The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Portrait of Sergey Volkonsky

George Dawe

1822

Oil on canvas

Sergei Volkonsky (1788-1865) was a major general, who belonged to the ancient line of Chernigov princes and was the son of General en Chef Prince Grigory Volkonsky, a comrade in arms of the great Russian military commanders Rumiantsev and Suvorov. Prince Volkonsky is depicted in the portrait wearing a uniform with the star of the Order of St Anne 1st class (for the Battle of Leipzig), the badge of the Order of St Vladimir 3rd class, the silver medal "In Commemoration of the Patriotic War", and foreign decorations: the Red Eagle and "For Services"(Prussia) and of Leopold (Austria).

Volkonsky began his army career in 1805 as a lieutenant in the Cavalier Guards Regiment. He distinguished himself in the Russo-Prusso-French War of 1806-07. For valour shown at the Battles of Eylau and Friedland he was awarded a cross and a gold sword inscribed "For Courage". In 1810-11 the Prince fought against the Turks on the Danube and won promotion to captain and the post of aide-de-camp to the Emperor. In 1812 Volkonsky was a member of the Emperor's suite and during the Patriotic War he joined the mounted detachment under General Winzingerode that was engaged in partisan operations. He fought courageously against the French and for his distinguished part in the defence of the crossing over the River Moskva by the village of Orekhovo he was promoted to colonel. The fighting on the Berezina brought him the Order of St Vladimir 3rd class. In 1813-14 Volkonsky took part in the Russian army's foreign campaigns, fighting at Lutzen, Leipzig and Craonne.

In 1820 Volkonsky joined the secret political society called "The Union of Prosperity", in 1821, the Southern Society of the Decembrists. He became an active participant in the Decembrist movement establishing links with the Northern Society. Following the failed uprising of the Decembrists in St Petersburg in December 1825, Volkonsky was arrested in January 1826. He was brought to the capital and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Volkonsky was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour in Siberia. In 1830 his term was reduced to10 years. In 1835 he was released but remained banished. The amnesty in 1856 granted him permission to return to European Russia. Volkonsky was married to the daughter of General Nikolai Rayevsky, one of the great heroes of 1812, and she followed him to Siberia.

After the Decembrist uprising in 1825 the portrait was separated from those intended for the gallery on the orders of Nicholas I. It was hung in the gallery only at the beginning of the 20th century.