This portrait of Roman Vorontsov was painted by an unknown artist from the A.V. Stupin Arzamas School of Painting. It is impossible to identify the artist since he or she was a serf, and serfs were denied many civil rights, including the right to sign their paintings.
The canvas portrays Count Vorontsov, who was born in the family of Illarion Vorontsov and Anna Maslova. Vorontsov served in the Izmaylovsky Regiment and participated in the palace coup on November 25, 1741, which resulted in the seizure of power by Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter I.
During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, Roman Vorontsov was one of the richest officials in Russia; his holdings included estates and factories. In 1760, he joined the Legislative Commission, an interim collegial body in Russia in the 18th century, the members of which were convened to work on law systematisation. Later he became a member of the Commission on the Rights of the Nobility.
On December 28, 1761, Roman Vorontsov was elevated to the rank of General-in-Chief and awarded the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, the highest order of the Russian Empire. Emperor Peter III himself awarded him with the Order. In March 1778, by decree of Empress Catherine II, the Vladimirskoe Viceroyalty was formed, and later the Tambov and the Penza Viceroyalties. Vorontsov became their first Governor General. In addition, he was part of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Count Roman Vorontsov died in December 1783. He was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius in Vladimir. After his death, by His Imperial Majesty’s Edict dated April 5, 1797, it was ordered that “the Vorontsov family, Counts of the Roman Empire, should be included in the list of the Сounts of the Russian Empire.”
The unknown artist from the Stupin School portrayed Roman Vorontsov in his parade dress uniform. Count Vorontsov, who was already over 60 years old, posed for the artist sitting at the table in an armchair, next to a brown bound book and an open notebook. He was wearing a gray wig, which was typical for the court of Empress Catherine II in the 18th century.
In the portrait, Roman Vorontsov is attired in a gray parade dress uniform with blue trim on the collar and chest. On his right shoulder, he is wearing a wide blue sash of the Order of St. Andrew, and a three-stripe sash of the Order of St. Vladimir is placed under it. His left shoulder is decorated with an epaulette with the coat of arms of the City of Vladimir: a gold crown and a lion with a rod, set against a red background. On the right side of his chest, there is a blue bowknot with a badge of the Order of the White Eagle, and on the left side are badges of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called and the Order of St. Vladimir
