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PORTRAIT OF GRAND DUKE VLADIMIR ALEXANDROVICH (1847-1909)

Creator(s): Unknown

On view in: Pavilion


About this object

Son of Emperor Alexander II, elder brother of Emperor Alexander III, Vladimir Alexandrovich was the Senior Grand Duke of the House of Romanov during the reign of his nephew, Emperor Nicholas II. During the reigns of the last three Russian Emperors he occupied important military positions. Interested in the arts, he was president of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg from 1876 until his death. He devoted himself to painting, collected icons, enjoyed ballets, and was one of the first to support Diaghilev in his artistic projects. Meeting frequently with Parisian high society, he is sometimes mentioned in the work of writers and chroniclers of the Belle Epoque such as Marcel Proust or Jean Lorrain. On August 16th, 1874, he married Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1854-1920), born Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who belonged to one of the most ancient European reigning dynasties. The Mecklenburgs were attracted to Western art and often intermarried with the Russian Imperial family.

The oval bust portrait is surrounded by a gilded frame. It features Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia wearing a Russian uniform with the blue ribbon and star of the Order of St. Andrew on his torso and crosses of various orders including of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and the Order of St. George hanging from his neck.

Object name:
PORTRAIT OF GRAND DUKE VLADIMIR ALEXANDROVICH (1847-1909)
Made from:
oil on canvas --gilded wood
Made in:
Russia
Date made:
1880s
Size:
Framed: 42 × 37 1/4 × 4 in. (106.7 × 94.6 × 10.2 cm) Unframed: 29 × 24 in. (73.7 × 61 cm)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
2015.4
Signature marks:
INSCRIPTION Владимиръ Александровичъ [Vladimir Alexandrovich] On the back of the frame in Cyrillic (before 1917) INSCRIPTION Großfürst Wladimir Aleksandrovitch On the back of the frame in German INSCRIPTION Rus 2001 1485 / 1 On the back of the frame
Credit line:
Gift of James F. Smith, 2015