Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov was born in 1710 and lived until 1786. He was a representative of a well-known Russian dynasty of industrialists. He was the great-grandson of the Tula blacksmith Demid Antufiev, the grandson of the nobleman Nikita Demidov, who was elevated to the rank of nobility in 1720 by Emperor Peter I.
Prokofy Akinfievich himself became a prominent personality in Russian history. He was famous for his eccentricities, which cost him huge money, and at the same time, he respected education, was engaged in charity work, and was a famous amateur gardener. He worked on the improvement of Neskuchny Garden, and created the first botanical garden in Moscow, which existed for 93 years.
There are several lifetime portraits of Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov. The most famous among them is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. It was painted by Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky, a master of ceremonial and chamber portraits. The artist depicted Prokofy Akinfievich in full length next to some plants and a watering can.
The Lipetsk portrait was probably commissioned for his daughter Anastasia, who married Mark Ivanovich Khozikov. He was the personal secretary of a well-known public figure — President of the Academy of Sciences Ivan Ivanovich Betsky.
Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov owned land in the Lipetsk and Lebedyansk districts and advised his son-in-law to purchase a steppe village there (400 serfs and 6,000 acres of land). It was located near the village of Telezhenka, and the place became the family estate of the noblemen Khozikovs. This portrait was kept and passed down from generation to generation until 1917.
The painting was transferred to the museum a year later, in 1918, by Demidov’s great-great-granddaughter. An unknown artist depicted Prokofy Akinfievich in an armchair in his office. At that moment, when the artist painted this picture, Demidov was dressed in a brown dressing gown with a soft golden-gray sheen.
In the background, the painter depicted the roots of brown folios with herbariums; on the table is a compass and drawings, and on the left, on a round table, is a vessel with a hyacinth bulb. All these details emphasized Prokofy Demidov’s favorite pastime — botany.
Prokofy Akinfievich himself became a prominent personality in Russian history. He was famous for his eccentricities, which cost him huge money, and at the same time, he respected education, was engaged in charity work, and was a famous amateur gardener. He worked on the improvement of Neskuchny Garden, and created the first botanical garden in Moscow, which existed for 93 years.
There are several lifetime portraits of Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov. The most famous among them is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. It was painted by Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky, a master of ceremonial and chamber portraits. The artist depicted Prokofy Akinfievich in full length next to some plants and a watering can.
The Lipetsk portrait was probably commissioned for his daughter Anastasia, who married Mark Ivanovich Khozikov. He was the personal secretary of a well-known public figure — President of the Academy of Sciences Ivan Ivanovich Betsky.
Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov owned land in the Lipetsk and Lebedyansk districts and advised his son-in-law to purchase a steppe village there (400 serfs and 6,000 acres of land). It was located near the village of Telezhenka, and the place became the family estate of the noblemen Khozikovs. This portrait was kept and passed down from generation to generation until 1917.
The painting was transferred to the museum a year later, in 1918, by Demidov’s great-great-granddaughter. An unknown artist depicted Prokofy Akinfievich in an armchair in his office. At that moment, when the artist painted this picture, Demidov was dressed in a brown dressing gown with a soft golden-gray sheen.
In the background, the painter depicted the roots of brown folios with herbariums; on the table is a compass and drawings, and on the left, on a round table, is a vessel with a hyacinth bulb. All these details emphasized Prokofy Demidov’s favorite pastime — botany.
