Nikolai Mylnikov created this painting in 1830’s. The artist portrayed the merchant Ivan Semenovich Sobolev. It looks as if the man’s figure has been inserted into the shape of an isosceles triangle making it monumental. Subtle obscure background matches serious and calm mood of the character.

The portrait of Ivan Sobolev has a ‘pair’ — the portrait of his wife. The paintings made a harmonious ensemble: the female portrait was decorative and festive, while the male one was laconic and strict. The artist shifted the man’s figure a little to the right of the painting center, and the woman’s figure a little to the left — the man and the woman seem to have turned to each other. The author brought out the businesslike nature of the man in his portrait, while the woman’s portrait emphasizes her gentleness and sweet temper.

The portraits became a part of the family gallery of the Sobolev merchant family in Yaroslavl. The merchants ordered the artist a series of six paintings. Mylnikov painted them in accordance with the then canons of Yaroslavl merchant portraits formed in the late XVIII century.

In 1777 Yaroslavl became the center of the province ruled by Alexei Melgunov. He had a strong influence on the city culture: the first literary journal in the province and the first private provincial printing house in Russia were established during his rule. New educational establishment were also opened at that time. Melgunov sought support for his innovations from the wealthy and influential merchant class. The merchants gradually embraced new values and felt as a prominent, privileged social group. Following the example of the nobility, merchants started ordering portraits of themselves.

However, being a “third estate” and having come from common people, they could not appreciate the “learned” culture of the nobility. At the same time, their attitude to folk art had already changed. The merchant class required a new type of portrait that would satisfy their desire to emphasize their importance, while not looking too extravagant or primitive.

The new style was finally formed on the basis of some features of hagiographical icons of the XVI-XVII century, Polish portraits of the nobility of the baroque epoch and peasant art.

Therefore, estate portraits usually showed people as calm and pleasant, but wearing expensive outfits with various attributes of their social class. All these features of Yaroslavl portrait were reflected in the portrait gallery of the Sobolev family.