Pietro Labruzzi (1739–1805) A Full-Length Portrait of ...

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£30,000 - £50,000

Pietro Labruzzi (1739–1805)
A Full-Length Portrait of Nicholas I of Russia in a classical setting
1802 
Oil on canvas
 
Signed, located, and dated, lower left:
‘Pietro Labruzzi Roma Pinx Anno 1802.’
 
Dimensions: 
(Canvas) 53.5 in. (H) x 38.75 in. (W)
(Frame) 59.75 in. (H) x 45.5 in. (W)

Lot Essay: 
Nicholas I (Russian: Nikolay Pavlovich) (1796-1855), Russian Emperor (1825–55), is often considered the personification of classic autocracy. It is clear that even at the age of 6, Nicholas was being cultivated as a future potential Emperor. The surrounding tropes in the present image reflect this, with Nicholas' setting rich in both accessories and emblematic references. For example, the pan flute, which alludes to the Greek god Pan, the patron of pastoral poets, evokes Nicholas' classical education as a royal, along with the numerous Classical references such as the Pegasus in the background.
 
The portrait bust on the right of the image is inscribed with 'Alexander the first, of all of the Russian Empire', referring to Nicholas' elder brother Alexander I (Emperor of Russia 1801-1825). In this image, Alexander is immortalised as Imperator, explicitly linking the strength and glory of the Russian Empire to that of Ancient Rome through the use of the portrait bust. Moreover, the positioning of the portrait bust above Nicholas indicates the hierarchy of the royal lineage, with his brother Alexander I majestically surveying from above. 
 
The laurel wreath upon which Nicholas rests his hand is another nod to Greek mythology (this time to Apollo) as a universal symbol of triumph and peace, demonstrating the Russian Empire's role as a bringer of peace to the Greeks. Finally, the épée and globe, and the words 'Victor' on the plinth, collectively point to a triumphant military campaign. 
 
Dressed in traditional Greek dress, Nicholas wears Greece's blue and white national colours. His type of trousers, gilet and slippers were likely commissioned to commemorate the establishment of the oligarchic Septinsular Republic under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islands in 1800. When Alexander I came to the throne in March 1801, Russia was in a state of hostility with most of Europe, though its armies were not actually fighting; its only ally was its traditional enemy, the Ottomans. As such, the establishment of the Septinsular Republic marked a victory in an increasingly unsettled time during Russian foreign policy. The Republic was established after a joint Russo-Ottoman fleet captured the islands and ended a two-year rule by the French Republic, marking the first time Greeks had been granted self-government since the fall of the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in 1460. 
 
Pietro Labruzzi's elder brother, Carlo Labruzzi (1748 - 1817), was also a well-known artist achieving official recognition, boasting several international and high-profile patrons. Carlo Labruzzi executed a number of commissions for the Russian court: for example, his View of The Colosseum from the Palatine (signed and dated 1780) is in the Pavlovsk Palace, near St. Petersburg (p. 8, Dickinson).

Pavlovsk Palace is an 18th-century Russian Imperial residence built by the order of Catherine the Great for her son Grand Duke Paul, in Pavlovsk, within Saint Petersburg. After Grand Duke Paul's death, it became the residence of his widow, the Empress Maria Feodorovna (1759–1828), the mother of both Emperor Alexander I of Russia and Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. As such, there is plausible evidence to suggest that Carlo's brother would have been surrounded by the young Nicholas I, and if Pietro himself was not painting Nicholas from life, it is likely he would have been painting from sketches his brother made while at the Russian court.