Acquired by Andrei Budberg, the Russian ambassador to Berlin, in the 1860s and presented to Emperor Alexander II. The portrait dates from the time of Peter’s first journey abroad. The facial type matches the portrait of the young Tsar made from life by Godfrey Kneller and is also identical to the likeness painted by Jan Weenix. In contrast to those works, here Peter is dressed in typical Russian costume of his time: a glacé silk caftan with a diagonal closure and a broad sash belt with a brocade okhaben' (loose outer coat) trimmed with sable. His regal status is indicated by the golden sceptre that he holds in his right hand. Depicted in the background is a tent bearing the Tsar’s coat of arms and a Kalmyk attendant holding a murmolka – a high-crowned hat trimmed with fur worn by Russian boyars in the 17th century.
Title:
Portrait of Emperor Peter the Great (1672-1725)
Place:
Date:
Technique:
oil on canvas
Dimensions:
56x49,5 cm
Acquisition date:
Handed over to the Hermitage from the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo near St Petersburg
Inventory Number:
ЭРЖ-1854
Category:
Collection:
Subcollection:
