1762
oil on canvas
250 x 179

Peter III (Peter Fedorovich; Karl Peter Ulrich; 1728–1762), was a nephew of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, the son of her sister Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich, duke of Holstein-Gottorp. He was the direct grandson of Peter the Great. He ruled Russia as Emperor from 1761. In 1762 he was dethroned by his wife, the future Empress Catherine the Great. Peter III is presented in an energetic pose with leg extended as during a ceremonial march. The artist has accurately and conscientiously conveyed all the peculiarities of the typical appearance of his model, as the high-born client himself insisted. The figure of the Emperor is expressive in all its irregularity. It is depicted in an imposing palace interior. The painting contains all the attributes of tsarist authority – the crown, scepter, orb, ermine mantle thrown over the throne. In the Emperor’s hand is a marshal’s staff and in the distance we see a scene of battle, alluding to the military “genius” of the hero of the portrait. Thickly applied paint, the combination of locally rich greens and reds together with gold, all give a sense of magnificence and festiveness that was required for a formal dress portrait.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 3