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 Tsar Ioann V Alexeevich

• Late January – early February 1696
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3989

Ioann V Alexeyevich (August 27, 1666 - January 29, 1696). Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, elder brother and co-ruler of Peter the Great. He was crowned together with Peter the Great on June 25, 1682. On January 9, 1684 he married Praskovia Saltykova (October 12, 1664 – October 13, 1723). He had five daughters: Maria (March 21, 1689 – February 13, 1692), Feodosia (June 4, 1690 – 1690), Catherine (October 29, 1691 – June 14, 1733), Anna (January 28, 1693 – October 17, 1740), Praskovia (September 24, 1694 – October 8, 1731).

The original canvas, which was 89 x 63 cm, was extended along the perimeter; the hands we painted later. The painting’s technique and identification from X-ray photographs imply that the artist who created the painting was also the one who painted the portrait of Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna. The fact that the coat of armor worn by Tsar Ivan Alexeevich is black suggests that this is a “dormition” portrait completed at the end of January (Ivan Alexeevich died on January 29) – beginning of February in 1696.

Portrait of Tsarevich Peter

• 1670s
• Wood, oil, tempera. 20 х 17
• Alexander Pushkin State Museum, Moscow

This is one of the extremely rare painted portraits of Tsarevich Peter. Through research the dating was revised. Earlier there was a theory that this image of Peter was part of a double portrait of Peter and Ioann (State Alexander Pushkin Museum, 2004).

Portrait of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich

• Second half of the 17th century. 1680s (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3979

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 painting is a companion piece to the portrait of Tsar Michael I Feodorovich. The portrait of Alexis Mikhailovich was probably also based on the portrait from the 1672 “Titulyarnik” (a manuscript containing titles, coats of arms, and portraits of Russian and foreign rulers). The technique is close to the one of the portraits of Michael I Feodorovich and Tsaritsa Marfa Matveyevna (“with a hand fan”) of similar size. The portrait of Alexis Mikhailovich was also painted in the end of the reign of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich, or during the reign of Tsarevna Sophia (1682–1689).

Portrait of Marfa Apraksina, Second Wife of Tsar Feodor Alexeevich

• December 1681 – 14 February 1682
• Canvas, oil. 89 x 72 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3985

Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (1664–1715). Daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She was the second wife of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich from February 14 to April 27, 1682. She was the sister of General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (Maddening Andrei), and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator.

This painting was painted almost at the same time as portrait of Marfa Matveevna from the collection of the State Russian Museum. The portraits were painted when Marfa Matveevna was the tsar’s bride. This theory is supported by the fact that she is wearing a kokoshnik headdress, which was part of a maiden’s outfit. The dog was usually a symbol of marital fidelity. Recently it was suggested that the painting was painted by Johann Walter, “a foreigner from the Orenburg lands.”

Portrait of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveevna

• December 1681 – 14 February 1682
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3970

Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (1664–1715). Daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She was the second wife of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich from February 14 to April 27, 1682. She was the sister of General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (Maddening Andrei), and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator.

This portrait was painted at the same time as the so-called portrait with a little dog. It was painted when Marfa Matveevna was the tsar’s bride. A hand fan wasn’t one of specific details of the pre-Petrine everyday life, but its “language” was well-known. Tsaritsa Marfa holds her hand fan as an “arrow,” meaning in a closed position, in her right hand, and it is pointed at her companion. This hand fan’s position is a sign of love and sympathy.

Portrait of Governess Sofya Alexeevna

• 1682–1689
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5942

Sophia Alexeyevna (September 17, 1657 – July 3, 1704). Tsarevna, fourth daughter of Tsar Alexis I Mikhailovich with Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. She came to power through the Moscow Uprising (1682). During the period from May 1682 to September 1689 she ruled over Russia as regent for her younger brothers, Peter and Ivan. In September 1689 her attempt to become Tsaritsa failed and she was confined to the Novodevichy Convent. In 1698 she was made to take the veil under the name of Susanna, and later, shortly before her death, she was tonsured into the Great Schema and given the name Sophia.

Three portraits of Sophia Alexeevna of this kind are known. Soon after Sophia’s conspiracy was uncovered, most of her pictures were destroyed. The portrait of Sophia Alexeevna from the Romanov gallery is based on a portrait from the 1672 “Titulyarnik” (a manuscript containing titles, coats of arms, and portraits of Russian and foreign rulers) that was decorated with multiple rulers’ portraits. A new detail here is the image of a double-headed eagle with six medallions with allegorical figures of “Devoutness,” “Maidenhood,” “Grace,” “Justice,” “Strength,” and “Lenitude” on its wings. Sophia is depicted wearing a crown and holding a sceptre and the orb, even though she wasn’t crowned as tsaritsa.

Portrait of “Patriarch” Milak – Boyar Matvei Naryshkin

• Between 1688 and 1692. Before 1692 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3935

Matvei Naryshkin (16..–1692). Relative of Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna. From 1674–1679 Naryshkin was the military governor of Veliky Ustyug. In 1678 he became a nobleman of Moscow, and in 1686 – a stolnik (cupbearer). In 1688 he was given a senior court rank – an okolnichy; and in 1690 he became a boyar. He held the jesting rank of Patriarch of the Drunken Synod, and the nickname “Milak”.

The earliest reference to the painting is in the Inventory of 1735; according to which the portrait of “the personage of Matvei Filimonovich Naryshkin” was placed in the entrance hall. This would seem to be one of the earliest pictures in the “Preobrazhensky Series”. The discovery in the archives of the date of Matvei Naryshkin’s death, 1692, increases the confidence of researchers that the portrait could not have been painted later than then.

Portrait of Ivan Shchepotev

• Late 17th – early 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 92.5 x 76.5 (oval in rectangle)
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Portrait of Boyar Prince Boris Prozorovsky

• 1694
• Mounted on wood, oil. 151,8 х 118,5
• State Tretyakov Gallery

The boyar is depicted holding a pair of crutches. The maiming of the young courtier was a direct consequence of the hardships he survived in 1670 when Stepan Razin seized Astrakhan. The boyar’s father, Astrakhan Military Governor Ivan Prozorovsky, was executed; while Boris, the Younger Prozorovsky, was hung from the city wall by his legs, along with his elder brother and his uncle. Because of this torture he remained lame for life.

Boris the Younger Ivanovich Prozorovsky (1661–1718) Son of Astrakhan Military Governor Ivan Prozorovsky and Praskovia Likhacheva. Stolnik (cupbearer) (1672), room stolnik (cupbearer) of Tsarevich Therodore Alexeyevich (starting from 1674), boyar (starting from 1682), military governor in Novgorod (?–1697). Member of the Zemsky Sobor (Assembly of the Land). Attended the wedding of Peter the Great and Catherine I. Prozorovksy was in charge of the Armoury. He was married to Irina Rimskaya-Korsakova.

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 Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna

• Late January – early February 1694 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3943

Natalia Naryshkina (September 1, 1651 – February 4, 1694) – mother of Peter the Great and Tsarevnas Natalia and Feodora. Daughter of Boyar Kirill Naryshkin (1623–1691) who, at the demand of the rebellious Streltsy, was sent to be a monk in the Kirillo-Belozersk Monastery in 1682, and took the name of Cyprian. Until 1671 Natalia was a ward of Boyar Artamon Matveyev. In 1671 she became Tsaritsa, being the second wife of Tsar Alexis I Mikhailovich. She was the elder sister of Boyar Lev Naryshkin (1664–1705).

The original size of the painting was different (88 x 62); also, it was oval in shape, later painted into a square. Elements that were inserted changed its format. Technical research conducted reveals several changes introduced to the hands of the character by the artist (initially she was holding a handkerchief). During the last third of the 17^th century a piece with her “dormition” obtained wide circulation; it was painted for a splendid mansion for her descendants to remember her by. The famous historian Ivan Zabelin, who studied the everyday lives of Russian tsars was the first person to publish a report stating that “in 1694 (February) the painter Mikhail Choglokov painted the dormition of Her Majesty Tsarina and Grand Duchess Natalia Kirillovna, the blessed.”

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 General Ivan Vlasov

• 1695 (?)
• Canvas, oil. 113 х 151
• Нижегородский государственный художественный музей

Ivan Vlasov (1628, Moscow – 1710, Moscow). Diplomat and military governor. He became a Moscow nobleman in 1647. Member of the embassy that went to Venice (1656). He was military governor of Irkutsk (1682–1684) and Nerchinsk (1684–1688). He also contributed to the conclusion of the first treaty between Russia and China (1689) acting as Ambassador Plenipotentiary. During the second Azov campaign of Peter the Great (1696) he was the head of the medical unit.

Portrait of Unknown Man in Uniform of the Toy Army (Peter I?)

• 1690s – early 1700s
• Canvas, oil. 99 x 77 (oval in rectangle)
• Музей-усадьба "Кусково"

The portrait was thought to depict young Peter the Great in the uniform of the Toy Army, and was believed to be painted in the 1690s; later the date was changed to the beginning of the 18^th century. At an exhibition of 1973 it was exhibited as a “portrait of an unknown man in the uniform of the Toy Army” painted by an unknown artist of the beginning of the 18^th century. In the catalogue of the exhibition Russian Historical Portrait. Parsuna Epoch (2004), organized by the State Historical Museum, this assessment was confirmed and it was suggested that the person depicted is a cavalry officer of the Swedish Army. However, this assessment of the portrait does not really contradict the historical attribution with Peter the Great as the subject.

Portrait of Yakov Turgenev

• 1694 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4902

Yakov Turgenev (16?–1695). Served in a Reiter regiment beginning in 1671. He was also a member of the Drunken Synod, where he had the title of the “Old Warrior and Colonel of Kiev”. He commanded a company in the Kozhukhovo Campaign (1694). Yakov Turgenev’s mock wedding was celebrated in January 1695, and he died shortly after that.

One of the most famous portraits of the so-called Preobrazhensky Series. The earliest reference to the portrait is in the Inventory of 1735; according to which, “the personage of Yakov Turgenev” was placed in the entrance hall. Later it was mentioned in the Inventory of the Hermitage Paintings. It has been argued that the portrait was painted in the summer of 1694 at the latest. However, it is possible that the work was created in the autumn of the same year.

Portrait of Andrei Besyashchy – Andrei Apraksin

• Between 8 October 1696 and 11 May 1697
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3984

Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (1663–1731). Brother of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveyevna, General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator. Stolnik (cupbearer) of Tsar Ioann V Alexeyevich. Member of the College of Cardinals of the Drunken Synod with the nickname “Besyashchy (Maddening) Andrei”. In 1728 he was awarded the title of Count and made chief cupbearer. In 1728 he became Major General. Author of the text published as the Notebook of Curious Accounts of the Grand Person who Travelled Incognito under the Name of a Russian nobleman with the Russian Embassy in 1697 and 1698.

The earliest reference to the portrait is from the Inventory of 1735; according to which, “the personage of Andrei Besyashchy” was placed in the entrance hall. The subject of the paining, Apraksin, received his nickname “Besyashchy” (“Madenning”) after Stolnik (Cupbearer) Vasily Zhelyabuzhsky and his son, reported Apraksin’s thuggish behavior to the tsar; after Peter the Great “marched” on the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on October 8. 1696.

Portrait of Peter I

• Circa 1697
• Canvas, oil. 56 х 50
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

This painting was created during Peter the Great’s first trip abroad (1697–1698). It was painted in Holland. Peter is wearing a traditional Russian outfit: a long sable lined coat (okhabna) and a satin kaftan. On the right one can see a pavilion and a Kalmyk coming out to bring a hat to the tsar; on the left, in the distance, one can see a view of Azov. The Russian ambassador in Berlin, Baron Andrei Budberg, bought the painting from a Berlin bookseller in the 1860s. There is a legend that says that a Dutchman left it there as collateral in 1812. The bookseller presented the painting to the Berlin Museum, where it was confirmed to be an original piece by van der Werff. The director of the museum offered it to King Frederick William IV of Prussia for purchase so that he could make it a gift to the Russian emperor. But the king’s disease prevented him from doing so, so Baron Budberg bought the painting himself and gave it to Emperor Alexander II. Until 1917, the portrait was kept in the emperor’s parlor in the Great Palace of Tsarskoye Selo. Andrei Budberg suggested that the painting had been created by the younger brother of Adrian van der Werff, Peter. Today, there are no doubts about the fact that the piece was painted by Peter van der Werff.

Portrait of a Man with a Pipe in Hand

• Late 17th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4704

Scholars confidently assert that this is the same portrait mentioned in a story told by Andrei Nartov, a famous Russian scientist, engineer and sculptor active during the reign of Peter the Great. The tsar told the artist to depict him “in a painting with a smoking pipe, sitting at the table, having fun and surrounded by musical instruments with mathematical and other tools abandoned in the distance, which would mean that he hadn’t enjoyed sciences and had only learned how to play the bass viol.”

В. Ф. Люткин

• Canvas, oil. 201 х 136
• Государственный исторический музей
• И I 5568 ГИМ 38134

Unknown painter

Choglokov Mikhail

Moscow painter, beginning on November 25, 1678 studied under Ivan Bezmin. In February 1684 he was sent to the Simonov Monastery “to take care of the church affairs,” and in September of the same year, painted “murals, all kinds of parables, on the walls of newly built rooms upstairs.” In 1685 he painted the walls of the rooms, which belonged to Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna and Tsarevnas Sofia, Catherine, Maria, Feodosia, and Natalia. In March 1690, he painted two linden wardrobes of Natalia Kirillovna. In 1694 he made an estimate of the iconostasis of thePreobrazhensky Cathedral of the Solovetsky Monastery “upon the written request” of Peter the Great. In 1694 he painted a portrait of Natalia Kirillovna “after her dormition.”

Grube Georg Ernst

Адольский (Одольский) Григорий Григорьевич

Werfe Piter van der

Portrait of Tsarevich Peter

• 1670s
• Wood, oil, tempera. 20 х 17
• Alexander Pushkin State Museum, Moscow

This is one of the extremely rare painted portraits of Tsarevich Peter. Through research the dating was revised. Earlier there was a theory that this image of Peter was part of a double portrait of Peter and Ioann (State Alexander Pushkin Museum, 2004).

Portrait of Peter I

• Circa 1697
• Canvas, oil. 56 х 50
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

This painting was created during Peter the Great’s first trip abroad (1697–1698). It was painted in Holland. Peter is wearing a traditional Russian outfit: a long sable lined coat (okhabna) and a satin kaftan. On the right one can see a pavilion and a Kalmyk coming out to bring a hat to the tsar; on the left, in the distance, one can see a view of Azov. The Russian ambassador in Berlin, Baron Andrei Budberg, bought the painting from a Berlin bookseller in the 1860s. There is a legend that says that a Dutchman left it there as collateral in 1812. The bookseller presented the painting to the Berlin Museum, where it was confirmed to be an original piece by van der Werff. The director of the museum offered it to King Frederick William IV of Prussia for purchase so that he could make it a gift to the Russian emperor. But the king’s disease prevented him from doing so, so Baron Budberg bought the painting himself and gave it to Emperor Alexander II. Until 1917, the portrait was kept in the emperor’s parlor in the Great Palace of Tsarskoye Selo. Andrei Budberg suggested that the painting had been created by the younger brother of Adrian van der Werff, Peter. Today, there are no doubts about the fact that the piece was painted by Peter van der Werff.

Medal Commemorating the Capture of Azov

• 1696
• Silver. Total weight: 36.56 g
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-340

Portrait of Peter I

• 1697 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3954

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 iconographical type of the portrait was described as the “Versailles” one. It was supposed to be “the Versailles original half-length portrait, with hands not depicted; given to Louis XV by Peter the Great”.

A legend says that the portrait was painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud. There is a similar portrait in Versailles, but French art historians believe that it originates from a portrait by Pieter van der Werff housed in the State Hermitage.

Portrait of Peter I

• 1697 (?)
• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-14421

Portrait of Peter I

• 169[7]
• Canvas, oil. 57 х 47
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

According to the date on the canvas, the portrait was painted during Peter’s stay in Holland in 1697, during his first trip abroad (1697–1698). Alexander Vasilchikov noted that the body’s depiction is a bit “awkward”; he believed that the image of the head was copied from Peter van der Werff’s piece and it was supposed to fit a “different pose of the body.” The provenance of the painting is unknown. In 1872, it was in the emperor’s parlor in the Winter Palace. It was exhibited at the Tauride exhibition of 1905, and the exhibition dedicated “to the Founder of St Petersburg” (To the Founder of St Petersburg, 2003).

Portrait of Peter I

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-16801

Portrait of Peter I

• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-14501

Portrait of Peter I

• 1697
• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-14500

Portrait of Peter I

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-28586

Portrait of Tsar Peter Alekseevich

• The Versailles type
• The end of the XVII century
• Canvas, oil. 74 х 54
• Государственный исторический музей
• И I 288 ГИМ 15999щ

Portrait of Peter I

• .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-29375

Medal Commemorating the Signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz

• 1700
• Silver. D-41. Total weight: 31.55 g.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-2694

In January 1699 members of the Holy League (the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Republic of Venice, and the Tsardom of Russia) signed the Treaty of Karlowitz with the Ottoman Empire. Under the Treaty of Karlowitz, Russia gained Azov, which had been captured in 1696. By concluding the peace treaty in the south for thirty years, Peter the Great gained the opportunity to begin preparing for a war against Sweden.

Medal Commemorating the Signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz

• Medallist: Johannes Lefken
• 1700
• Silver. D-41.1. Total weight: 25.83 g.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-518

In January 1699 members of the Holy League (the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Republic of Venice) signed the Treaty of Karlowitz with the Ottoman Empire. In Karlowitz, representatives of the Tsardom of Moscow also concluded a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire for two years. They continued their bilateral negotiations in Istanbul, and on July 3, 1700 they signed the Treaty of Constantinople, allowing Russia to obtain Azov, which had been captured in 1696. By concluding the peace treaty in the south for thirty years, Peter the Great immediately started a war against Sweden.

Numismatic literature traditionally refers to the medal made by the two famous Nuremberg medallists, Georg Hautsch and G.F. Nurneberger, as a medal “commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz;” although it should actually be called a medal “commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Constantinople.”

The original dies of the medal had worn out, and so when the medal was produced in the 18^th century, craftsmen would use the medal type of the tsar created by Johannes Lefken for its obverse; Peter Alexeyevich was depicted as an elderly person, whereas on the original medal he was depicted as a young man.

Portrait of Peter I

• Circa 1700
• Enamel, copper. 3.9 x 3.2 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-642

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 fact that there is no ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called suggests that the portrait was probably painted before 1703 (on May 10, 1703 Peter received the order for capturing two Swedish vessels at the mouth of the Neva river). The painting is based on the portrait created by Gottfried Kneller, but there are some changes introduced to the image. All famous portraits of this kind were made with the use of a copper plate unlike portraits that were painted later with the use of gold.

Portrait of Peter

• Serbia
• 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 111,5 х 81
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

In 1821 two residents of Karlovec, Pavao and Natalia Paniotovic, brought the portrait to the Velika Remeta Monastery on the Fruška Gora mountain. The painting was first mentioned in the press in 1879: it was a local legend saying that the portrait was given to the monastery by Peter the Great himself when he stopped there on his way to Russia. At solicitation of Konstantin Pobedonostsev, Attorney General of the Synod, the painting was presented to Emperor Alexander II and bought for the Romanov Gallery of the Winter Palace. It is most likely that the portrait was painted by a Serbian artist in the 18^th century.

Portrait of Peter I

• Canvas, oil. 91 х 70
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛД-7

Portrait of Peter I

• 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 94 x 70 (oval)
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

The iconographical type of the painting originates from Adriaan Schoonebeek’s engraving, which is a full-length picture of Peter wearing a kaftan and a cuirass, with a mantle lined with ermine and a hat with curved brims decorated with feathers, and a wig with long curls coming down to his shoulders. The painting is a shoulder-length variant of the engraving, and is fairly similar to it in the details of the clothes, the body’s position and the way the artist depicted the face of the young tsar.

Portrait of Peter I

• Canvas, oil. 98 х 76
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛД-303

Portrait of Peter I

• Type by Godfrey Kneller
• Early 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 81.4 x 66.5 (oval in rectangle)
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Peter, the young Russian tsar, is depicted without a wig, wearing a suit of armour and a mantle lined with ermine over his right shoulder. This shoulder-length portrait is based on the original full length portrait painted by Gottfried Kneller in 1698 during Peter’s stay in London.

Weenix Jan

Шенк Петр

Gunst, Pieter Stevensz van

Lefken Johann Timofeevich

Монограммист СН

Hautsch Georg

Nuremberg medallist.

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 Tsar Ioann V Alexeevich

• Late January – early February 1696
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3989

Ioann V Alexeyevich (August 27, 1666 - January 29, 1696). Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, elder brother and co-ruler of Peter the Great. He was crowned together with Peter the Great on June 25, 1682. On January 9, 1684 he married Praskovia Saltykova (October 12, 1664 – October 13, 1723). He had five daughters: Maria (March 21, 1689 – February 13, 1692), Feodosia (June 4, 1690 – 1690), Catherine (October 29, 1691 – June 14, 1733), Anna (January 28, 1693 – October 17, 1740), Praskovia (September 24, 1694 – October 8, 1731).

The original canvas, which was 89 x 63 cm, was extended along the perimeter; the hands we painted later. The painting’s technique and identification from X-ray photographs imply that the artist who created the painting was also the one who painted the portrait of Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna. The fact that the coat of armor worn by Tsar Ivan Alexeevich is black suggests that this is a “dormition” portrait completed at the end of January (Ivan Alexeevich died on January 29) – beginning of February in 1696.

Portrait of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich

• Second half of the 17th century. 1680s (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3979

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 painting is a companion piece to the portrait of Tsar Michael I Feodorovich. The portrait of Alexis Mikhailovich was probably also based on the portrait from the 1672 “Titulyarnik” (a manuscript containing titles, coats of arms, and portraits of Russian and foreign rulers). The technique is close to the one of the portraits of Michael I Feodorovich and Tsaritsa Marfa Matveyevna (“with a hand fan”) of similar size. The portrait of Alexis Mikhailovich was also painted in the end of the reign of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich, or during the reign of Tsarevna Sophia (1682–1689).

Portrait of Marfa Apraksina, Second Wife of Tsar Feodor Alexeevich

• December 1681 – 14 February 1682
• Canvas, oil. 89 x 72 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3985

Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (1664–1715). Daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She was the second wife of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich from February 14 to April 27, 1682. She was the sister of General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (Maddening Andrei), and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator.

This painting was painted almost at the same time as portrait of Marfa Matveevna from the collection of the State Russian Museum. The portraits were painted when Marfa Matveevna was the tsar’s bride. This theory is supported by the fact that she is wearing a kokoshnik headdress, which was part of a maiden’s outfit. The dog was usually a symbol of marital fidelity. Recently it was suggested that the painting was painted by Johann Walter, “a foreigner from the Orenburg lands.”

Portrait of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveevna

• December 1681 – 14 February 1682
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3970

Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (1664–1715). Daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She was the second wife of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich from February 14 to April 27, 1682. She was the sister of General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (Maddening Andrei), and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator.

This portrait was painted at the same time as the so-called portrait with a little dog. It was painted when Marfa Matveevna was the tsar’s bride. A hand fan wasn’t one of specific details of the pre-Petrine everyday life, but its “language” was well-known. Tsaritsa Marfa holds her hand fan as an “arrow,” meaning in a closed position, in her right hand, and it is pointed at her companion. This hand fan’s position is a sign of love and sympathy.

Portrait of Governess Sofya Alexeevna

• 1682–1689
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5942

Sophia Alexeyevna (September 17, 1657 – July 3, 1704). Tsarevna, fourth daughter of Tsar Alexis I Mikhailovich with Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. She came to power through the Moscow Uprising (1682). During the period from May 1682 to September 1689 she ruled over Russia as regent for her younger brothers, Peter and Ivan. In September 1689 her attempt to become Tsaritsa failed and she was confined to the Novodevichy Convent. In 1698 she was made to take the veil under the name of Susanna, and later, shortly before her death, she was tonsured into the Great Schema and given the name Sophia.

Three portraits of Sophia Alexeevna of this kind are known. Soon after Sophia’s conspiracy was uncovered, most of her pictures were destroyed. The portrait of Sophia Alexeevna from the Romanov gallery is based on a portrait from the 1672 “Titulyarnik” (a manuscript containing titles, coats of arms, and portraits of Russian and foreign rulers) that was decorated with multiple rulers’ portraits. A new detail here is the image of a double-headed eagle with six medallions with allegorical figures of “Devoutness,” “Maidenhood,” “Grace,” “Justice,” “Strength,” and “Lenitude” on its wings. Sophia is depicted wearing a crown and holding a sceptre and the orb, even though she wasn’t crowned as tsaritsa.

Portrait of Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna

• Late January – early February 1694 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3943

Natalia Naryshkina (September 1, 1651 – February 4, 1694) – mother of Peter the Great and Tsarevnas Natalia and Feodora. Daughter of Boyar Kirill Naryshkin (1623–1691) who, at the demand of the rebellious Streltsy, was sent to be a monk in the Kirillo-Belozersk Monastery in 1682, and took the name of Cyprian. Until 1671 Natalia was a ward of Boyar Artamon Matveyev. In 1671 she became Tsaritsa, being the second wife of Tsar Alexis I Mikhailovich. She was the elder sister of Boyar Lev Naryshkin (1664–1705).

The original size of the painting was different (88 x 62); also, it was oval in shape, later painted into a square. Elements that were inserted changed its format. Technical research conducted reveals several changes introduced to the hands of the character by the artist (initially she was holding a handkerchief). During the last third of the 17^th century a piece with her “dormition” obtained wide circulation; it was painted for a splendid mansion for her descendants to remember her by. The famous historian Ivan Zabelin, who studied the everyday lives of Russian tsars was the first person to publish a report stating that “in 1694 (February) the painter Mikhail Choglokov painted the dormition of Her Majesty Tsarina and Grand Duchess Natalia Kirillovna, the blessed.”

Портрет Льва Кирилловича Нарышкина (1664-1705)

• Canvas, oil. 204 х 133
• Государственный исторический музей
• И I 3461 ГИМ 91868

Portrait of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveevna, Widow of Tsar Feodor Alexeevich

• Latter quarter of the 17th – early 18th century. Before 1715 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4705

Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina (1664–1715). Daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She was the second wife of Tsar Theodore III Alexeyevich from February 14 to April 27, 1682. She was the sister of General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (Maddening Andrei), and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator.

This portrait of Marfa Matveevna may have been started at the end of the Moscow period of her life and finished at the beginning of the Petersburg period. In early 1708, Peter forced both widow tsarinas (Marfa Matveevna and Praskovia Feodorovna) to move to St Petersburg with their daughters. Members of the tsar’s family were allowed to build their houses on the banks of Neva to the West of the Liteyny courtyard. The palace of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveevna was located next to the palace of Tsarevich Alexis (29 Shpalernaya St). There she spent the last years of her life.

Portrait of Catherine I

• Canvas, oil. 85 х 67
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛД-317

Portrait of Catherine I

• Canvas, oil. 97 х 76
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛД-304

Portrait of Tsarevna Natalia Alexeyevna, Sister of Peter I

• Late 1700s (?)
• Canvas, oil. 77 x 62 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3936

Natalia Alexeyevna (August 22, 1673 – June 18, 1716). Favorite sister of Peter the Great, Tsarevna; daughter of Tsar Alexis I Mikhailovich and his second wife Natalia Naryshkina. After Tsatitsa Eudoxia Lopukhina, Peter’s first wife, was made to take the veil in 1698, Peter’s son the young Tsarevich Alexis stayed with Tsarevna Natalila in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Peter later also sent Marta Skowrońska (baptized as Catherine with Tsarevich Alexis becoming her godfather) to stay with Natalia. Two sisters of Alexander Menshikov also stayed at the court of the tsarevna. Starting from 1708 Natalia lived in St Petersburg.

The portrait might have been created at the end of the Moscow period of Natalia’s life, or during its Petersburg period (from 1708). Today, portraits of Natalia Alexeyevna can be found in the collections of the State Russian Museum and the State Tretyakov Gallery and are currently dated: before 1716 (?), and 1714–1715.

Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Wife of Tsarevich Alexis Petrovich

• 1710s
• Canvas, oil. 79 x 66 (oval)
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3934

Charlotte Christine Sophie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (June 2, 1694–October 22, 1715). Third daughter of Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Christine Louise of Oettingen-Oettingen. She was married to Tsarevich Alexis Petrovich, and died several days after giving birth to her son Peter, future Emperor Peter II.

When the portrait was exhibited in 1870, the label said that “it was taken from the Peterhof Palace.” In the catalogue published for the Anniversary Exhibition in Memory of the Mighty Founder of St Petersburg, there is a note saying “based on Dannhauer’s original painting.” The catalogue of an exhibition of 1973 suggested that the work was painted by Johann Gottfried Tannauer (?).

Portrait of Peter the Great’s Daughters Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna

• First half of the 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 69 х 84
• Музей изобразительных искусств Республики Карелия (Петрозаводск)

The closest analogy to the work is the “Portrait of Tsarevnas Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna” by Louis Caravaque. Even though the plot and the composition of the paintings are really similar, the subjects are depicted in an absolutely different way. The girls’ images on the Caravaque’s painting are more personalized and the painting was obviously painted by a maestro, whereas the unknown artist depicted the subjects in a conventional baroque manner.

Anna Petrovna (February 7, 1708 – May 15, 1728) Tsarevna, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, awarded the title of Tsesarevna on December 23, 1721. On May 21, 1725 she married Duke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp (April 30, 1700 – June 18, 1739). She had a son, Peter (February 21, 1728 – July 2, 1762), future Emperor Peter III, who would succeed to the throne after Elizabeth Petrovna (1741 – 1761).

Elizabeth Petrovna (December 18, 1709 – December 25, 1761) Tsarevna, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine Alexeyevna, awarded the title of Tsesarevna on December 23, 1721. Became Empress on November 25, 1741. Crowned on 25 April, 1742.

Portrait of Tsarevna Catherine Ioannovna

• Mid-1710s
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• ЖБ-534

Catherine Ioannovna (October 29, 1691 – June 14, 1733). Tsarevna, daughter of Tsar Ioann V Alexeyevich, elder sister of Empress Anna Ioannovna. In 1716 she married Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (November 26, 1678 – November 28, 1747). In 1722 she came back to Russia together with her daughter, Anna Leopoldovna (December 7, 1718 – March 19, 1746), who would give birth to Emperor Ioann VI (August 12, 1740 – July 5, 1764) and become the regent of Russia for the period of his reign (from October, 1740 to November 25, 1741).

Traditionally, the painting is attributed to Louis Caravacque. However, through the technical research conducted and comparison of the work to classic paintings by Caravacque, it was determined that there is a difference in brushwork. It is very likely that the portrait was created by Johann Gottfried Tannauer in the middle of the 1710s when Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was proposing to Catherine Ioannovna.

Image of the marriage of Peter I

• 1712
• etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-32300

Portrait of Elisabeth of Russia as a Child

• Circa 1712–1713
• Canvas, oil. 54 х 43
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Acquired as “Portrait of a Girl” painted by an unknown artist of the 18^th century, the portrait has been attributed to Ivan Nikitin based on stylistic analysis and technological examination, with the subject as Elisabeth of Russia. The dating is conventional; it is based on the age of the person depicted. The portrait is one of the earliest well-known works of Nikitin completed before he went to Italy to study in 1716–1720s.

Portrait of Tsarevich Alexis Petrovich

• Early 1710s (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-5312

Alexis Petrovich (February 18, 1690 – June 26, 1718). Tsarevich, eldest son of Peter the Great. He was considered to be the legitimate successor to the throne before being arrested in February 1718. As heir to the throne he fulfilled many of his father’s assignments during the Northern War period. During the years 1709–1712 he travelled across Europe and studied in Dresden. On October 14, 1711 Alexis married Princess Charlotte Christine Sophie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, sister of Elizabeth Christine, who was married to Emperor Charles VI of Austria. Alexis had two children: Natalia (July 21, 1714 – November 22, 1728) and Peter (October 12, 1715 – January 19, 1730) – the future Emperor Peter II; who would rule after Catherine I. Alexis opposed the reforms of Peter the Great. In the end of 1716 he secretly left for Vienna and placed himself under the protection of Emperor Charles IV of Austria. He lived in the Ehrenburg castle (Tyrol), and starting from May 1717 – in Naples. In January 1718 he succumbed to persuasion of Pyotr Tolstoy and Alexander Rumyantsev and returned to Russia, where he was arrested and locked up in the Peter and Paul Fortress. He was then sentenced to death by the Supreme Court. In the end of July 1718 he died under unclear circumstances several days after being condemned.

The fact that the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called is not included in the portrait (Alexis received it in 1711 and was only stripped of it in 1718) and the subject’s age allow us to suggest that the portrait was created when Alexis met his wife (Charlotte Christine Sophie, née Princess of Brunswick- Wolfenbüttel) and proposed to her in spring 1710 in Schlackenwerth (Karlovy Vary).

The Wedding of Peter I and Catherine

• 1712
• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-42519

Portrait of the Tsarevna Praskovia Ivanovna

• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4905

Praskovia Ioannovna (September 24, 1694 – October 8, 1731). Tsarevna, younger daughter of Tsar Ioann V Alexeyevich, and the sister of Catherine Ioannovna and Anna Ioannovna. After her mother’s death in 1723, she married General in Chief Ivan Dmitriev-Mamonov (December 10, 1680–May 24, 1730) with the consent of Peter the Great (according to other sources – secretly). In October, 1724 they had a son who died around 1730.

The Academy acquired this portrait no later than the middle of the year 1773. Subsequently, it left the academic collection. It was exhibited within the Tauride Exhibition of 1905 as a portrait of Anna Petrovna (?) painted by Tannauer (?). When part of the Oliv family collection the portrait was counted as an unknown work by Ivan Nikitin. The theory that the person depicted is actually Praskovia Ivanovna was suggested in the Guideline Catalogue of the Russian Museum published in 1948. Thereafter the attribution has never been challenged.

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.

Зубов Алексей Федорович

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. 

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 General Ivan Vlasov

• 1695 (?)
• Canvas, oil. 113 х 151
• Нижегородский государственный художественный музей

Ivan Vlasov (1628, Moscow – 1710, Moscow). Diplomat and military governor. He became a Moscow nobleman in 1647. Member of the embassy that went to Venice (1656). He was military governor of Irkutsk (1682–1684) and Nerchinsk (1684–1688). He also contributed to the conclusion of the first treaty between Russia and China (1689) acting as Ambassador Plenipotentiary. During the second Azov campaign of Peter the Great (1696) he was the head of the medical unit.

Portrait of Yakov Turgenev

• 1694 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4902

Yakov Turgenev (16?–1695). Served in a Reiter regiment beginning in 1671. He was also a member of the Drunken Synod, where he had the title of the “Old Warrior and Colonel of Kiev”. He commanded a company in the Kozhukhovo Campaign (1694). Yakov Turgenev’s mock wedding was celebrated in January 1695, and he died shortly after that.

One of the most famous portraits of the so-called Preobrazhensky Series. The earliest reference to the portrait is in the Inventory of 1735; according to which, “the personage of Yakov Turgenev” was placed in the entrance hall. Later it was mentioned in the Inventory of the Hermitage Paintings. It has been argued that the portrait was painted in the summer of 1694 at the latest. However, it is possible that the work was created in the autumn of the same year.

Portrait of Andrei Besyashchy – Andrei Apraksin

• Between 8 October 1696 and 11 May 1697
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3984

Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (1663–1731). Brother of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveyevna, General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator. Stolnik (cupbearer) of Tsar Ioann V Alexeyevich. Member of the College of Cardinals of the Drunken Synod with the nickname “Besyashchy (Maddening) Andrei”. In 1728 he was awarded the title of Count and made chief cupbearer. In 1728 he became Major General. Author of the text published as the Notebook of Curious Accounts of the Grand Person who Travelled Incognito under the Name of a Russian nobleman with the Russian Embassy in 1697 and 1698.

The earliest reference to the portrait is from the Inventory of 1735; according to which, “the personage of Andrei Besyashchy” was placed in the entrance hall. The subject of the paining, Apraksin, received his nickname “Besyashchy” (“Madenning”) after Stolnik (Cupbearer) Vasily Zhelyabuzhsky and his son, reported Apraksin’s thuggish behavior to the tsar; after Peter the Great “marched” on the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on October 8. 1696.

Портрет Франца Яковлевича Лефорта

• 1698
• Paper, .
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-15482

Portrait of Prince Andrei the Elder Repnin

• After 27 January 1699
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3945

Portrait of Prince Andrei the Younger Repnin

• School of the Armoury Chamber
• After 27 January 1699
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3946

Andrei the Younger Repnin (? – January 27, 1699)Youngest son of Ivan Repnin (1615– 1697). His father Ivan was a house steward of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, and a boyar close to the tsar; his mother was Yevdokia Nikiforovna Pleshcheyeva (? – April 8, 1695). Andrei, together with his brother Anikita, accompanied Peter the Great during his dramatic overnight ride to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on the night of August 7-8, 1689. In approximately 1689 Andrei married Tatiana Alexeyevna, daughter of Alexei Rzhevsky; who was an okolnichy (a senior court rank) and the military commander of Samara during the years 1689–1690. Andrei was among some 39 stolniks (cupbearers) and the same number of soldiers in February 1697 who were sent to Italy to study maritime affairs.

From the second half of the 19th century to the early 21st century scholars believed the person depicted here to be Alexander Borisovich Repnin; however, this traditional view was recently reconsidered. In 2014 a new version was accepted by the Attribution Council of the Russian Museum. Based on the clothing depicted the portrait was dated from the 1680s to 1690s. It appears that it was Anikita Ivanovich that outlived both of his brothers who ordered the painting.

Portrait of Alexander Danilovich Menshikov

• The beginning of the XVIII century
• Canvas, oil. 62 х 52
• The State Russian Museum
• ЛД-8

Portrait of Count Andrei Matveyev

• 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 67 х 54
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Hyacinthe Rigaud’s portrait of Andrei Matveyev (1706, State Hermitage) is quite famous. It is possible that it was inspired by a picture created in the 1720s (before 1728).

Andrei Matveyev(August 15, 1666 – September 16, 1728) Prince (1715), statesman and diplomat. Son of Artamon Matveyev, who died during the Streltsy Uprising. During the years 1691–1693, Andrei served as military governor in the Dvinsk district; in 1699–1712 he was ambassador to Holland. In 1705–1706 he acted as ambassador of Peter the Great in France, in 1706–1708 – he was ambassador in London. In 1712–1715 he was ambassador in Vienna. In 1715 Matveyev was appointed president of the Maritime Academy and Nautical School. In 1719 he was made senator and president of the College of Justice. From 1724 to 1725 he was the president of the Moscow Senate Division. In 1727 he retired.

Portrait of Grigory Dolgoruky

• 18th century (?)
• Canvas, oil. 87,5 х 65
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Grigory Dolgoruky (Dolgorukov) (1656–1723) Prince, Actual Privy Councillor (1709), diplomat. Captain of the Life-Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment (1695). Took part in the Azov campaign and the Battle of Poltava. In 1700 Peter the Great sent him to the Polish king Augustus II to discuss their military moves against the Swedes. During the following periods: 1701–1706, 1709–1712, 1715–1721 Dolgoruky was the Russian ambassador to Poland; he was also a senator (1721).

The work was acquired by the Hermitage as a portrait of Vasily Dolgoruky painted by an unknown artist. The portrait was identified based on the engraving made by Alexei Grachev in the beginning of the 19^th century.

Portrait of James Bruce

• 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 69 х 55,5
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Jacob (James Daniel Bruce) (1670 – April 19, 1735) Count (1721). Descendant of an ancient Scottish family. Entered military service in 1687. Participated in the Crimean and Azov campaigns. Accompanied Peter the Great during his first trip abroad. Took part in the Northern War. Starting from 1704 he was Director General of Artillery. Artillery commander in the Battle of Poltava. General-Feldzeugmeister (1711), President of the College of Mining and Manufacturing, senator (1718), Field Marshal (1726).

In this portrait, James Bruce is depicted with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, which he received on June 27, 1709 for skillful military leadership at the Battle of Poltava. There is another portrait of the same iconographic type, featuring Bruce wearing a costume of the holder of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called and a hat.

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.

Portrait of Prince Ivan Troubetzkoy

• Sweden (?)
• 1703
• Canvas, oil. 88 x 68 (oval in rectangle)
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Yuryevich Trubetskoy (1667–1750) Eldest son of Boyar Yury Trubetskoy and Princess Irina Golitsyna (?–1679), sister of a Tsarevna Sofia’s favorite. He was one of the first persons to join the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1673 he became Captain, and in a year he was promoted Lieutenant Colonel. He gained the trust of Peter the Great. Under the instruction of the tsar he was put in charge of overseeing Tsarevna Sofia while she was placed in the Novodevichy Convent. In 1698, while holding the rank of Major General, he was also appointed governor of Novgorod. During the Northern War he commanded a division and was taken captive and remained in captivity for eighteen years. When he returned to Russia in 1718 he was made governor of Kiev. In 1721 he was promoted General in Chief. Trubetskoy was a member of the Military College. During the reign of Peter II in 1728 he was appointed Field Marshal General. In 1730 he became a senator and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. His first wife was Princess Anastasia Stepanovna Tateva (?–1690), a rich heiress and the last surviving member of her family. In 1691 he entered into a second marriage with Irina Naryshkina (1669–1749), a boyar’s daughter who would become a lady-in-waiting.

The portrait was acquired as Ivan Nikitin’s work. As the researchers of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm assume, the portrait may be attributed to the German artist David von Krafft (1655–1724) or one of his pupils, e. g. Lukas von Breda (1676–1752).

Конный портрет светлейшего князя А.Д. Меншикова

• etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-39849

Medal Commemorating Achievements of the Admiral Count Fyodor Apraksin

• Medallist: S. Gouin
• 1708
• Silver. D-52.5. Total weight: 83.54 g.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-237

In 1708 Admiral Fyodor Apraksin (1661–1728) successfully rebuffed a Swedish attack on St Petersburg, and inflicted several serious defeats on them. For this, the tsar heaped favours upon him: Apraksin was appointed General Admiral and was conferred the title of Count. A gold medal was made to commemorate Apraksin’s achievements. Subsequently, the St Petersburg mint produced multiple medals of this kind using different metals, so that these medals could be used as mementos and become part of various collections.

Portrait of Christian Baur

• Western Europe
• After 1708
• Canvas, oil. 71 х 57
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Christian Felix Bauer (Rodion Christianovitch Baur) (1667–1717)

Descendant of a famous Swedish noble family that had moved to Germany. In the beginning of the Northern War he defended Narva from the Russian army as Captain of Horse. In 1700 Bauer left the Swedish army and joined the Russian troops. Having gained the trust of the Russian tsar, he was sent to Augustus II as an ambassador. In 1701 he was bestowed the rank of Major, Colonel, and Commander of a Dragoon Regiment. In 1702 he became Major General, in 1706 – Lieutenant General, and in 1717 – General of the Cavalry. From the autumn of 1709 he was Cavalry Commander in the army of Field Marshal General Sheremetev. From October 1709 to June 1710 he took part in the siege of Riga, and subsequently in the conquest of Estonia. He took Pernov on August 14, 1710, and then the island of Ezel, forcing the Swedish garrison of Revel to surrender. During the last year of his life he commanded a division in Ukraine. Shortly before his death he was bestowed the rank of General of the Cavalry. He was awarded the Polish Order of the White Eagle, and received a diamond-encrusted badge with a portrait of Peter the Great for the Battle of Poltava. Bauer was married to Maria von Balmont (? – 1717).

Baur is depicted wearing a bouffant wig, a cuirass, and a miniature portrait of Peter the Great – an award received in 1709 for bravery displayed at the Battle of Poltava. Another version of this portrait is exhibited in the Kuskovo Estate Museum.

Portrait of Prince Andrei Khilkov

• Sweden (?)
• Between 1700 and 1718
• Canvas, oil. 90.7 x 67.7 (oval)
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Andrei Yakovlevich Khilkov (1676–1718) Son of Okolnichy Yakov Vasilyevich Khilkov (?–1681) and his wife Anna Illarionovna, the daughter of Illarion Lopukhin; nobleman and member of the Boyar Council. In 1697 Peter the Great sent him to Italy to study maritime affairs and sciences. Upon his return to Russia in June 1700, he was sent to Sweden as a resident (representative). In the beginning of the Northern War he was captured and died in captivity. In 1719 his remains were brought to St Petersburg and buried in the St. Alexander Nevsky Monastery. He was married to Maria Yevropkina and had a daughter, Irina Andreyevna; who was married to Prince Alexey Golitsyn (1697–1768).

As the researchers of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm assume, the portrait may be attributed to Martin van Meytens the Elder, or one of his pupils.

Martin Mijtens the Elder (1648–1736) – born in the Hague; son of the portraitist Isaac Mijtens, father of Martin Mijtens the Younger. In 1667 inscribed in the painters guild of the Hague. In 1677 moved to Stockholm. In 1697 and 1701 lived in Holland, later returned to Sweden. Died in Stockholm.

Portrait of Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev

• West-European
• 1710
• Canvas, oil. 102 x 79 (oval)
• Музей-усадьба "Кусково"

The painting was mentioned in the Inventory of 1839 as “Portrait of Count Boris Petrovich wearing a Spanish wig, oval, signed.” The painting was created in the spirit of European portraits of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The provenance and brushwork of the portrait do not shed light on the artist’s name; but there is no doubt that the painting is an important iconographic document.

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.

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.

Picart, Pickaerdt Pieter

Gouin Solomon

Gsell Georg

Painter, graphic artist. He painted portraits, murals, genre paintings, and icons. In 1690–1695 he studied in Vienna under the Antwerp painter А. Schoonjans. In 1704 he moved to Antwerp, and subsequently, to Amsterdam, where he married the artist Dorothea Maria Henrietta Graff in 1715. In 1717 (other sources mention 1716 and 1718) he came to Russia at the invitation of Peter the Great, whom he met in Amsterdam. He was in charge of the Picture Gallery in Peterhof. He painted the plafonds at the Summer Palace, and the rockwork in the Summer Garden. In 1726 he taught drawing and painting in the Academy of Sciences. He also worked at the Kunstkamera, made projects of illuminations, and designed compositions for the triumphal gates. He painted the picture for the dome of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, as well as nine icons for the interior. In 1729 he created thirteen paintings for the Lutheran Church of Saint Peter on Nevsky Prospect: the knee-high images of the Apostles and Gospel writers, and an image of the Crucifixion. In 1731 he took part in decorating the Triumphal Gates for the coronation of Anna Ioannovna. In 1728–1731 he made ten paintings for the Peter and Paul Cathedral based on the Stations of the Cross and the Passion of Christ. In 1735 he presented a project of murals for the Senate Hall of the Twelve Colleges, but the commission, consisting of Mikhail Zemtsov and Andrei Matveyev, rejected it. In 1738–1739 Georg Gsell helped Jacob von Stäehlin to complete inventories of the painting collections of Peterhof Palaces: Monplaisir, Hermitage, and Marly. For many years he worked at the Kunstkamera. His two sons were painters as well, so the artist was known as “Father Gsell.” Among his students were such artists as Fyodor Cherkasov, A. Grekov, Mikhail Nekrasov, Alexei Malinovkin, Ivan Nesterov, Pyotr Pagin, A. Dedeshin, and Ivan Shereshperov.

Portrait of “Patriarch” Milak – Boyar Matvei Naryshkin

• Between 1688 and 1692. Before 1692 (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3935

Matvei Naryshkin (16..–1692). Relative of Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna. From 1674–1679 Naryshkin was the military governor of Veliky Ustyug. In 1678 he became a nobleman of Moscow, and in 1686 – a stolnik (cupbearer). In 1688 he was given a senior court rank – an okolnichy; and in 1690 he became a boyar. He held the jesting rank of Patriarch of the Drunken Synod, and the nickname “Milak”.

The earliest reference to the painting is in the Inventory of 1735; according to which the portrait of “the personage of Matvei Filimonovich Naryshkin” was placed in the entrance hall. This would seem to be one of the earliest pictures in the “Preobrazhensky Series”. The discovery in the archives of the date of Matvei Naryshkin’s death, 1692, increases the confidence of researchers that the portrait could not have been painted later than then.

Portrait of Ivan Shchepotev

• Late 17th – early 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 92.5 x 76.5 (oval in rectangle)
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Portrait of Boyar Prince Boris Prozorovsky

• 1694
• Mounted on wood, oil. 151,8 х 118,5
• State Tretyakov Gallery

The boyar is depicted holding a pair of crutches. The maiming of the young courtier was a direct consequence of the hardships he survived in 1670 when Stepan Razin seized Astrakhan. The boyar’s father, Astrakhan Military Governor Ivan Prozorovsky, was executed; while Boris, the Younger Prozorovsky, was hung from the city wall by his legs, along with his elder brother and his uncle. Because of this torture he remained lame for life.

Boris the Younger Ivanovich Prozorovsky (1661–1718) Son of Astrakhan Military Governor Ivan Prozorovsky and Praskovia Likhacheva. Stolnik (cupbearer) (1672), room stolnik (cupbearer) of Tsarevich Therodore Alexeyevich (starting from 1674), boyar (starting from 1682), military governor in Novgorod (?–1697). Member of the Zemsky Sobor (Assembly of the Land). Attended the wedding of Peter the Great and Catherine I. Prozorovksy was in charge of the Armoury. He was married to Irina Rimskaya-Korsakova.

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 Unknown Man in Uniform of the Toy Army (Peter I?)

• 1690s – early 1700s
• Canvas, oil. 99 x 77 (oval in rectangle)
• Музей-усадьба "Кусково"

The portrait was thought to depict young Peter the Great in the uniform of the Toy Army, and was believed to be painted in the 1690s; later the date was changed to the beginning of the 18^th century. At an exhibition of 1973 it was exhibited as a “portrait of an unknown man in the uniform of the Toy Army” painted by an unknown artist of the beginning of the 18^th century. In the catalogue of the exhibition Russian Historical Portrait. Parsuna Epoch (2004), organized by the State Historical Museum, this assessment was confirmed and it was suggested that the person depicted is a cavalry officer of the Swedish Army. However, this assessment of the portrait does not really contradict the historical attribution with Peter the Great as the subject.

Portrait of Andrei Besyashchy – Andrei Apraksin

• Between 8 October 1696 and 11 May 1697
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3984

Andrei Matveyevich Apraksin (1663–1731). Brother of Tsaritsa Marfa Matveyevna, General-Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, and Peter Matveyevich Apraksin, a senator. Stolnik (cupbearer) of Tsar Ioann V Alexeyevich. Member of the College of Cardinals of the Drunken Synod with the nickname “Besyashchy (Maddening) Andrei”. In 1728 he was awarded the title of Count and made chief cupbearer. In 1728 he became Major General. Author of the text published as the Notebook of Curious Accounts of the Grand Person who Travelled Incognito under the Name of a Russian nobleman with the Russian Embassy in 1697 and 1698.

The earliest reference to the portrait is from the Inventory of 1735; according to which, “the personage of Andrei Besyashchy” was placed in the entrance hall. The subject of the paining, Apraksin, received his nickname “Besyashchy” (“Madenning”) after Stolnik (Cupbearer) Vasily Zhelyabuzhsky and his son, reported Apraksin’s thuggish behavior to the tsar; after Peter the Great “marched” on the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on October 8. 1696.

Portrait of a Man with a Pipe in Hand

• Late 17th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4704

Scholars confidently assert that this is the same portrait mentioned in a story told by Andrei Nartov, a famous Russian scientist, engineer and sculptor active during the reign of Peter the Great. The tsar told the artist to depict him “in a painting with a smoking pipe, sitting at the table, having fun and surrounded by musical instruments with mathematical and other tools abandoned in the distance, which would mean that he hadn’t enjoyed sciences and had only learned how to play the bass viol.”

В. Ф. Люткин

• Canvas, oil. 201 х 136
• Государственный исторический музей
• И I 5568 ГИМ 38134

Portrait of Prince Mikhail (?) Zhirovoi-Zasekin

• Before 30 August 1698
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6340

Portrait of Stolnik Fyodor Verigin

• Before 30 August 1698
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3983

Fyodor Verigin (dates unknown). He was a stolnik (cupbearer) for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from 1658, and also for Peter the Great until 1692. He was one of the members of the Drunken Synod. His daughter Maria was married to Vasily Dolgoruky, and his grandson was married to A.V. Sheremeteva.

The picture was first published in the anthology Art Treasures of Russia in 1903, but the name and patronymic of the person depicted were not mentioned. In the 1973 exhibition catalogue, the subject is mentioned as Fyodor Ivanovich. It has been established that Verigin was Peter’s stolnik (cupbearer) in 1692. One can assume that Verigin's portrait, like all portraiture of bearded characters in the Preobrazhensky Series, must have been painted before August 30, 1698; when Peter the Great returned from aboard and forced all boyars and his inner circle to shave their beards.

Portrait of Prince Andrei the Elder Repnin

• After 27 January 1699
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3945

Portrait of Prince Andrei the Younger Repnin

• School of the Armoury Chamber
• After 27 January 1699
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3946

Andrei the Younger Repnin (? – January 27, 1699)Youngest son of Ivan Repnin (1615– 1697). His father Ivan was a house steward of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich, and a boyar close to the tsar; his mother was Yevdokia Nikiforovna Pleshcheyeva (? – April 8, 1695). Andrei, together with his brother Anikita, accompanied Peter the Great during his dramatic overnight ride to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius on the night of August 7-8, 1689. In approximately 1689 Andrei married Tatiana Alexeyevna, daughter of Alexei Rzhevsky; who was an okolnichy (a senior court rank) and the military commander of Samara during the years 1689–1690. Andrei was among some 39 stolniks (cupbearers) and the same number of soldiers in February 1697 who were sent to Italy to study maritime affairs.

From the second half of the 19th century to the early 21st century scholars believed the person depicted here to be Alexander Borisovich Repnin; however, this traditional view was recently reconsidered. In 2014 a new version was accepted by the Attribution Council of the Russian Museum. Based on the clothing depicted the portrait was dated from the 1680s to 1690s. It appears that it was Anikita Ivanovich that outlived both of his brothers who ordered the painting.

Portrait of Alexei Lenin and a Kalmyk

• Early 18th century. Before 1707
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-3982

Alexei Lenin (? –1707). Son of the Moscow nobleman Nikifor Lenin. In 1693 he became a solicitor; as solicitor he participated in the second Azov campaign in 1696. Starting from 1702 he acted as a solicitor working at higher levels. Lenin died in 1707.

For many years the painting did not have any names attached to the subjects. However, according to the Inventory of the Preobrazhensky Palace, there existed a “Picture of Alexei Lenin and a Youth” in the entrance hall. Not until the 1960s was the painting convincingly identified as the double portrait from the Russian Museum collection. Based on existing documentation, it was very recently established that Alexei Lenin was a highly placed solicitor, beginning around 1702, who died in 1707. This places the date of the portrait prior to Alexei’s death in 1707.

Portrait of Alexei Vasilkov

• 1700s (?)
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-7886

Alexei Vasilkov (his patronymic and dates are unknown). Staring from the end of the 1660s he was an official in the Stvolny (Gun Barrel) Prikaz, and from 1700 served in the Armoury Palace. In 1715 he was a clerk of the Armoury Office.

The portrait originally appeared in the Hermitage inventory under the title “Painting of Alexei Vasikov” cataloged as № 152. All attempts to find the surname “Vasikov” (as misspelled on the portrait) in documents of late 17th and early 18th centuries failed. Finally, a theory concerning the accurate spelling of the surname helped uncover the correct name of Alexei Vasilkov. Unlike other portraits, which feature a “bearded” image, this portrait of Alexei Vasilkov was painted after August 30, 1698.

Peter I in a Tavern

• 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 37 х 51
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

There are still three seals on the back of the painting, and on one of these seals, there is a count’s coat of arms that belongs to the Polish Raczyński family (reported by E.A. Yarovaya). The painting depicts a genre scene in a tavern, traditional for Dutch paintings. A man sitting on the right resembles Peter the Great. The simplified way of depicting the characters and interior details allow us to suggest that the painting was created by a Russian (?) artist “in the Dutch manner.”

Portrait of an Unknown Man in Brown Fur Coat

• Early 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 82,5 х 70
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Stylistic analysis of the painting suggests that it is part of the Preobrazhensky Series. It is hard to determine the name of the person depicted. The character is wearing a vest and a sheepskin padded homespun coat.

Portrait of Sergei Bukhvostov

• After August 1711
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-6341

Sergei Bukhvostov (1642 (59?) –1728). The “first Russian soldier”, began his service at court as a solicitor (stryapchy). In 1683 he was the first person to be enrolled in the Toy Army of Peter the Great, subsequently the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1695 he took part in the Azov campaign as Corporal of a company of bombardiers, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant for his participation in the Northern War. After being wounded during the Siege of Stettin he was promoted to Major and transferred to the Petersburg Garrison Artillery.

The portrait of Sergei Bukhvostov, the “first Russian soldier”, was not mentioned in the 1735 inventory of the Preobrazhensky Palace, but it had a definite stylistic similarity to the eight main pictures of the series. The portrait of Bukhvostov was dated based on the gold medal attached to his buttonhole, commemorating the Pruth campaign of 1711. People remembered the “first soldier”. There are reports that in 1724 Peter the Great commissioned a bust of him from the sculptor Bartolomeo Rastrelli. In 1728 the “St Petersburg Gazette” published Bukhvostov’s obituary.

Portrait of Anastasia Naryshkina with Her Children Alexandra and Tatyana

• Between 1709 and 1715
• Canvas, oil. 180,2 х 130,8
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Employing the method for dating portraits that is based on analyzing details of clothing depicted (the mother’s headwear and the dress of the youngest daughter) one can assume that this painting was made between 1709 and 1715.

Anastasia Naryshkina (née Princess Myshetskaya; 1680 – after 1722) Daughter of Yakov Efimovich Myshetsky and Feodora Ivanovna. Wife (from 1702) of Kirill Alexeyevich Naryshkin (circa 1670–1723), and half cousin of Tsaritsa Natalia Kirillovna. They had several children: Tatiana (1704–1757), Sophia (1708–1737), Daria (1709–1730), Semyon (1710–1775), Peter (1713–1770), Natalia (1716–1770). There is no biographical information concerning Alexandra Kirillovna, her name is not mentioned in any published genealogies of the Naryshkin family. Her daughter, Tatiana Kirillovna (1704–1757) was the second wife of General Admiral Mikhail Golitsyn (1684–1764).

Portrait of Countess Elena Ushakova

• First quarter of the 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 79,8 х 62,9
• State Tretyakov Gallery

Elena Leontyevna Ushakova (née Kokoshkina; no sooner than 1680 – ?) Daughter of Stolnik (Cupbearer) Leonty Kokoshkin; her first husband was Stolnik Fyodor Karpovich Apraksin, her second husband was Count Andrei Ivanovich Ushakov.

Researchers used to believe that this portrait of Elena Ushakova was painted by Roman Nikitin. In an exhibition catalogue from 1973, the painting was presented as a work of an unknown artist from Ivan and Roman Nikitin’s circle.

Portrait of an Old Man in a Red Coat

• First half of the 18th century
• Canvas, oil.
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-4853

For many years, the portrait was considered to be a picture of Ivan Balakirev, the fool of Peter the Great (1699–1763). It was acquired by the Russian Museum with the attribution as a part of the famous Lobanov-Rostovsky collection. Apparently, the attribution was suggested by the notorious art collector Mikhail Botkin, who acted as intermediary when the collection was purchased. However, the attribution was already in question in the Russian Museum’s first catalogue. After that, the portrait was known under different names; and in the 1950s it was cautiously titled “Portrait of an Old Man in a Red Coat“ by an unknown artist. Half a century ago, it was suggested that the painting was painted by Georg Gsell, and recently, a new theory emerged suggesting that the person depicted is Jacob Bruce, an associate of Peter the Great.

Medal to the Coronation of Catherine I

• 1724
• Silver.
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед.А-2707

Medal to the Coronation of Catherine I in 1724

• Second half of the 18th century
• Silver. Diameter 4.38
• The State Russian Museum
• Мед. А-240

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.

Battle of Poltava

• First half of the 18th century
• Canvas, oil. 154 х 169
• Peterhof State Museum Reserve

Initially, the painting was part of the collection of the Hermitage Pavilion built on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the Western part of the Lower Park of Peterhof in 1721–1725. This is one of the two paintings from the historical collection of the Peterhof Hermitage that survived the fire of 1808. The picture used to be attributed to Ivan Nikitin.

View of St. Petersburg

• etching.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-41990

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.

Екатерина I спасает Петра под Прутом (Петр I в лагере у Прута / Екатерина входит в палатку к Петру I)

• Paper, etching, lathe.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-16819

Peter I at the Battle of Poltava

• Study for a large painting for the Resurrection Hall of St Michael’s Castle for which the artist received the title of adjunct professor
• Late 1790s
• Canvas, oil. 73 х 50
• Государственный исторический музей
• И I 1977 ГИМ 17040щ

Prince Mikhail Golitsyn Handing the Keys to the Captured Swedish Fortress Nöteborg to Peter the Great

• After the original by Kimpfel
• Early 19th century
• Paper, etching with hand colouring. Image: 41.8 х 54.9. Panel: 41.8 х 54.9. Sheet: 41.8 х 54.9
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-16060

Parade at the Monument to Peter the Great

• Paper, ink. 56,4 x 75,6
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-8041

Unveiling the Monument to Peter the Great

• Paper, ink. 57,3 x 75,9
• The State Russian Museum
• Р-8042

Battle of Lesnaya

• After the original by Pierre-Denis Martin
• 1829–1831
• Canvas, oil. 150 х 200,5
• State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

When Peter the Great went abroad for the second time, he instructed several French painters to create pictures depicting the most significant Russian victories over the Swedish army. In 1717 in Paris, Martin made a commitment to create four large cartoons for tapestries depicting the battles of Lesnaya and Gangut, as well as two main phases of the Battle of Poltava. The artist depicted the same subjects on four paintings. Only two of the signed paintings survived to this day (Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve). During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna the paintings were housed in the Picture Hall of the Tsarskoe Selo Palace, where they remain. The Hermitage painting used to be attributed to Pierre-Denis Martin the Younger. However, in 1959–1960 it was already being suggested that the painting is actually a copy of the French original. This point of view was supported with a publication containing information about the artists Bolms and Lutz creating copies of the paintings for Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia in 1829–1831. In 1832, a copy of the Battle of Lesnaya painting was placed in the chamber of Nicholas I in the Winter Palace. After the fire of 1837, both copies were housed in the Apollo Hall to the right and to the left of the bust of Peter the Great created by Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The panoramic picture of the battle is extremely accurate, because the painter used the battle plans and descriptions, which had been sent to him.

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).

Петр I в селе Преображенском 1687 года

• 1836
• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-1149

Петр I после Полтавской победы 1709 г.

• 1836
• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-1152

Петр I при реке Пруте, 1711 года

• 1836
• Paper, lithography.
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр.-1153

Царь Петр I принимает титло: 1721 г.

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

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

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

Foundationof St Petersburgin 1703

• Not earlier than 1840
• Canvas, oil. 21,5 x 16
• The State Russian Museum
• Ж-212

Peter I at Lakhta Saving Drowning Sailors and Soldiers in 172(?)

• After the original by Boris Chorikov
• 1842
• Paper, lithography. Image: 50.8х64.5. Sheet: 68.0 х 88.1
• The State Russian Museum
• Гр-31989

Medincev (Medincov) Fedor

Unknown Medallist

Shultz Anton

Imperial Tapestry Manufactory

Catta Jacomo

Vasily Shebuev

Claar A.R.

Davydov Alexei

Bolms

Lutz

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.

Иванов Петр

Basin Pyotr Vasilievich

Painter, author of religious, historical and landscape compositions, monumentalist, engraver. Born to the family of a Petersburg civil servant. Attended the drawing classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts (from 1811). Awarded minor and major silver medals (1813). Studied painting under Vasily Shebuyev (from 1816). Lived in Italy (1819–1930). Returned to St Petersburg in 1830. Academician of painting (1831). Second-class  professor (1836), first-class professor (1846), professor emeritus (1856). Professor of the Academy of Arts (till 1869).

Deshevoy Ivan