Ceremonial portraits of the 18th century. D.g

Ceremonial portrait

A ceremonial portrait is a type of historical portrait of a certain social orientation. Such portraits became most widespread at court. The main objective of this direction was the glorification of high-ranking and noble persons, royalty and their entourage. The task was to focus attention on the merits and achievements of the customer, exaltation, sometimes close to deification.

The social order determined the manner of artistic execution of the ceremonial portrait. The paintings were often large in size, and the person was depicted in full height, standing or sitting. The atmosphere suggested solemnity, the interior was lush. The ideological orientation dictated some stiffness of poses and artificiality of the plot. The artist sought to emphasize the significance of the character, the heroes of the paintings are dressed in lush, ceremonial costumes, the presence of regalia and insignia, symbols of power and might was obligatory.

The tasks of displaying the visual similarity of the model to the original and the internal state of a person fade into the background in a ceremonial portrait, where the main thing is the social status of the customer. However, outstanding artists even in this narrow genre managed to depict a person’s individuality, his character and way of life. Famous Russian portrait painters who depicted high-ranking persons on their canvases were Ivan Nikitin, Alexey Antropov, Fyodor Rokotov, Dmitry Levitsky.

Ivan Nikitich Nikitin - “Master of Persons”, the favorite artist of Peter I, the subject of his patriotic pride in front of foreigners, “so that they know that there are also from our people good masters" And Peter was not mistaken: “the painter Ivan” was the first Russian portrait painter of the European level and in the European sense of the word.

I.N. Nikitin came from a family of Moscow clergy. He probably received his initial artistic education at the Moscow Armory and its engraving workshop under the guidance of the Dutch engraver A. Schonebeek. In 1711, together with the engraving workshop, it was transferred to St. Petersburg. Apparently, he learned to paint portraits on his own, studying and copying the works of foreign masters available in Russia. Thanks to his talent (and perhaps to his relatives who served in the court churches), Nikitin quickly took a strong position at court. Peter the Great noticed his abilities and apprenticed him to I.G. Dangauer

In the artist's early (before 1716) works there is a noticeable connection with parsuns - Russian portraits of the late 15th century, with their harsh and fractional writing, dull dark backgrounds, flatness of the image, lack of spatial depth and conventionality in the distribution of light and shadows. At the same time, they also have undoubted compositional skill, and the ability to effectively drape a figure, convey the texture of various materials, and harmoniously coordinate rich color spots. But the main thing is that these portraits leave a feeling of some special realistic persuasiveness and psychological authenticity. Nikitin is completely alien to flattery, which is common in ceremonial portraits.

In 1716-20 I.N. Nikitin, together with his younger brother Roman, also a painter, is in Italy. They visited Florence, where they studied under the guidance of Tommaso Redi, Venice and Rome. Roman Nikitin, moreover, worked in Paris, with N. Largillière. I.N. Nikitin actually returned from Italy as a master. He got rid of the shortcomings of drawing and conventions of earlier works, but retained his main features: general realism painting and directness of psychological characteristics, rather dark and rich coloring, in which warm shades predominate. Unfortunately, this can be judged from very few works that have come down to us.

He painted portraits of the emperor himself (several times), his wife, the Grand Duchesses Anna, Elizabeth and Natalia and many other high-ranking officials. The artist was familiar with the techniques of the dominant style of the era - Rococo, light and playful, but used them only when it really corresponded to the character of the model, as in the portrait of the young Baron S.G. Stroganov (1726). But perhaps Nikitin’s best work in terms of the beauty of painting, the depth and complexity of psychological characteristics is “Portrait of a Floor Hetman” (1720s).

In 1725 Nikitin last time writes from the life of the king. “Peter 1 on his deathbed” (in the Museum of the Academy of Arts) is essentially a large sketch, executed freely, but integral, thoughtful and monumental.

During the reign of Catherine I, he settled in Moscow, where his brother, who returned from abroad a little later, was engaged mainly in church painting.

In 1732, Ivan Nikitin, together with the brothers Roman and Herodion (archpriest of the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow), was arrested on charges of spreading libels against the vice-president of the Holy Synod, Feofan Prokopovich, who, by the way, was also a promoter and associate of Peter. Perhaps this was indirectly facilitated by the artist’s unsuccessful marriage and subsequent divorce: relatives ex-wife tried in every possible way to harm Nikitin. Yes, many people didn’t like him anyway because of his direct and independent character. After five years of dungeons in the Peter and Paul Fortress, interrogations and torture, the brothers were sent into exile. Ivan and Roman ended up in Tobolsk. They waited for rehabilitation after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1741. But the elderly and sick artist never returned to his native Moscow. He probably died somewhere on the way to her. Roman Nikitin died at the end of 1753 or at the beginning of 1754.

I.N. Nikitin

Portrait of Chancellor G.I.Golovkin

1720g, oil on canvas, 90.9 x 73.4 cm.

The portrait of Golovkin is considered to be one of the first works completed by the artist upon his return from Italy. Count Gavrila Ivanovich Golovkin, vice-chancellor, associate of Peter I, was especially successful in the diplomatic field thanks to his characteristic dexterity and cunning. The inscription on the back of the portrait proudly states that “during the continuation of his chancellorship, he concluded 72 treaties with different governments.”

Golovkin’s face attracts attention with its intelligent, penetrating gaze and a firm, strong-willed line of lips; framed by a silver wig, it protrudes from the black space of the background.

Nikitin managed to express in this portrait perfect image an energetic statesman - a man of the era of Peter. There is no pompousness in his posture, but there is a sense of self-esteem. The majestic restraint of the pose, St. Andrew's ribbon and star, the Polish Order of the White Eagle in the form of a cross on a blue bow add solemnity and significance.

I.N. Nikitin

Portrait of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter 1

Before 1716, oil on canvas, 65 x 53 cm.

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

In 1716, the painter Ivan Nikitich Nikitin was sent abroad by Peter 1 to Italy. But it can hardly be said that he was sent there as a simple student. In a letter to Catherine in Berlin dated April 19, 1716, Peter wrote: “... ask the king to order him (Nikitin) to write off his person... so that they know that there are good masters among our people.” And in Italy, Nikitin, as a recognized master, received much more from the treasury for maintenance than other royal pensioners.

The portrait of Anna Petrovna, the eldest daughter of Peter and Ekaterina Alekseevna, executed by Nikitin even before his trip abroad, really gave the Russian Tsar every reason to be proud of his artist. Nikitin captured Princess Anna at the age of 6-7. According to fashion and according to the rules of portrait art of that time, the girl is depicted as an adult: in a flirtatious pose, with a high hairstyle and long black hair scattered over her shoulders, in a low-cut blue dress with large gold patterns and a bright red robe, lined with ermine, indicating ownership child to the royal family.

In this portrait (and in Nikitin’s style in general) the color is amazing - everywhere unusually intense, material, glowing from within, leaving no room for gray shadows. The artist achieves this impression by increasing paint layer in illuminated areas, with ever brighter and thicker strokes, while the shadows remain light, transparent, of the most delicate shades - this is how Anna’s face and open chest are painted. The feeling of a blaze of color on the mantle is created by rapid orange and scarlet strokes thrown on top of the red tone. The artist does not depict the feelings or character of the model, but with the power of the glow of colors, the restless movement of lines, he seems to create it anew, reviving the matter before our eyes.

Anna Petrovna, Tsesarevna and Duchess of Holstein, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. According to contemporaries, Anna was very similar in appearance to her father, she was smart and beautiful, educated, spoke excellent French, German, Italian and Swedish Peter I loved her very much.

Anna's future husband, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Friedrich Karl, came to Russia in 1721 in the hope, with the help of Peter the Great, to return Schleswig from Denmark and again acquire the right to the Swedish throne. The Peace of Nystad (1721) disappointed the Duke's expectations, since Russia pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of Sweden.

On November 22, 1724, the long-desired marriage contract for the Duke was signed, according to which, by the way, Anna and the Duke renounced for themselves and for their descendants all rights and claims to the crown Russian Empire; but at the same time, Peter granted himself the right, at his discretion, to call for the succession of the crown and the All-Russian Empire one of the princes born from this marriage, and the duke obliged to fulfill the will of the emperor without any conditions.

She died on March 4, 1728, in Holstein, having barely reached the age of twenty, having been delivered of her son, Karl Peter Ulrich (later Emperor Peter III).

A.P.Antropov

Portrait of State Lady A.M. Izmailova

1759g, oil on canvas, 57.2 x 44.8 cm

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

In 1758, after a long absence associated with work in Kyiv and Moscow, Alexei Petrovich Antropov returned to St. Petersburg. At this time he was already over forty and enjoyed respect and fame.

However, he was rightly not listed among the first-rank masters. Returning to St. Petersburg, Antropov decided to improve his art and took private lessons for two years from the famous Italian portrait painter P. Rotari. The result was truly wonderful: a talented artisan turned into an outstanding and, what is especially remarkable, a most original Russian artist.

The first and best fruit of this training was the portrait of State Lady A.M. Izmailova, née Naryshkina, a distant relative of Empress Elizabeth on her father’s side and her favorite.

The closest friend of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Izmailova was known as a beauty in her youth, but by the time the portrait was created she was already an aging, prim person who enjoyed considerable influence at court. Without embellishment, the artist conveyed a heavy figure, a full face with thickly drawn eyebrows in accordance with the fashion of that time and a bright blush on the cheeks. The lively gaze of brown eyes turned towards the viewer and sarcastically pursed lips betray Izmailova’s quick-witted mind and imperious character.

The peculiarities of Anthropov's style lie in the coloring of the portrait. The artist resorts to colors with an almost popular-print brightness and presents them in juxtapositions so contrasting that it seems conceivable only in flat images.

The cheeks of an elderly, plump lady glow like poppies, her head is framed by a lace cap, decorated on the sides with red bows and tied with pink ribbons. Over a white jacket is worn a bluish-blue dress, which is decorated with an order studded with diamonds with a portrait of the Empress and a pale rose with green leaves.

The massive figure of Izmailova is placed against a background of a very dark color with a green tint. Using such a palette, Antropov, however, gives each tone luminosity and depth, builds a three-dimensional form, which, thanks to the sharp contrasts of rich colors, looks exceptionally dynamic, as if charged with internal energy, durable and weighty. And these qualities of form give the image a strong-willed, bold, unusually lively and colorful character, which is what distinguished Elizabeth’s charming and intelligent confidante, who was famous for her beauty in her youth.

This work of the artist earned the praise of Rotary and brought Antropov fame as one of the best Russian portrait painters, an increase in salary and the rank of second lieutenant.

A.P.Antropov

Portrait of Princess Tatiana Alekseevna Trubetskoy

1761g, oil on canvas, 54 x 42cm

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Princess Tatyana Alekseevna - daughter of the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod

Prince A.S. Kozlovsky, wife of Prince N.I. Trubetskoy

By the time we are talking about, a certain type of ceremonial portrait had already developed in world art, the formation of the characteristics of which was greatly influenced by class ideas. The meaning of creating such works, their content comes down mainly to showing the person being portrayed as a significant person, a representative of the highest privileged class, a holder of high ranks and titles. This task also determined the choice of the means of expression that the artists used when creating ceremonial portraits. The model in them is always placed in an environment that helps create a feeling of significance, unusualness, and solemnity of the image, and each of the details contains a hint of the real or imaginary merits and virtues of the person we see in front of us. In the first works that have come down to us, Levitsky appears as an artist who is already fluent in painting and is well aware of the techniques developed before him for creating complex compositional portraits. However, here he is just beginning to search for a way to express new principles of human depiction in his art.

From this point of view, the portraits of A. F. Kokorinov (1769), B. V. Umsky (1770), N. A. Sezemova (1770) are very interesting. All of them are built according to the already established scheme for solving a ceremonial portrait. In the center is the figure of the person being portrayed, clearly and volumetrically drawn against the background. There are accessories around that carry a lot of meaning. At the same time, they enhance the feeling of strict balance in the composition and, together with color, give the portrait a certain decorative sound. A complete picture of what a typical ceremonial portrait of the 18th century was like is given by the image of the director of the Academy of Arts, Alexander Filippovich Kokorinov, in which the solemnity and significance of the image of the person being portrayed is combined with almost theatrical convention and sophistication >>> .

"Painting portrait of Mr. Rector of the Academy Alexander Filippovich Kokorinov"

Oil on canvas.

Kokorinov stands at a dark lacquered bureau trimmed with bronze, on which are drawings of the building of the Academy of Arts, books, and papers. Kokorinov is wearing a light brown uniform, thickly embroidered with gold braid, and on top of it is a silk caftan trimmed with light brown fur. The finest lace jabot and cuffs, a high white tie and a sword complete the formal attire.

Kokorinov’s face, with a polite smile and an expression of proud calm, is turned to the audience. In his strong face with prominent cheekbones, throughout his strong figure one can feel inner composure and lively energy, and in the depths of his calm eyes lurked either sadness or fatigue. But all this is hidden under the guise of secular courtesy and grandeur. The objects surrounding him tell in detail about Kokorinov. The magnificent furnishings and luxurious clothing indicate the significant position that Kokorinov occupies. And books, papers, drawings clarify the story, explaining that before us is a prominent cultural figure, a major architect, one of the creators of the majestic building of the Academy of Arts.

Everything in Kokorinov’s portrait: color scheme, composition, carefully selected, superbly written accessories, formal clothing - helps create a mood of solemnity and elation. Kokorinov was not a noble man belonging to the top of the ruling class. But the strength of established ideas about the purposes of a ceremonial depiction of a person, the habit of certain schemes for constructing a representative portrait force the artist to paint Kokorinov - a talented architect, a man who through his work has achieved a certain position in society, as if he were an aristocrat, a noble dignitary. And all those means of expression, which Levitsky uses here, allow us to learn about Kokorinov only what, following tradition, the artist considered possible or found necessary to say.

The qualities obligatory for every ceremonial image of the 18th century are also noted portrait of tax farmer Nikifor Artemyevich Sezemov >>> .

"Portrait of tax farmer Nikifor Artemyevich Sezemov"

Oil on canvas.

But unlike the portraits of Kokorinov and Umsky, which are classic ceremonial images, this work by Levitsky has features that eloquently indicate that the artist is embarking on a path of quest that will later lead him to new deep and original solutions.

True, in this case, Levitsky was given the opportunity to move away from traditional techniques of ceremonial depiction of the features of Sezemov’s biography and personality. Sezemov - “a villager from Vyzhigina,” - as the inscription on the back of the canvas on which the portrait was painted, says, was a serf of Count P.B. Sheremetev. Having become a tax farmer, thanks to his intelligence, enterprise, and energy, he amassed a huge fortune, which allowed Sezemov to engage in widespread charity. The portrait was commissioned from Levitsky due to the fact that Sezemov donated twenty thousand rubles to the Moscow Orphanage.

Such a hero in a ceremonial portrait is an exceptional phenomenon for art XVIII century. How did Levitsky portray him?

Before us is a middle-aged, portly, sedate man with an energetic, intelligent face, furrowed with wrinkles. In the tenacious gaze of penetrating eyes there is the savvy and cunning of a person who knows life well. He is bearded, without a wig. Black hair cut into a circle. And Sezemov is dressed in the Russian manner: he is wearing a long, fur-lined caftan, belted below the waist, as was customary among the common people. There is no luxurious setting on the canvas, which is mandatory for paintings of this kind.

And yet this portrait is a ceremonial, solemn image of a person. Sezemov points with a broad gesture to the paper he holds in his hand. On this paper is drawn a plan of the Orphanage, under it is a swaddled baby and an appropriate text from the Holy Scriptures. All these details immediately return us to the circle of ideas associated with ceremonial images. Obviously, the portrait of Sezemov was created in order to talk about the social virtues of the rich tax farmer - his generous charity, his care for the “orphans and homeless.” In addition, by conveying the “democratic” features of Sezemov’s appearance, the artist at the same time makes us feel that although this is a man in front of us, he is an extraordinary man. His pose is solemn and majestic. And “common” clothes made of bluish-greenish silk, trimmed with golden-brown fur, look no less expensive and elegant than any luxurious suit of an aristocrat.

The somewhat unusual solution of the ceremonial portrait, in which the artist managed, somewhat abandoning the usual scheme, to convey the unique originality of the external and internal appearance of the model, the unusualness of this model itself suggests that the artist is looking for ways to convey the individual expressiveness of the image of the person he is portraying and achieves this even in such a unique field of art as a ceremonial portrait of the 18th century.

Portrait of mining owner Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov >>> was written by Levitsky in 1773.

"Portrait of a mining owner Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov"

Oil on canvas.

Demidov is depicted against the backdrop of majestic columns and draperies falling in heavy folds. Behind the columns is the building of the Orphanage, for the construction of which Demidov donated large sums of money. It is for his widespread charity and concern for the education of the younger generation (the building of the Orphanage housed the Commercial School for merchant children, founded by Demidov), that the miner is glorified in the portrait.

In Demidov’s face there is a benevolent, benevolent and at the same time condescending expression, which is obligatory for ceremonial portraits. With a lively, relaxed and at the same time openly demonstrative gesture, he draws the audience's attention to the objects around him. Demidov's satin clothes sparkle and shimmer with scarlet and silver hues. We see that Levitsky retained in this work the external scheme of a ceremonial portrait, with the obligatory combination of representativeness, monumentality and decorativeness, and that mood of special elation, that pathos of exaltation of the person being portrayed, without which such works are impossible. Moreover, in scope, solemnity, and in the number of accessories, this portrait far exceeds what Levitsky had done in this way before.

But if the building of the Orphanage is a natural detail for this kind of painting, then the remaining accessories immediately take it beyond the traditional framework of a ceremonial portrait. Demidov stands, leaning on a large metal watering can, near a table on which there are bulbs of some plants and books, perhaps works on botany. At the base of the columns there are pots with plants, which, apparently, are the subject of special care and pride of the owner, for Demidov points to them, and not to the Orphanage. And Demidov is dressed at home. He is wearing a robe and nightcap. Even if we see in the image of flowering plants an allegory of the education of youth, then besides this symbolic meaning, the objects surrounding the person being portrayed, his outfit contain a direct and open hint of his personal tastes, inclinations and character traits. All these details force us to remember that Demidov was known not only for his generous charity and concern for the prosperity of domestic education. He was also famous among his contemporaries as a great lover of gardening, an eccentric and an original.

Demidov's whole life is a strange mixture of reasonable actions and unbridled extravagance, a daring challenge to public tastes and the absurd, rude actions of a tyrant master. And this quirkiness of the customer’s character found its expression in the picture.

After all, it was an eccentricity to allow oneself to be depicted in such an intimate form in a ceremonial portrait, intended, moreover, for an official institution. But this eccentricity went towards the quest of Levitsky, who strived for a more in-depth and truthful revelation of human character.
The artist achieves here a great completeness of characterization of the person being portrayed. Through the mask of lordly negligence and extravagance of appearance, we clearly distinguish the living features of an unusual nature.
Demidov's face is the sleek face of a satiated and tired man, with soft, somewhat saggy cheeks, an unhealthy senile blush, with shadows under his eyes, looking thoughtfully and slightly mockingly from under heavy lids. Short, slightly raised eyebrows and tightly compressed, contemptuously folded lips, despite the courtesy of the smile that touched them, give Demidov’s physiognomy an expression of some senile sentimentality and grumpiness. A strange combination of caustic irony and something similar to condescension or slightly mocking good nature gives Demidov’s face a unique originality. Demidov’s pose is very expressive; there is a sense of casual grace in it. His figure is characteristic, already noticeably heavier.

Levitsky managed to create in the portrait of Demidov a complex image of a man with a broad soul, endowed with an observant mind, capable of being kind and sympathetic and at the same time committing incredible and extravagant acts.
The ceremonial Russian portrait of the 18th century had never known such completeness, strength and objectivity of characteristics. However, in intimate portraits, Levitsky’s predecessors had already achieved great skill in revealing a person’s character. But even in this genre, Levitsky managed to have his say.

He showed himself to be a remarkable master of intimate portraits in the work he painted almost simultaneously with Demidov. portrait of the great French philosopher and educator Denis Diderot>>> , who lived in St. Petersburg from September 28, 1773 to February 22, 1774.

The personality of Diderot, who with all his activities affirmed the triumph of the human mind, gave the artist great opportunities to create the image of a strong, courageous man, endowed with a high and insightful mind. At the same time, the great philosopher himself noted that it was extremely difficult to paint his portrait. “I had a hundred different faces a day, depending on the subject with which I was busy... I have a face that deceives an artist.” Levitsky showed Diderot as if alone with himself, as he could be in everyday life.

Diderot in a dressing gown, without a wig. Sparse hair lies in loose strands on her balding head. The open collar of the shirt exposes an old man's neck. But perhaps that is precisely why Diderot’s face is striking in its significance: all his features speak of creative talent, constant hard work of thought, and strong will.

Very interesting is the large one created in 1783 portrait of Catherine II - legislator>>> .

"Portrait of Empress Catherine II - Legislator"

Oil on canvas.

This is not just a portrait and not just a ceremonial image of the empress, of which many were created in the 18th century. This is a kind of pictorial ode, a political declaration expressing the ideals of the leading people of the era and offered by them in a veiled form to the empress.

The “program” of the film was developed by N. A. Lvov. In this program he expressed the ideas of some Russian educators about an ideal, fair and reasonable monarch.

And Levitsky, using the form of a ceremonial, glorifying portrait image, in which the content of the image is revealed primarily with the help of details of the situation, sang the noble ideal of civil service of a person, and above all the monarch, to society, the state, expressed the humane and beautiful, but essentially utopian content program for the film compiled by Lvov.

Catherine II in a white, silver-shimmering dress of strict cut, with a laurel wreath on her head and an order ribbon on her chest, in a heavy robe falling from her shoulders, appears before us beautiful, supportive, solemn and inaccessible.

The appearance of the tall, slender young woman in the portrait only vaguely resembles the real Catherine. But Levitsky did not set himself the task of truthfully showing appearance and conveying inner world queen. He created the image of an ideal ruler, and Catherine, as she is depicted on the canvas, fully corresponds allegorical meaning paintings.

G. R. Derzhavin, who responded to this work by Levitsky with the poem “Vision of Murza,” described the heroine of the portrait as follows:

I saw a wonderful vision:
A wife came down from the clouds, -
She got off and found herself a priestess
Or the goddess in front of me.

The figure of Catherine is drawn against the background of a solemn curtain, wide folds enveloping the grandiose columns and the pedestal on which the sculpture of Themis, the goddess of justice, is placed. Behind the colonnade, behind the strict balustrade, there is a stormy sky and sea with ships sailing on it. Catherine extended her hand over the lit altar with a broad gesture. Next to the altar, on thick tomes, sits an eagle - the bird of Zeus, the king of Olympus.

All these attributes can evoke memories of events that actually took place during the reign of Catherine II. It was then that the glory of the naval victories of the Russian fleet on the Black Sea thundered and Crimea was annexed to Russia. Catherine issued laws and even demonstratively created an entire legislative commission, the work of which, however, did not produce any significant results, but was supposed to show the whole world that Catherine was an “ideal monarch.”

However, in the portrait created by Levitsky, all the objects depicted on the canvas contain more than just a hint of real events time.

The painting “Catherine II - Legislator” was a great success. It was repeated more than once by the artist himself. Many copies were made from it. She inspired a poetic response not only from Derzhavin. The poet Bogdanovich also dedicated a poem to her. In response to all these praises and delights, Levitsky himself, in the magazine “Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word” for 1783 (Part VI), deciphered the content of the picture, as if confirming the correctness of its reading by contemporaries:

“The middle of the picture represents the interior of the temple of the goddess of justice, before whom, in the form of a legislator, Her Imperial Majesty, burning poppy flowers on the altar, sacrifices her precious peace for the sake of general peace. Instead of the usual imperial crown, it is crowned with a laurel crown, adorning the civil crown placed on its head. The insignia of the Order of St. Vladimir depict the famous distinction for labors incurred for the benefit of the fatherland, of which the books lying at the feet of the legislator testify to the truth. The victorious eagle rests on the laws, and the guard, armed with Perun (meaning the lightning that the eagle holds in its claws - approx.), guards about the integrity of them...”

This description clearly contains a call to serve the state, to “carefully take care” of its prosperity. It is this patriotic pathos, this visual expression of the dream of a reasonable, enlightened, “law-abiding” governance of the country that makes up the meaning and is the main content of Levitsky’s painting.

Ceremonial portrait, representative portrait- a subtype of portrait characteristic of court culture. Received special development during the period of developed absolutism. Its main task is not only to convey visual similarity, but also to exalt the customer, to liken the depicted person to a deity (in the case of portraiture of a monarch) or a monarch (in the case of portraiture of an aristocrat).

Characteristic

As a rule, it involves showing a person in full growth (on a horse, standing or sitting). In a formal portrait, the figure is usually shown against an architectural or landscape background; greater elaboration makes it close to a narrative picture, which implies not only impressive dimensions, but also an individual figurative structure.

The artist depicts the model, focusing the viewer’s attention on the social role of the person depicted. Since the main role of the ceremonial portrait was ideological, this caused a certain one-dimensional characterization: an emphasized theatricality of the pose and a rather lush surroundings (columns, draperies, in the portrait of the monarch - regalia, symbols of power), which relegated the spiritual properties of the model to the background. Still in best works genre, the model appears in a distinctly specified version, which turns out to be very expressive.

The ceremonial portrait is characterized by frank demonstrativeness and the desire to “historicize” the person depicted. This affects the color scheme, which is invariably elegant, decorative and meets the coloristic features of the interior (although it changes depending on the style of the era, becoming local and bright in Baroque, softened and full of halftones in Rococo, restrained in Classicism).

Subtypes

Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait can be:

• • Coronation (less common throne)
  • Equestrian
  • In the image of a commander (military)
  • The hunting portrait is adjacent to the front one, but can also be intimate.
    • Semi-ceremonial - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a waist-length or knee-length cut and fairly developed accessories

Coronation Portrait

Coronation portrait - a solemn image of the monarch “on the day of his coronation,” accession to the throne, in coronation regalia (crown, mantle, with a scepter and orb), usually in full height (sometimes a seated throne portrait is found).

“The imperial portrait was conceived as an imprint for centuries of the most important state idea at the moment. Unchangeable forms played a significant role in demonstrating the enduring value of the present, the stability of state power, etc. In this sense, the so-called “Coronation portrait”, which presupposes the image of a ruler with the attributes of power and claims the same sacred constancy as the coronation ceremony itself. Indeed, from the time of Peter the Great, when Catherine I was first crowned according to the new rules, to the era of Catherine II, this type of portrait underwent only slight variations. The empresses - Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II - majestically rise above the world, resembling an unshakable pyramid in silhouette. The regal immobility is also emphasized by the heavy coronation robe with a mantle, the iconic weight of which is equivalent to the crown, scepter and orb that invariably accompanied the image of the autocrat.”

Permanent attributes:

• columns designed to emphasize the stability of government
• draperies, likened to a theater curtain that has just opened, revealing a miraculous phenomenon to the audience

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Ceremonial Portrait

In painting - one of the most fruitful. The image of a person, the subtlest and most spiritual reproduction of his features on canvas touched people of different classes and incomes. These images were half-length and full-length, in the landscape and in the interior. Greatest Artists they sought to capture not only individual traits, but also to convey the mood and inner world of their model.

Court genre

Portraits can be genre, allegorical, etc. What is a ceremonial portrait? It is a type of historical. This genre arose at court during the reign of monarchs. The meaning and goal of the authors of the ceremonial portrait was not just the ability to convey as accurately as possible, but to write in such a way as to glorify and exalt a person. Masters of this genre almost always received wide fame, and their work was generously paid for by customers, because usually ceremonial portraits were ordered by noble persons - kings and their high-ranking associates. And if the painter identified the monarch himself with a deity, then he likened his dignitaries to a reigning person.

Distinctive Features

A majestic figure in all the splendor of regalia and symbols of power, placed in a magnificent landscape, against the backdrop of slender figures or in a lush interior - this is what a ceremonial portrait is. Comes to the fore social status hero of the canvas. Such works were created in order to capture a person as historical figure. Often a person appears in an image in a somewhat pretentious, theatrical pose, designed to emphasize her importance. The mental structure and inner life were not the subject of depiction. Here on the faces of the aristocrats we will see nothing but a frozen, solemn and majestic expression.

Era and style

What is a ceremonial portrait in terms of the style of the era? This is an attempt to “historicize” reality in the persons of significant figures, fitting them into an environment and setting that was noticeable for the time. The general coloring of such paintings was elegant and pompous; it turned out to be decorative and refined during the Rococo era, and acquired solemn restraint and clarity during classicism.

Varieties of ceremonial portrait

Ceremonial can be divided into several types: coronation, in the image of a commander, equestrian, hunting, semi-ceremonial.

The most important, from an ideological point of view, was the coronation portrait, in which the artist captured the emperor on the day of his accession to the throne. There were all the attributes of power - a crown, a mantle, an orb and a scepter. More often the monarch was depicted in full height, sometimes sitting on the throne. The background of the portrait was a heavy drapery, reminiscent of the backstage of a theater, designed to reveal to the world something beyond the ordinary, and columns, symbolizing the inviolability of royal power.

This is how we see Catherine the Great in the portrait painted in 1770. The portrait of Jean Auguste Ingres “Napoleon on the Throne” (1804) was painted in the same genre.

Often a ceremonial portrait of the 18th century depicted a regal figure in the guise of a military man. In the portrait of Paul the First, created by Stepan Shchukin in 1797, the monarch is depicted in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

A portrait in a military uniform with awards indicated a certain status of the person embodied on the canvas. Typically, such masterpieces depicted glorious commanders after significant victories. History knows numerous images of Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Fyodor Ushakov.

The canvases of European masters eloquently demonstrate what a ceremonial portrait of a ruler on horseback is. One of the most famous is Titian's canvas, on which the greatest Italian painter of the Renaissance depicted Charles V riding a stately stallion in 1548. The Austrian court artist Georg Prenner painted an equestrian portrait of the Empress with her retinue (1750-1755). The impetuous grace of the magnificent horses personifies the queen’s bold and ambitious plans.

A hunting portrait, in which the aristocrat was most often depicted in the company of hounds or with game in a proudly raised hand, could symbolize the masculinity, dexterity and strength of the nobleman.

A half-dress portrait met all the basic requirements, but represented the person in a half-length version, and not in full height.

Interest in this genre continues to this day.

The ceremonial portrait differs from other portraits of different directions and styles in that the ceremonial portrait has a special solemnity and expressiveness.

In the history of Russia, a ceremonial portrait appeared during the Peter the Great era. Peter I sought to bring all the innovations of Europe to Russia, and the fashion for ceremonial portraits was widespread there. Further, the tradition of ordering a ceremonial portrait for important celebrations was firmly entrenched among the most noble and wealthy people of that time.

In Russia, ceremonial portraits of military men were common - in full combat uniform, young lovely ladies in the best outfits, etc. And today the ceremonial portrait has not lost its relevance, still being a symbol of wealth, status and influence.

We invite you to renew the ancient tradition and combine the luxury of a classic canvas with the modernity and everyday life of photography. This is an unusual and expensive gift for your loved ones, colleagues, boss, friends.

To try on the image of past years means to get closer to bygone eras, to feel like a beautiful noblewoman of the 19th century, who has recently returned from another ball, or a brave military man, a hero of the War of 1812. Everything depends only on your imagination, and with ArtPhoto its limits can be limitless.

Historical ceremonial portrait

A historical portrait is a portrait that depicts a figure from past eras. A ceremonial portrait not only conveys the visual appearance of the person depicted, but also exalts his character, showing his most best qualities and status.

But aren’t you a person who deserves to remain for centuries? Or do you want to capture someone close to you or your colleagues in such an interesting role, or maybe you want to give your boss an expensive and substantial gift that will pay tribute to his influence and respectability? The historical ceremonial portrait will become a wonderful gift, which will forever perpetuate the name and appearance of the one depicted on it.

In the 19th century, it was popular to order a ceremonial portrait, where the character was depicted in military uniform. Such a painting was a symbol of the courage, strength and influence of the person depicted. ArtPhoto invites you to order a historical ceremonial portrait as a gift to your boss.

Let your leader appear in the image of a military man of the highest ranks of the 18-19th centuries. In order to choose the desired image, you just need to look at the image gallery on our website. Here you can find solid men's images, sophisticated feminine, sweet and slightly naive children's. ArtPhoto provides you with a huge number of source images for every taste and for any occasion.

Ceremonial portrait as a gift

A significant date is coming up, but you just need to choose a meaningful, solid and original gift?

ArtPhoto offers you its unique solution - to present a ceremonial portrait as a gift for any celebration. Historically, a ceremonial portrait was created during such an important event as the coronation of a royal person, etc. at the same time, the monarch was likened to a deity. When was a portrait of a nobleman made, where the person depicted looked like the emperor. Likewise, you can order a ceremonial portrait from a photograph, in which the hero of the occasion will appear in the respectable image of a monarch or powerful aristocrat.

Or you can move away from the traditional look at the canvas and choose an original fantasy image or an image in an expressive style. When creating such paintings, they always tried to “historicize” the image. This influenced the color of the canvas, making the ceremonial portrait look equally ideal in any room.

So today, a ceremonial portrait will become the best decoration of any interior. The ceremonial portrait was always large in size, as it assumed that the image of a person was from head to toe. Likewise, you can order a canvas of any scale from ArtPhoto (up to 150 cm on the smaller side).

In a word, if you want to buy an expensive gift, contact our ArtPhoto studio and choose a painting or portrait and you won’t go wrong!

Order a formal portrait

Ceremonial portraits for members of royal families were commissioned from the most famous and talented artists of different times. And the famous painter was awarded the honorary title of court artist.

For example, this title was borne by the famous portraitist Georg Christopher Groot “Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna with a fan in her hands” (1740s, oil on canvas, 161x117 cm, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). The portrait of young Catherine shows its heroine in the full bloom of youth, beauty and greatness.

You can order a ceremonial portrait from ArtPhoto by contacting us by phone numbers listed on the website or sending a request by mail. Even if you live outside of Moscow, ordering a ceremonial portrait from a photograph from us will not be difficult, because ArtPhoto works throughout Russia, in the CIS countries and abroad. In addition, we value the time of our clients, and your order will not only be completed with high quality by real professionals, but also in the shortest possible time - 1-4 days.