Heinrich Hollpein created the portrait of Michael Golitsyn in 1841. On it he depicted the count in the military outfit with numerous decorations which testified to the multiple distinguished services for the Fatherland. By the time of painting the portrait Golitsyn had resigned the service. He was the Marshal of the nobility of the Bogorodsky district of the Moscow province.

Like many children of the nobility, Michael Golitsyn devoted a part of his life to the military service. He started his career at 19. Golitsyn enlisted a cadet in the Life Guards. In just five years he attained the subaltern commission of lieutenant. During the Poland campaign of 1831 Golitsyn was the aide-de-camp of the General Alexey Scherbatov. He participated in the suppression of the insurgency against Russian Empire over the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, North-Western krai and the right-bank Ukraine. A year later in the rank of captain he was appointed the aide-de-camp to the boss of gendarmes Alexander Benkendorf. In 1835 he resigned in the rank of colonel.

Over 16 years of the military career Michael Golitsyn received several decorations for the distinguished service, among which there are the order of St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Ann, St. Vladimir, two crosses of the order of St.John of Jerusalem. All these distinctions were depicted by the Austrian artist in the painting.

In the spirit of the classical gala portraits Heinrich Hollpein painted the count with a stern look and in a mannered posture. The painting was meant to present class significance of the model, therefore the portrayed was depicted somewhat theatrically. Nevertheless, the author did not aspire to embellish his hero, the latter was painted realistically precise. Particularly accurate were shown details.