. Professor of battle painting, member of the Munich Academy of Arts (1858). Commissioned by the Emperor to execute six paintings related to the conquest of the Baltics by Peter the Great. Worked on paintings on the subject of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.

Brullov (Bruleau) Karl Pavlovich

Painter, watercolourist, draughtsman, history painter, portraitist, genre painter, mural painter. Born into an artistic family. Studied under Anton Ivanov, Alexei Yegorov and Vasily Shebuyev at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1809-22), graduated with a first-class gold medal. Sent to Italy by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1822-35). Worked in Milan, Naples and Rome. Won fame in Europe as a portraitist and history painter for such works as The Last Day of Pompeii (1827-33, Russian Museum. St Petersburg)- Returned to Russia and lived in St Petersburg. Honorary freeman (1834), second-degree professor (1835) and first-degree professor (1846) of the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he taught history painting, enjoying the love and respect of his many students. Professor of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Contributed to exhibitions in Rome, Milan, Paris and St Petersburg. Went abroad on the advice of doctors (1849), settled in Italy (1850).

LADURNER, Adolphe Ignatyevich

French battle painter, lithographer, portraitist. Son of the German pianist and composer Ignaz Ladurner (1766-1839). Studied art under Oras Vernet in Paris. Exhibited at the Salon in 1824 (The Battle of Matarу) and in 1827 (Headquarters of King’s Lancers). Worked in Warsaw and Dresden; in Russia from 1831. Author of numerous battle scenes, parades and regimental ceremonies. Was under the protection of Nicholas I. Academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1837), third-class professor (from 1840). Awarded the Order of St Stanislaus 3rd Class for drawings of uniforms of the Russian Army (1844). Served as an artist at the Editorial Office of the Russian Military Chronicles. Commissioned by Emperor Nicholas I to create a series of paintings (more than 40) of a single format (68 х 97) depicting guard regiments for the Russian Guards collection, which then were lithographed and printed on porcelain vases and plates. Active participant in annual academic exhibitions.

ZAKHAROV, Pyotr Zakharovich (Zakharov the Chechen)

Painter, draughtsman, portraitist. Russian soldiers found a little Chechen boy in September 1819. Alexei Yermolov, Head Commander of Separate Caucasus Corp, sent the boy to his orderly Zakhar Nedonosov whose name later served as the last name of the boy, a future artist. Attended to the Imperial Academy of Arts (1830) as an external student, fellow of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists (from 1833). Minor silver medal (1835), non-class artist (1842), appointed to the Academy (1843), academician of portrait painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts for the portrait of General Alexei Yermolov (1843). Artist of the Department for Military Settlements, the Military Ministry (1840–1842).

Aivazovsky (Haivazovsky) Ivan (Hovhannes) Konstantinovich

Theodosia Painter, graphic artist. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1833-1838). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in the Crimea and Italy (1838-1844). Academician (1844), professor (1847), honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1887). Member of the Accademia di San Luca in Rome (1840) and the academies of Paris (1843), Amsterdam (1845), Florence (1875) and Stuttgart (1879). Contributed to around 120 exhibitions (from 1835). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1835-1900), Paris Salon (1843, 1879), Society of Exhibitions of Works of An (1876-1883), Moscow Society of Lovers of the Arts (1881), Pan-Russian Exhibitions in Moscow (1882) and Nizhny Novgorod (1896), International Exhibitions in Philadelphia (1876), Munich (1879) and Berlin (1886) and the World Exhibitions in Paris (1858, 1878), London (1863) and Chicago (1893). Awarded the Legion d\'honneur (1857). Lived and worked in Theodosia, where he founded the General Art Studios (1865) and the Theodosia Picture Gallery (1880). 

BABAYEV, Polidor Ivanovich

Painter, battle and icon painter. Artillery second lieutenant, served in Tiflis, left military service in 1841. Occasional student of the Imperial Academy of Arts, studied under Karl Brullov. Fellow of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1845-1848). Awarded minor silver and gold medals (1846), a major gold medal of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1848). Taught drawing and draughtsmanship at the South Caucasus School for Noble Maidens and provincial grammar school, later form teacher at the Alexander Pedagogical School (Tiflis, 1860s). Painted a series of icons for Caucasian churches.

Yegorov Alexei Yegorovich

Painter, draughtsman, engraver, iconographer. Author of pictures on historical themes and portraits. At the age of five was found in the Kalmyk steppe by Cossacks, and put into the Moscow foster home. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1782–1797). Awarded the title of artist and an Academy bursary (1797), taught drawing (1798). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Italy (1803–1807). Appointed to the Imperial Academy of Arts (1800), academician (1807). Taught at the Imperial Academy of Arts from 1798, junior professor (1807), professor (1812), professor emeritus (1832). Expelled from the Academy at the express wish of Tsar Nicholas I (1840). Married Vera Martos, daughter of sculptor Ivan Martos.

Каневский (Каниевский, Коневский) Ксаверий Ян Ксавериевич

Borel Petr

Victor

Ульрих Вильгельм Карл

Kivshenko Alexey Danilovich

Painter, draughtsman, illustrator. Studied under Ivan Kramskoi at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1860-1867), and under K. F. Gun at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1867, occasional student until 1870). Simultaneously studied at the Institute of Technology (1874-1876) and at the Academy of Medicine and Surgery. Major gold medal for The Marriage in Cana of Galilee unfinished painting (1877). Fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts in France and Germany (1880-1883, studios of G. Max, Y. Brandt and W. von Dietz). One of the founders of the St Petersburg Society of Artists (1890). Academician (1884). Professor (1893). Taught at the Baron Stieglitz Central School of Technical Drawing (1883-1895), supervised the battle-painting studio at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1894-1895). Contributed to many exhibitions in Russia and abroad.

Vasnetsov Victor Mikhailovich

Painter, author of pictures on themes of Russian history and folklore, genre artist, portraitist, theatrical designer. Studied under Nikolai Chernyshev at the Vyatka Theological Seminary (1860s) and under Ivan Kramskoi (1867-68), Pyotr Basin (1868-75, with intervals), Vasily Vereschagin and Pavel Chistyakov at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Contributed to exhibitions (from 1869). Member of the Abramtsevo circle (from 1881). Visited Paris (1876-77) and Italy (1885).

Vereshchagin Vasily Vasilievich

Painter. Studied at the School of Drawing of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (1858-1860), under Alexei Markov and Fyodor Moller at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1860–1863), Atelier de Jean Louis Gérôme and Alexandre Bida, National School of Fine Arts in Paris (1864–1866). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Paris Salon (1866), the Imperial Academy of Arts (1867 and 1873), the Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions (1874 and 1875), the Moscow Society of Lovers of Arts (1881), All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow (1882), International Exhibitions in London (1872) and Vienna (1873). Contributed to over 30 personal exhibitions in Russia and abroad. 

Surikov Vasily Ivanovich

Studied in Krasnoyarsk, at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1869) and under Pavel Chistyakov at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1869-75). Member of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (from 1881) and the Union of Russian Artists (from 1908). Full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1893), academician (1895). Visited Western Europe and Siberia. Lived in Moscow (from 1877). 

Vrubel Mikhail Alexandrovich

Painter, draughtsman, theatrical designer, applied artist, portraitist, writer of philosophical Symbolist compositions. Studied law at St Petersburg University (1874-79) and art under Pavel Chistyakov at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1880-84). Academician of painting (1905). Member of the Abramtsevo circle (from 1889). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1891). Contributed to the exhibitions of the Moscow Fellowship of Artists (1895, 1899, 1904), Exhibition of Russian and Finnish Artists (1898), World of Art (1900-03, 1906; member from 1900, 1911), 36 Artists (1901, 1902), Union of Russian Artists (1903-10; founding member), Exposition Universelle in Paris (1900; gold medal) and the International Exhibitions in Vienna (1901) and Venice (1907). Designed for Sawa Mamontov\'\'s Russian Private Opera (1890-1901).

Self-Portrait with Wife

• 1729 (?). After 1727 (?)
• Canvas, oil. 75,5 x 90,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4913

Andrei Matveyev (1702, (?) – 1739, St Petersburg). Painter, portrait artist, and icon painter, who created allegorical, and decorative and monumental compositions. In 1716, at the request of Peter the Great, he was then sent to study painting in Holland. From September 1717 to September 1723, he studied under Arnold Boonen in Amsterdam, and from December 1723 to May (?) 1727 – in the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts under (?) Sperwer. In August 1727, he came back to Petersburg and began his work in the Chancellery of Construction. In 1731, Matveyev attained the rank of Master and became the head of the Painting Brigade of the Chancellery of Construction. He participated in creating murals for the Peter and Paul Cathedral, as well as tsarist residences in Petersburg, he also painted icons for the Church of The Holy Righteous Simeon and Anna The Prophetess.

Irina Matveyeva (1712/14–1740s). Daughter of the blacksmith Stepan Antropov. In 1729 (or 1728) she married the artist Andrey Matveyev. She later entered into a second marriage with the merchant Turgenev.

The portrait is thought to have been painted in 1729, the year the artist got married. Some researchers believed that the woman depicted is much older than the artist’s wife (who was only 16 years old when the portrait was painted), and that the people depicted are Princess Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick. Modern technical analysis established that the woman’s face was “aged” by alterations introduced after the work was completed.

Портрет Феофана Прокоповича

• Canvas, oil. 66,5 x 50
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-2018

Портрет архитектора Ф.-Б. Растрелли

• Canvas, oil. 56 х 47
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4936

Портрет А. П. Сумарокова

• 1760
• Canvas, oil. 74 х 64,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4966

Портрет А. Ф. Кокоринова

• 1769
• Canvas, oil. 134 x 102
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4985

Catherine II as Minerva, Patroness of the Arts

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5490

Портрет художника А. П. Антропова с сыном перед портретом жены

• 1776
• Canvas, oil. 84 х 70,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4929

Портрет Е. Р. Дашковой (урожд. Воронцовой)

• 1777
• etching. 25,4 х 18,9
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-30657

Portrait of the Writer Alexander Khrapovitsky

• 1781
• Canvas, oil. 60,5 х 49
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4994

Khrapovitsky Aleksandr Vasilyevich (1749–1801) – a writer. He graduated from the Overland Gentry Corps, from a young age he was fond of literature. He was acquainted with M.V. Lomonosov. Khrapovitsky Aleksandr Vasilyevich was a friend of G.R. Derzhavin. From 1782 to 1793 he was the State Secretary of Catherine II. Since 1793 he was a senator. Mason. The author of the well-known "Memorandum Pads".

Khrapovitsky is depicted with the Order of St. Vladimir. He received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd Class in 1783, and 2nd Class – in 1785.

Портрет Н. А. Львова, архитектора, художника и поэта

• 1780s
• Canvas, oil. 71 x 55,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5002

Portrait of the Architect and Adjunct Rector of the Academy of Arts Georg Friedrich Felten

• Canvas, oil. 60 х 47
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3229

Портрет И. П. Елагина

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5388

Портрет императрицы Екатерины II с аллегорическими фигурами Сатурна и Истории

• Canvas, oil. 60 х 50
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4554

Портрет адъюнкт-ректора Академии художеств И. Е. Старова

• Canvas, oil. 129 x 103
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3199

Автопортрет

• 1804
• Paper, watercolours, , nib, graphite pencil. 21,4 х 13,8
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-6792

Портрет архитектора А. Д. Захарова

• Canvas, oil. 59 х 54
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5029

Portrait of Alexei Tomilov

• 1808
• Canvas, oil. 68 х 55,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5131

Alexei Romanovich Tomilov (1779-1848) was an artillery officer by education and a commander during the building of a fortress in Kronstadt (1799). He left the service in 1808. Alexei Romanovich was a collector and an art amateur, one of the founders and a committee member of the Artists Support Society (since 1820) and a honored free member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences (1833).

Portrait of the Member of the State Council and Collector Count Alexander Stroganov

• 1814
• Canvas, oil. 251 х 184
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5497

Alexander Stroganov (1733–1811) was a Count and the son of Sergei Stroganov and Sofia Stroganova (née Naryshkina). From 1752 through 1757, he studied abroad. In 1761, he was created Count of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1762 he was made Chamberlain and in 1770, privy councillor; he was a senator and was made Great Chamberlain in 1796, and in 1798 Count of the Russian Empire, and he was Director of the Public Library. He was made President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1800. From 1784 until 1811, he was the Province Marshal of the Nobility for St Petersburg, and was made a member of the State Council in 1801. He was a collector. He personally compiled and published a small portion of his collection under the title “Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, que composent la collection du comte A. de Stroganoff”. He was married twice. His first wife was Anna Vorontsova, and his second was Princess Yekaterina Trubetskaya. 

Self-Portrait

• 1810s
• Canvas, oil. 52,5 x 42,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3408

Автопортрет в бархатном берете, с рейсфедером

• 1810s
• Canvas, oil. 62,5 x 52,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5232

Portrait of the Artist and Art Teacher Kirill Golovachevsky with Three Pupils of the Imperial Academy of Arts

• Canvas, oil. 143,5 х 111
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5152.

Alexei Venetsianov is a master of the everyday life genre and created an independent art movement (“Venetsianov school”). He worked for the postal and then for the forestry departments. Venetsianov learned painting by himself: he followed lessons of Vladimir Boroviskovsky and copied paintings from the Hermitage. The portrait of Kirill Golovachevsky with pupils granted Venetsianov the title of academician in 1811.

Kirill Golovachevsky (1735–1823) was a history painter, a portraitist and headmaster of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Self-Portrait

• 1811
• Canvas, oil. 67,5 х 56
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5151

Портрет К. И. Головачевского с тремя воспитанниками Академии художеств

• 1811
• Canvas, oil. 143,5 х 111
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5152

Портрет архитектора К. И. Росси (1775-1849)

• Canvas, oil. 109,5 х 91
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5041

Портрет художника Д. Г. Левицкого (1735-1822)

• 1812
• Canvas, oil. 132 х 107
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3275

Портрет А.Н.Оленина

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-13132

Портрет А. И. Дмитриева-Мамонова

• Paper, , pastel, сharcoal , chalk.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5710

Автопортрет

• Paper, graphite pencil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-1440

Portrait of the Artist Nikolai Maikov

• 1821
• Canvas, oil. 76,5 x 63,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5222

Portrait of the Engraver Nikolai Utkin

• 1824
• Canvas, oil. 122 х 88,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5224

Портрет баснописца И. А.Крылова

• 1824
• Paper, pastel. 70 х 53,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3694

Портрет Алексея Романовича Томилова (1779-1848)

• Cardboard, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5140

Self-Portrait

• 1830
• Paper, watercolours. 30,4 х 24,6
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-13097

Architect A. P. Brullov brilliantly mastered the technique of watercolours. Portraits performed by him are easy and exquisite in colour, delicate in drawing. Usually the artist began their performance with a quick but fairly detailed pencil sketch, over which he painted with a brush. The paper usually shone through a thin layer of watercolours, giving lightness to the whole image.

The inscription on the stone indicates the years of the artist’s stay in Italy — 1823–1826, which were followed by a break, when Brullov was in France, and return to Italy in 1830, marked by the creation of a self-portrait, a kind of a declaration of love to this country.

Портрет Е. А. Баратынского

• Lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28571

Portrait of Pyotr Sokolov

• 1833
• Canvas, oil. 63 x 50
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5229

Alexei Perovsky, Pseudonym Anthony Pogorelsky

• 1836
• Canvas, oil. 136 x 104
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5088

Portrait of Count Alexei Tolstoy in his Youth

• 1836
• Canvas, oil. 134 x 104
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5089

Portrait of Count Alexei Tolstoy in his Youth was painted at Count Alexei Perovsky’s house in Moscow. Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817–1875): Master of the hunt, poet and playwright. Son of Count Konstantin Tolstoy (1779–1870) and Anna Tolstaya (died 1857). Raised by his uncle, Count Alexei Perovsky.

Parade Celebrating the End of Millitary Action in the Kingdom of Poland on Tsaritsa Meadow in St Petersburg on 6 October 1831

• 1837
• Canvas, oil. 212 х 345
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6350

The parade took place one month after the capture of Warsaw. The painting depicts the panorama of Tsaritsa Meadow (today the Fields of Mars): the Summer Garden, the Engineers Castle, the Mikhailovsky Garden and the Rossi Pavilion, the Michailovsky Palace and the Barracks of the Pavlovsky Regiment. Alongside the barracks, two regiments are formed: a regiment of cavalry along the Palace and a regiment of artillery along the Summer Garden. Nikolai I, followed by his suite, rides to the Empress carriage from the place of moleben. Among the crowd of spectators, one can find Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Ivan Krylov, Karl Brullov and Alexei Olenin alongside with other musicians, diplomats, scientists and merchants. The artist supplemented the painting by an outline drawing of 223 figures and the list of depicted characters.

Portrait of Modest Rezvoi

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5856

Modest Dmitrievich Rezvoi (1807–1853) was a poet, writer, music critic, composer, cellist and amateur artist. A graduate of the Engineering Institute, he taught history there (1826–1835), served in the Department of Engineers (1838–1840), and was a major-general. He became the secretary of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists after it was set up in 1820. From 1835 to 1837 he was editor-in-chief of the musical section of Adolphe Pluchart’s “Encyclopaedic Lexicon” (vol. 1–6). In 1839 he was elected a special honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. At the start of the 1840s he took part in publishing the “Dictionary of the Church Slavonic and Russian Language” (St Petersburg, 1847, 1864–1868, vol. 1–4). He was an associate member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences from 1843, and from 1849 he was Deputy Director of the Department of Construction in the Ministry of the Marine.

Групповой портрет: К. П. Брюллов, Я. Ф. Яненко, М. И. Глинка, Н. В. Кукольник и И. П. (?) Поливанов

• Paper, watercolours.
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-2903

Портрет Н. В. Гоголя

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3476

Портрет почт-директора Федора Ивановича Прянишникова (1793-1867), собирателя картин русских художников

• 1844
• Canvas, oil. 45 х 35
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5194

Self-Portrait

• Canvas, oil. 44 х 36
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-9188

Портрет Г. Р. Державина

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-16339

Пять братьев Бенуа

• 1847
• Cardboard, oil. 28 х 40
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3552

Self-Portrait

• 1849 (?)
• Cardboard, oil. 64,1 x 54 (верх – полуовал)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5097

Self-Portrait

• 1850
• Canvas, oil. 54,5 x 43,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3674

Портрет А. Г. Горавского

• 1867
• Paper, sauce, whiting. 89 х 62,8
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-5894

Портрет И. С.Тургенева

• 1872
• Canvas, oil. 102 х 80
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4090

Portrait of Ivan Kramskoi

• 1876
• Canvas, oil. 89,5 x 69,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2503

Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoi (1837–1887), painter, draughtsman, engraver, theoretician of realist art and art critic. He worked as a retoucher for an itinerant photographer (1853–1857) and studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1857–1863). He was the initiator of the “Revolt of Fourteen” (1863) and one of the organisers and head of the St Petersburg Artel of Artists (1863–1870). He was also a founding member of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1870–1887), a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists (from 1861) and of the Moscow Society of Amateur Artists (from 1871) and a founding member of the Society of Russian Aquafortists (1871–1874). He was an Academician from 1869, took part in exhibitions from 1860 and taught at the drawing school at the Society for the Encouragement of Artists (1863–1869 with breaks).

Portrait of Singer Elizaveta Andreevna Lavrovskaya (1845-1919)

• 1879
• Canvas, oil. 166 х 121,5
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-2987