George Dawe, style of, first half 19th century
Portrait of Tsar Alexander I of Russia (1777–1801-1825). Unsigned. Oil on canvas. 72×60 cm.
George Dawe (1781–1829) was one of the most successful artists of his own generation. In 1819 he travelled through Europe, where Tsar Alexander I commissioned him to paint portraits of the senior Russian military staff who had successfully fought Napoleon. Therefore, he went to live in St. Petersburg (1822–1828), where he painted over 300 portraits for the military collection at the Winter Palace with his assistants, Alexander Polyakov and Wilhelm August Golicke. He also painted the Tsar; an official portrait that became very popular and created a school of Tsar-portraits to hang in official buildings.
Provenance: According to seller's information the portrait was previously at the Russian Embassy in Stockholm. Here, after the Russian revolution in 1917, it was acquired by a Prince Georgi Alexeevich Vasiliev (b. c. 1896 in Russia, d. c. 1980 in Denmark), who then was deacon at the Russian Church in Copenhagen.
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Russian, antiques & watches, 27 November 2014