The heyday of enlightened absolutism in the Russian Empire occurred during the reign of Catherine II. The art of this period is distinguished by the introduction of the formal portrait. When working on such portraits, the artist’s task was not only to reflect the likeness of their sitter on canvas but also to aggrandize their image of the client.
These were full-length portraits of people in theatrical poses adorned with regalia and important accessories against an architectural or landscape background with columns and draperies.
The portrait of Peter the Great on display was created by the Parisian painter Nicolas Sébastien Frosté (1790–1856). Upon graduating from the School of Fine Arts, he worked in the Russian Empire. In the middle of the 19th century, he settled in Odessa, where he spent the rest of his life. He became a prominent master of landscape, portrait and history painting.
Peter the Great is depicted in full-length wearing the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, with the star of St. Andrew the First-Called; in an exaggerated gesture, he points to the map of St. Petersburg — a city he founded. Among the attributes that characterize the monarch are books symbolizing the development of sciences and laws, and a picture of a boat, referring to the construction of the fleet.
Mezzotint is a monochrome printmaking process. When working on a mezzotint, the engraver creates an image, not by applying dots and strokes, but by smoothing out light areas on a roughened plate. Thus, he achieves a unique chiaroscuro effect and transmits the gradation of light.
This technique was very laborious — preparing the printing form alone took about six months. To give the copper plate the required roughness, it was treated with a special rocking tool. When printing, this allowed to achieve a deep velvety texture. Carefully polished areas, on the contrary, almost did not touch the paper, only slightly tinting it. One mold yielded around 30 good-quality prints.
The engraving on display was very likely made in honor of the centenary Emperor Peter the Great’s death.
