The Mikhailovsky Palace

The first half of the nineteenth century was a momentous period in Russian history. The main event was the war with the Napoleonic army, which lasted from the mid-1800s until 1814, when Russian soldiers entered Paris. While the war ended with the victory of the Russian army, it left a deep trace on the outlook of an entire generation. The art of the first two decades of the nineteenth century, either directly or indirectly, expressed the new mood of society.

In the room you can see  the works of Orest Kiprensky (1782–1836), who is one of the greatest masters of the romantic romantic romantic portrait. Among them are the Portrait of the Artist’s Father Adam Schwalbe (1804) and the Portrait of Danish Sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1833). In 1809, Kiprensky painted Portrait of Yevgraf Davydov, which became a specific symbol for early Russian Romanticism. The subject’s aloof and dreamy air and natural yet theatrical image reflect the philosophy and manner of conduct fashionable in Russian society at the time of the Napoleonic campaign.