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Lot Essay
This recently rediscovered work constitutes an important early portrait of the Emperor Paul I of Russia. Until his accession as Emperor in 1796, following the death of his mother, Catherine the Great, Paul was styled Grand Duke, the title held by all immediate members of the Imperial family, including the heir to the throne, the Tsarevich, until his accession. He is depicted en deuil, wearing a band of black around his neck, in mourning for his father, Emperor Peter III, who had died in 1762, while Paul was still seven years old. Peter's widow, Catherine, had already attained power with the backing of the Imperial Guard, and was crowned Empress on 22 September 1762 (3 October N.S.). This early portrait of Paul Petrovitch may be seen as part of a programme to underscore the legitimacy of Catherine's claim, which in any case enjoyed widespread support.
Vigilius (sometimes Virgilius) Erichsen trained in Copenhagen under Johann Salomon Wahl, moving to Saint Petersburg in 1757, receiving commissions for a portrait and several miniatures (all untraced) of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. He was thus a court artist already in place at the time of the accession of Catherine the Great, and it is to him that the first commission for an official portrait of Catherine as Empress fell in 1762. This was the extraordinary equestrian portrait Catherine the Great on Brillante, showing the new Empress on horseback in a landscape, dressed in the uniform of the regiment that had given her its support (Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery). Originally displayed in the Winter Palace, this triumph secured Erichsen a series of further commissions, including a series of portraits of the Empress and the Tsarevich. These include a portrait of identical composition to the present, but showing Paul at an older age and wearing a purple coat, usually dated to 1764 (Copenhagen, David Collection, inv. no. 21/1962), which served as the basis for a print by Louis Bonnet (1765; fig. 1). A full-length dated to 1766 shows the Grand Duke in the same pose and costume as the present work, but at the age of twelve (Grand Duke Paul Petrovich in his Study, Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum). Together, these works constitute a diachronic view of the young prince growing through childhood. The portrait type shared by all three became an official image of the heir imperial, as illustrated by works such as the miniature on parchment by another Saint Petersburg court artist, Jean-François de Sompsois, sold in these Rooms in the sale 27-28 November 2012, lot 203 (£23,750). The present work appears to be the earliest, and perhaps the first, exercise of the subject by Erichsen. Copper was increasingly unusual as a support for European artists after circa 1710, but Erichsen is known to used it on other occasions, most importantly including a small portrait of Catherine in full mourning, shown three-quarter-length, dated to 1762, of almost identical dimensions (21.5 x 19.3 cm.; Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum). The attractive handling of paint in the present work, with glistening highlights along the folds of the moiré silk recalls Erichsen's beautiful portrait of Catherine in profile, said to have been painted prior to her accession (Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum). The thick, heavy copper used for the present work indicates the expense of the commission, while the beautifully chased and burnished frame, cast as one piece, speaks to the reverence and admiration with which it has always been regarded.
Vigilius (sometimes Virgilius) Erichsen trained in Copenhagen under Johann Salomon Wahl, moving to Saint Petersburg in 1757, receiving commissions for a portrait and several miniatures (all untraced) of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. He was thus a court artist already in place at the time of the accession of Catherine the Great, and it is to him that the first commission for an official portrait of Catherine as Empress fell in 1762. This was the extraordinary equestrian portrait Catherine the Great on Brillante, showing the new Empress on horseback in a landscape, dressed in the uniform of the regiment that had given her its support (Moscow, State Tretyakov Gallery). Originally displayed in the Winter Palace, this triumph secured Erichsen a series of further commissions, including a series of portraits of the Empress and the Tsarevich. These include a portrait of identical composition to the present, but showing Paul at an older age and wearing a purple coat, usually dated to 1764 (Copenhagen, David Collection, inv. no. 21/1962), which served as the basis for a print by Louis Bonnet (1765; fig. 1). A full-length dated to 1766 shows the Grand Duke in the same pose and costume as the present work, but at the age of twelve (Grand Duke Paul Petrovich in his Study, Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum). Together, these works constitute a diachronic view of the young prince growing through childhood. The portrait type shared by all three became an official image of the heir imperial, as illustrated by works such as the miniature on parchment by another Saint Petersburg court artist, Jean-François de Sompsois, sold in these Rooms in the sale 27-28 November 2012, lot 203 (£23,750). The present work appears to be the earliest, and perhaps the first, exercise of the subject by Erichsen. Copper was increasingly unusual as a support for European artists after circa 1710, but Erichsen is known to used it on other occasions, most importantly including a small portrait of Catherine in full mourning, shown three-quarter-length, dated to 1762, of almost identical dimensions (21.5 x 19.3 cm.; Saint Petersburg, State Russian Museum). The attractive handling of paint in the present work, with glistening highlights along the folds of the moiré silk recalls Erichsen's beautiful portrait of Catherine in profile, said to have been painted prior to her accession (Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum). The thick, heavy copper used for the present work indicates the expense of the commission, while the beautifully chased and burnished frame, cast as one piece, speaks to the reverence and admiration with which it has always been regarded.