The portrait of Peter the Great is the first painting that meets the gaze of the visitors of the Pskov Art Gallery. This is one of the earliest works from the 18th century, when the portrait genre was prevalent, and art was undergoing a transition from medieval traditions to a new understanding of reality.
Ivan Nikitich Nikitin studied at the typographic school at the Kremlin Armory in Moscow. In the 1710s, he worked under the guidance of the German painter Johann Gottfried Tannauer. At the request of Peter I, in 1716, he was sent on a state-funded trip to Italy. First, he studied at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts. A year later, he moved to Florence, where he worked under the supervision of the professor, painter, and sculptor Tommaso Redi.
After his trip to Italy, in early 1720, the artist returned to Saint Petersburg. Soon, he was awarded the title of “the Portrait Master of the Court of His Majesty”. He received commissions from Peter the Great himself and painted many portraits of the emperor.
After the emperor’s death, the artist was arrested, imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and soon exiled to Siberia on charges of conspiracy. In 1742, by decree of Empress Anna Leopoldovna, he was granted a pardon. He was released from exile but died on his way back.
The collection includes a chest-length portrait of Peter the Great. His head is turned to the right and his gaze is directed straight ahead. He wears an ermine robe and armor with a ribbon of the Order of Saint Andrew. When depicting the emperor against a dark background, Ivan Nikitin used new pictorial means. Subtle light-and-shadow modeling conveys the features of his face. This attentive manner of painting, which resembles a study painted from life, reimagined the traditional style of a ceremonial portrait. Soft tonal painting is enhanced by patches of scarlet and dark blue colors.
The museum received the portrait from the Pskov Archeology Society in 1919–1921. Before that, it belonged to the collection of Fyodor Mikhailovich Plyushkin, a merchant who owned one of the largest private art collections in the Russian Empire. It is likely that this painting was among many works that Peter the Great presented to his close associates in recognition of their services to the state or victories in battle.
