Lot #131 - Roman Volkov, 1773-1831 (Russia)

Roman Volkov, 1773-1831 (Russia)

Estimate: 200 000 - 300 000 £

Auction ended

Lot Description

Roman Maksimovich Volkov (1773-1831). Portrait of Emperor Alexander 1, late of 1811. Oil on canvas, size 87,5 x 66,5 cm (34 1/2 x 26 1/4 inches). Frame dimensions 108 x 90 cm (42 1/2 x 35 1/2 inches). Unsigned. The canvas is dubbed. Restoration interventions were also identified: 1. About 100 years ago. 2. About 30 years ago. Certificate of authenticity by expert Yakov Skulskyi. Upon request we will provide you with a full description and provenance of the work. Quote from Certificate of authenticity: Most of the works by R.M. Volkov kept in museum collections, which are both historically confirmed and documented, such as the Tretyakov Picture Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage and many others, are not signed. This indicates that R.M. Volkov often failed to sign his works, just like the presented portrait of Emperor Alexander I. Most likely, this painting, a portrait of Alexander I by R.M. Volkov, is a unique work, for which the artist received 7,000 thousand rubles, and the personal recognition of the Emperor who personally rated the work as the best of all his portraits. Sometime in the 19th or 20th century, the work was lost. And until today, her location and the original image has remained unknown. Information found in the catalogs of the Hermitage: Catalog of 1828 - painting missing. Catalogs of 1894 and later - painting missing. Over 200 years, a huge number of engravings and reproductions were created. This painting was the lifetime official image of Emperor Alexander I. And after his death, it went down in history as the image of the Emperor which was the closest to the war of 1812. The artist who painted this picture went down in history as one of the great portrait painters of the early 19th century. Having conducted chemical and technological expertise, Bureau of Scientific and Technical Expertise “Art-Lab” came to the conclusion that the work in all respects corresponds to the declared age of 1811-12. Not later than 1820.