1720s
oil on canvas
90,9 x 73,4

Count Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin (1660–1734) was a member of Peter the Great’s entourage who was particularly close to the tsar. He performed the functions of President of the College (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs. As someone experienced in court intrigues, Golovkin successfully continued his career after the death of Peter the Great and took an active part in the ascension to the throne of Catherine I, then of Peter II and Anna Ioannovna. The hero of the portrait is filled with a sense of his own worth, which is clearly seen on his intelligent thin face, in his calm and self-assured gaze and in the slight smile on his thin lips. The ribbon with the Order of St Andrew and also the Polish Order of the White Eagle attest to his services to the Fatherland. The artist has created the image of a man of action, a citizen who is useful to his state. In this way the painting affirmed the ideal of a personality formed during the age of Peter the Great.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 1