The Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts houses a portrait of Ivan Betskoy created using the etching technique by Antoine-Christophe Radigues, based on the original oil painting by Alexander Roslin.
Antoine-Christophe Radigues was one of the most prominent engravers of the period of classicism in Russia. He developed the traditional tool engraving, copying famous artworks and mostly working on portraits. During his time in St. Petersburg, Antoine Radigues created about 20 engravings, including a series of portraits of members of the Golitsyn and Kurakin princely families. Some of his other notable works include portraits of Catherine II, based on oil paintings by Vigilius Eriksen, and portraits of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, based on originals by Nicolas Benjamin Delapierre and Jean-Louis Voille. Most engravings by Antoine Radigues were characterized by a virtuoso use of the burin, with free strokes, attention to the smallest details, and the ability to accurately convey the texture of fabric and other materials. His works were distinguished by their miniature scale, precision, elegance, and decorative value. There are also some known later prints made using Antoine Radigues’s plates in the 19th century.
Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy (1704–1795) was a Russian statesman and prominent representative of the Russian Enlightenment. He was a personal secretary to Empress Catherine II (1762–1779) and president of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1763–1794). He was also instrumental in establishing the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens (1764) and foundling homes in Moscow (1764) and St. Petersburg (1770) with maternity hospitals. Ivan Betskoy also helped to establish the Imperial Commercial School, a school at the Academy of Arts for boys from various social groups (except for serfs), and the department for girls from the lower middle class at the Smolny Institute. He served as chairman of the commission for stone construction projects in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Through his work, Ivan Betskoy aimed to create a new generation of people — representatives of the nobility and other social groups who would treat peasants with compassion and govern the state fairly.
The portrait of Ivan Betskoy combines the features of both ceremonial and chamber portraits. In 1794, Antoine-Christophe Radigues was awarded the title of Academician for his portrait of Ivan Betskoy.
