Alexandre ROSLIN (1718-1793), attribué à.

Portrait of Tsar Paul I of Russia. Oil on canvas, not signed. Framed. H. 76 x W. 62,5 cm. Provenance - According to the label on the back of the frame, the painting was given by Paul I to François Emmanuel Guignard (1735-1821), Count of Saint-Priest, diplomat and minister of Louis XVI. - Preserved in the descendants. - Sale "Tableaux, Sculptures Et Dessins Anciens Et Du XIXe Siècle", Sotheby's Paris, June 15, 2017, lot n°77 (sold for €16 250) - French private collection. Related works - Our portrait is based on the original work of Alexander Roslin, made in 1777, 82 x 68 cm, kept in the Museum-Reserve of Vladimir Souzdal. - The large full-length portrait with the same posture of the bust, made by Alexander Roslin in 1777, 265 x 168 cm, is kept in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. - Other portraits like ours are known, such as the one in the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, measuring 84 x 66 cm. History Paul I was only 23 years old at the time of the portrait. Alexander Roslin was the favorite painter of the imperial court under Empress Catherine II and was appointed to represent the future tsar. Dressed in a French-style red velvet robe and lace jabot, Paul I wore a diamond shoulder strap on his right shoulder, the great ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the First Appointed and a diamond cross of the Order of St. Anne handed down by his father, Tsar Peter III. The softness of Paul I's features in our portrait does not announce the very controversial reign of the sovereign, described as a tyrant and despot, he will conduct a very offensive foreign policy almost to the point of declaring war with the English. Victim of important conspiracies, he will be assassinated in 1801, in his palace, the Mikhaïlovski castle. François Emmanuel Guignard, count of Saint-Priest (1735-1821) Ambassador in Lisbon, Constantinople and then in Holland, François Emmanuel Guignard often gave the advantage to Russia, so much so that he was even suspected of being a spy in the service of the tsarist empire. He was appointed minister by King Louis XVI in 1788 but powerless in the face of the inevitable decline of the monarchy, he emigrated in 1791 and was called by Catherine II to enter her service at the imperial court. Catherine II granted him a comfortable pension and the three sons of the Count of Saint Priest joined the imperial army, notably the eldest, Guillaume Emmanuel, who was part of the artillery regiment and participated in the battles of Austerlitz in 1804 and Friedland in 1807. Александр РОСЛИН (1718-1793), приписано. Портрет Императора Павла I. Холст, масло.