In 1876, the Vladimir Regional Council ordered Vasily Perov to paint a portrait of State Councilor Pyotr Nikolayev who had been a representative of the nobility of the Kovrov Region and the chairperson of the Vladimir Regional Council for several years.

Pyotr Nikolayev was a successful and prominent social and political person. He was a well-known benefactor and participated in establishing and developing educational, medical, and charity regional institutions. 

Vasily Perov created an official ceremonial portrait of Pyotr Nikolayev. He is painted up to the waist, his shoulders are turned a little but his face is right in front of viewers. The neutral dark background of the portrait, a formal dress and Pyotr Nikolayev’s concentrated face emphasize his position and match his determined character. According to his contemporaries ‘he always tried to prove that the highest form of a freeman demonstrates a full acknowledgement of rights and a strict fulfillment of duties as well as understanding that the law is the higher justice and that a citizen’s mission is not to line indifferently pockets or participate in countless fists and celebrations but to be willing to do one’s best to serve for the benefit of the society, to care for the well-being and happiness of the nation’.