Russian School, late 18th century- Portrait of Alexey Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Chancellor of the Russian Empire; oil on canvas, 48 x 39.8 cm. Provenance: Property from a Private European Collection. Note: The present work is a copy after the portrait of Alexey Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin (1693-1766) by an anonymous hand which is now in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg [ЭРЖ-777 ]. Bestuzhev-Ryumin was a prominent figure in 18th-century European diplomacy, effectively directing Russian foreign policy whilst serving as Chancellor under Empress Elizabeth of Russia (1709-1762).

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