This portrait of Daniil Sobolev was painted in 1834 by Nikolay Mylnikov who had a name in Yaroslavl. About that time the Sobolev family commissioned from the artist a series of portraits for the house gallery. The three brothers – Vasily, Ivan and Daniil – were born peasant serfs. Having been granted enfranchisement from Count Pyotr Saltykov they started wine trading in Yaroslavl. However Daniil soon dropped out of the family business. He became an Old Believer and switched to trading in paints, glue, vegetables and sugar. He donated money to a poorhouse and supported disabled people.

Seeking to reveal Daniil Sobolev’s virtuous character Nikolay Mylnikov painted him with a direct, serious gaze, apparently introspective. The subject wears simple, dark-colored clothes devoid of any attributes of his status. The posture resembles the iconographic pose of prayerful intercession associated with prayer, or standing before God: the torso is slightly turned, arms bent at the elbow and hands somewhat extended forward. Such a posture was typical of merchant portraiture in Yaroslavl.

The social class portrait canon that emerged in Yaroslavl towards the end of 18th century corresponded with the devout Daniil’s personality. In fact, this type of portrait genre in many respects evolved from Yaroslavl icon painting traditions. Yaroslavl was famous for its outstanding church architecture; the city developed its own traditions in church mural painting and hagiographical icon. When merchants and petty bourgeoisie (known as the third estate) started commissioning portraits of themselves, their tastes had already been shaped to a great extent by ecclesiastical and popular art. Merchants preferred to be depicted against a plain background, in a statuesque, typically reserved posture.