The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Portrait of Field Marshal Mikhail Barclay de Tolly

George Dawe

1829

Oil on canvas

Mikhail Barclay de Tolly (1757-1818) was an outstanding Russian military commander, field marshal (from 1814) and prince (from 1815). In the portrait created for the War Gallery of 1812 he is shown against the background of Paris. He is depicted in the ordinary general's uniform with the sashes, stars and badges of the Orders of St Andrew the First-Called, St George 1st class and St Vladimir 1st class. He is also wearing the Russian silver medal "In Commemoration of the Patriotic War" and the badges of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle 1st class, the Austrian Order of Maria Theresa and the Swedish Order of the Sword.

Barclay de Tolly came from an old Scottish noble family that had settled in Livonia. During the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-91, he distinguished himself at the storm of Ochakov and also showed his worth in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-90 and the Polish campaign of 1792-94. He participated in Russia's wars with France and Sweden at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1809 Barclay de Tolly was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian forces in Finland. Between January 1810 and September 1812 he was Minister of War and a member of the State Council. He drew up and implemented the military reforms of 1810-12. At the outbreak of the Patriotic War of 1812 the Emperor left Barclay de Tolly with overall responsibility for military operations (but without the official status of commander-in-chief). He managed to get the Russian armies to link up by Smolensk, thus thwarting Napoleon's plans of tackling the Russian forces separately, and initiated the creation of the first partisan detachments. Barclay de Tolly's efforts to preserve the army whatever the cost turned public opinion against him.

When Kutuzov was appointed commander-in-chief, Barclay de Tolly remained the head of the First Army. At Borodino he commanded the right wing and centre of the Russian forces. In the opinion of many contemporaries, he deliberately courted death that day and showed himself at the most dangerous spots during the battle. His competent leadership at Borodino was rated highly by Kutuzov, who held that it was to a large extent due to the firmness he showed that "the pressure of a superior enemy" on the Russian centre was resisted, while his "bravery was beyond all praise". As a reward Barclay de Tolly was accorded the Order of St George 2nd class. At the council in the village of Fili he put forward the idea of abandoning Moscow in order to save the army and Kutuzov entrusted him with withdrawing the Russian forces from Moscow.

In 1813 Barclay de Tolly was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian and Prussian forces, and after Austria joined the alliance he commanded the Russo-Prussian troops in the Bohemian army. On 8 and 9 May he repulsed Napoleon's main attacks at Bauzen. On 18 August at Kulm he completed the defeat of General Vandamme (winning the Order of St George 1st class) and at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig he was one of the chief architects of victory. For this campaign Barclay de Tolly was awarded the title of count. Victories at Brienne, Arcis-sur-Aube, La Fère Champenoise and Paris in the 1814 campaign brought him his field marshal's baton. In 1815, as commander-in-chief of the First Army, Barclay de Tolly again entered France where, after the review of troops at Vertus, he was elevated to the rank of prince.