Ceremonial portrait. Ceremonial portrait (by the example of Nikitin and Antropov) The ceremonial portrait should have

Diego Velazquez (?), Copy of the original by Rubens, "Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV"

Ceremonial portrait, representative portrait - a subtype of portrait, characteristic of court culture. Received special development during the period of developed absolutism. Its main task is not only to convey visual similarity, but also to exalt the customer, to liken the person depicted to a deity (in the case of portraying a monarch) or a monarch (in the case of portraying an aristocrat).

Characteristic

As a rule, it involves showing a person in full growth (on a horse, standing or sitting). In a ceremonial portrait, the figure is usually shown against an architectural or landscape background; greater elaboration makes it close to a narrative picture, which implies not only impressive dimensions, but also an individual figurative structure.

The artist depicts the model, focusing the viewer's attention on the social role of the person depicted. Since the main role of the ceremonial portrait was ideological, this caused some one-sided characterization: an emphasized theatricality of the pose and a rather magnificent entourage (columns, draperies, regalia, symbols of power in the portrait of the monarch), which overshadowed the spiritual properties of the model. Nevertheless, in the best works of the genre, the model appears in an emphatically given version, which turns out to be very expressive.

The ceremonial portrait is characterized by frank demonstrativeness and the desire to "historicize" the depicted one. This affects the color scheme, which is invariably elegant, decorative and meets the coloristic characteristics of the interior (although, depending on the style of the era, it changes, becoming local and bright in the Baroque, softened and full of half-tones in the Rococo, restrained in classicism).

Subtypes

Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait is:

- Coronation (less common throne)
- Equestrian
- In the form of a commander (military)
- A hunter's portrait adjoins the ceremonial one, but it can also be intimate.
  - Half-parade - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a half-length or generational cut and sufficiently developed accessories

Coronation portrait

Coronation portrait - a solemn image of the monarch "on the day of his coronation", accession to the throne, in coronation regalia (crown, mantle, with a scepter and orb), usually full-length (sometimes there is a seated throne portrait).

“The imperial portrait was conceived as an imprint for centuries of the most important state idea at the moment. Unchangeable forms played a significant role in demonstrating the enduring value of the present, the stability of state power, etc. In this sense, the so-called. “Coronation portrait”, which presupposes the image of the ruler with the attributes of power and claims the same sacred constancy as the coronation ceremony itself. Indeed, from the time of Peter the Great, when Catherine I was first crowned under the new rules, to the era of Catherine II, this type of portrait underwent only slight variations. Empresses - Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II - majestically rise above the world, imitating in silhouette an unshakable pyramid. The royal immobility is also emphasized by the heavy coronation garment with a mantle, the symbolic weight of which is equivalent to the crown, scepter and orb, which invariably accompanied the image of the autocrat. "

Most often, pictorial representations of royalty (and especially in the 18th century) are formed on the basis of ceremonial portraits, from which copies were actively removed and distributed. Such portraits can be “read”, because the model on them is always placed in such an environment that contributes to the creation of a sense of significance, unusualness, solemnity of the image, and each of the details contains a hint of the real or imaginary merits and qualities of the person we see in front of us.
It is impossible not to admire most of the ceremonial portraits. But the question of how much the portrait corresponds to reality remains open.

So, for example, the image of Catherine I, created by Jean-Marc Nattier in 1717:

But the more intimate portrait of Catherine in a peignoir, painted Louis Caravacom in the 1720s.
It seems that the researchers came to the conclusion that initially the empress was depicted with a neckline in the portrait, and then a blue ribbon appeared, which can be understood as an allusion to the ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew and the high status of the person. The only hint.

Louis Caravac received the appointment of the official court painter - gofmaler only under Anna Ioannovna, but before that he managed to paint a number of portraits of the family of Peter the Great. Among them there are several unusual ones by modern standards.
Firstly, I personally immediately remember the portrait tsarevich Peter Petrovich in the image of Cupid

Here, of course, it should be said that Russia adopted the rococo gallantry from Europe along with its special atmosphere of masquerade, playing the heroes and gods of ancient mythology, and demeanors, which could not but affect the pictorial tradition.
And yet, there is something peculiar in the fact that we see little Peter, "Lump", as his loving parents, who pinned great hopes on him, called him. But the birth of this boy, who did not even live four years, as well as his relatively good health at first, actually predetermined the fate of Tsarevich Alexei.
We can also imagine the elder sister of Peter Petrovich Elizabeth, recalling the portrait by the same Caravak, painted in 1750:

Or a portrait by his student Ivan Vishnyakov, painted in 1743:

But even during the life of the empress, another portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna, painted by Karavak in the middle of the 1710s, in which she is depicted in the image of the goddess Flora, enjoyed great success:

The future empress is depicted naked and lying on a blue, ermine-lined mantle - a sign of belonging to the imperial family. In her right hand, she holds a miniature with a portrait of Peter I, to the frame of which St. Andrew's blue ribbon is attached.
Yes, tradition, but there is also a certain kind of piquancy in this image. An interesting remark about the portrait was left by NN Wrangel: “Here is a little girl, an eight-year-old undressed child with the body of an adult girl. She reclining, coquettishly holding the portrait of her father and smiling so affectionately and tenderly, as if now thinking about Saltykov, Shubin, Sivers , Razumovsky, Shuvalov and all others whom this beautiful creature loved afterwards. "
However, he also noted that Elizabeth had many images.
Here is Elizaveta Petrovna in a man's suit that suited her like this:

A.L. Weinberg considered the portrait to be Caravac's work and dated it to 1745. S.V. Rimskaya-Korsakova believed that this was a student copy of Levitsky from the work of Antropov, going back to the iconographic type of Caravak.

And here is another portrait of Elizabeth in a man's suit - the textbook "Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on a Horse with a Little Little Mac", written by Georg Christoph Groot in 1743:

This portrait can be called ceremonial. There is the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, a blue moire ribbon with a sign, a marshal's baton in the Empress's hand, a Transfiguration uniform, as well as the fact that Elizaveta Petrovna sits on a horse like a man, and a military fleet visible in the bay.
There is also Caravak's "Portrait of a Boy in a Hunting Suit", about which various versions were built. They called him the Portrait of Peter II, and the portrait of Peter III and ... the portrait of Elizabeth. For some reason, the latest version is very close to me.

There are a lot of ceremonial portraits of Catherine II. They were painted both by foreigners invited to Russia and by Russian artists. One can recall, for example, the portrait of Catherine in front of a mirror painted by Vigilius Eriksen, in which the artist uses a peculiar technique that allows him to show the empress both in profile and in full face.

The profile image of the Empress served for the ceremonial portrait painted by Rokotov:

Catherine herself apparently loved another portrait painted by Eriksen, depicting her on horseback:

Still would! After all, the portrait symbolizes the fateful day for the empress on June 28, 1762, when she, at the head of the conspirators, goes to Oranienbaum to carry out a palace coup. Catherine sits astride her famous horse Brilliant and is dressed in a military style - she is wearing the uniform of an officer of the Guards infantry.
The portrait was a tremendous success at court, at the request of the empress he repeated his work three times, varying the size of the canvas.

Eriksen also wrote a portrait of Catherine II in shugai and kokoshnik:

One can recall the casual portrait of Catherine II in a traveling suit, painted by Mikhail Shibanov, an artist about whom almost nothing is known. Is it just that he was close to Potemkin ?:

I remember the casual portraits of Catherine the Great, it is impossible to ignore the image created by Borovikovsky.

The artist showed Catherine II "at home", in a cloak and a cap. In her advanced years, a lady leisurely strolls along the alleys of Tsarskaselskiy Park, leaning on a staff. Next to her is her beloved dog, an English Italian greyhound.
The idea of \u200b\u200bsuch an image probably originated in the literary and artistic circle of Nikolai Lvov and is closely connected with a new trend in art, called sentimentalism. It is significant that the portrait of Catherine II was not executed from life. There is evidence that the artist was posed by her beloved chamber-jungfer (room servant) Perekusikhin, dressed in the dress of the empress.
By the way, it is quite interesting that in the 18th century only 8 official court painters worked in Russia, among whom only one was Russian, and even that ended his life almost tragically. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russian artists did not have the opportunity to paint emperors and empresses alive.
For this work, Borovikovsky, about whom Lampi was bothering, was awarded the title of "appointed" academician. However, despite the recognition of the Academy of Arts, the Empress did not like the portrait and was not acquired by the palace department.
But it was in this image that Pushkin also captured her in the "tale of honor" "The Captain's Daughter".

Characteristic

Subtypes

Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait is:

- Coronation (less common throne)
- Equestrian
- In the form of a commander (military)
- A hunter's portrait adjoins the ceremonial one, but it can also be intimate.
  - Half-parade - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a half-length or generational cut and sufficiently developed accessories

Coronation portrait

“The imperial portrait was conceived as an imprint for centuries of the most important state idea at the moment. Unchangeable forms played a significant role in demonstrating the enduring value of the present, the stability of state power, etc. In this sense, the so-called. “Coronation portrait”, which presupposes the image of the ruler with the attributes of power and claims the same sacred constancy as the coronation ceremony itself. Indeed, from the time of Peter the Great, when Catherine I was first crowned under the new rules, to the era of Catherine II, this type of portrait underwent only slight variations. Empresses - Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II - majestically rise above the world, imitating in silhouette an unshakable pyramid. The royal immobility is also emphasized by the heavy coronation dress with a mantle, the symbolic weight of which is equivalent to the crown, scepter and orb, which invariably accompanied the image of the autocrat.

Permanent attributes:

columns designed to highlight the stability of government
draperies, likened to a theater curtain just opened, revealing a wonderful phenomenon to the audience

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Notes

Excerpt characterizing the ceremonial portrait

Kutuzov retreated to Vienna, destroying the bridges on the rivers Inna (in Braunau) and Traun (in Linz). On October 23rd, Russian troops crossed the Ens River. Russian carts, artillery and columns of troops in the middle of the day stretched through the city of Enns, on this and on the other side of the bridge.
The day was warm, autumnal and rainy. The spacious perspective, opening from the dais, where the Russian batteries were standing, protecting the bridge, then suddenly covered with a muslin curtain of slanting rain, then suddenly expanded, and in the light of the sun, far and clearly objects became visible as if covered with varnish. The town could be seen underfoot with its white houses and red roofs, a cathedral and a bridge, on both sides of which, crowding, poured masses of Russian troops. At the turn of the Danube one could see ships, an island, and a castle with a park, surrounded by the waters of the confluence of the Ens into the Danube, the left rocky and pine-covered bank of the Danube with a mysterious distance of green peaks and bluing gorges could be seen. The towers of the monastery were visible, protruding from behind a pine, seemingly untouched, wild forest; far ahead on the mountain, on the other side of Ens, the enemy patrols were visible.
Between the guns, at a height, stood in front the commander of the arier-guard, the general with the officer of the retinue, examining the terrain through the pipe. Somewhat behind sat on the trunk of a gun Nesvitsky, sent from the commander-in-chief to the arierguard.
The Cossack accompanying Nesvitsky handed over a purse and a flask, and Nesvitsky treated the officers to pies and real doppelkümel. The officers happily surrounded him, some on their knees, some sitting in Turkish on the wet grass.
- Yes, this Austrian prince was not a fool who built a castle here. Nice place. What are you not eating, gentlemen? - said Nesvitsky.
- I humbly thank you, prince, - answered one of the officers, talking with pleasure with such an important staff official. - Beautiful place. We passed the park itself, saw two deer, and what a wonderful house!
“Look, prince,” said another, who really wanted to take another pie, but was ashamed, and who therefore pretended that he was looking around the area, “look, our infantrymen have already got there. Over there, on a meadow, behind the village, three are dragging something. "They're going to take this palace," he said with visible approval.
- And then, and then, - said Nesvitsky. “No, but what I would wish for,” he added, chewing a pie in his beautiful wet mouth, “is to get over there.
He pointed to a monastery with towers on the mountain. He smiled, his eyes narrowed and lit up.
- But it would be good, gentlemen!
The officers laughed.
- If only to scare these nuns. Italians say there are young ones. Indeed, I would give five years of my life!
“They’re bored, after all,” said the bolder officer, laughing.
Meanwhile the officer of the suite, standing in front, was pointing something out to the general; the general looked through the telescope.
- Well, it is, it is, - the general said angrily, lowering the pipe from his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, - it is, they will start hitting the crossing. And why are they lingering there?
On the other side, the enemy and his battery were visible with the naked eye, from which a milky white smoke appeared. A long-range shot rang out in the wake of the smoke, and it was clear how our troops hurried across the crossing.
Nesvitsky, panting, got up and, smiling, went up to the general.
- Would you like to have a snack for your Excellency? - he said.
- It's not a good thing, - said the general, without answering him, - ours hesitated.
- Shouldn't I go, Your Excellency? - said Nesvitsky.
“Yes, go, please,” the general said, repeating what had already been ordered in detail, “and tell the hussars to cross the last and light the bridge, as I ordered, so that the combustible materials on the bridge still be examined.

Stefano Torelli. "Coronation portrait of Catherine II"

Diego Velazquez (?), Copy of the original by Rubens, "Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV"

Characteristic

Subtypes

Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait is:

- Coronation (less common throne)
- Equestrian
- In the form of a commander (military)
- A hunter's portrait adjoins the ceremonial one, but it can also be intimate.
  - Half-parade - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a half-length or generational cut and sufficiently developed accessories

In painting - one of the most fruitful. The image of a person, the subtlest and soulful reproduction of his features on canvas touched people of different classes and wealth. These images were half-length and full-length, in the landscape and in the interior. The greatest artists sought to capture not only individual features, but also convey the mood, the inner world of their model.

Court genre

Portraits are genre, allegorical, etc. And what is a ceremonial portrait? It is a kind of historical. This genre arose at the court during the reign of monarchs. The meaning and purpose of the authors of the ceremonial portrait was not just the ability to convey as accurately as possible, but to write in such a way as to glorify and exalt a person. The masters of this genre almost always received wide popularity, and their work was generously paid by customers, because usually ceremonial portraits were ordered by noble persons - tsars and their high-ranking confidants. And if the painter identified the monarch himself with a deity, then his dignitaries likened the reigning person.

Distinctive features

A stately figure in all the splendor of regalia and symbols of power, placed in a magnificent landscape, against the background of slender or in a lush interior - this is what a ceremonial portrait is. The social status of the hero of the canvas is brought to the fore. Such works were created in order to capture a person as a historical person. Often a person appears in the image in a somewhat pretentious, theatrical pose, designed to emphasize her importance. The mental structure and inner life were not the subject of depiction. Here, on the faces of the aristocrats, we will not see anything except a frozen solemn, majestic expression.

Era and style

What is a ceremonial portrait from the point of view of the style of the era? This is an attempt to "historicize" reality in the faces of significant figures, inscribing them in a time-significant environment and setting. The general coloring of such paintings was elegant and pompous, in decorative and exquisite it turned out to be in the Rococo times, acquired solemn restraint and clarity in classicism.

Varieties of ceremonial portrait

The parade can be divided into several types: coronation, in the image of a commander, equestrian, hunting, semi-parade.

The most important, from an ideological point of view, was the coronation portrait, in which the artist captured the emperor on the day of accession to the throne. Here were all the attributes of power - the crown, mantle, orb and scepter. More often the monarch was portrayed in full growth, sometimes - sitting on the throne. The background of the portrait was a heavy drapery, reminiscent of a theater backstage, designed to reveal to the world something that goes beyond the ordinary, and columns symbolizing the inviolability of the monarch's power.

This is how we see Catherine the Great in a brush portrait created in 1770. The portrait of Jean Auguste Ingres "Napoleon on the throne" (1804) was painted in the same genre.

Often, a ceremonial portrait of the 18th century represented a regal person in the form of a military man. In the portrait of Paul the First, created by Stepan Shchukin in 1797, the monarch is depicted in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment.

A portrait in a military uniform with awards indicated a certain status of the person embodied on the canvas. Usually, such masterpieces captured glorious commanders after significant victories. History knows numerous images of Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Fyodor Ushakov.

The paintings of European masters eloquently demonstrate what a ceremonial portrait of a ruler on a horse is. One of the most famous is Titian's canvas, on which the greatest Italian painter of the Renaissance depicted Charles V riding a stately stallion in 1548. The Austrian court painter Georg Prenner painted an equestrian portrait of the Empress with her retinue (1750-1755). The impetuous grace of the magnificent horses embodies the queen's bold and ambitious plans.

A hunting portrait, in which an aristocrat was most often depicted in the company of hounds or with game in a proudly raised hand, could symbolize masculinity, agility and strength of a nobleman.

The half-parade portrait met all the basic requirements, but it represented a person in a half-length execution, and not in full growth.

Interest in this genre continues to this day.

Characteristic

Subtypes

Coronation portrait

Characteristic

Subtypes

Coronation portrait

see also

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Notes

Excerpt characterizing the ceremonial portrait

Characteristic

Subtypes

Court genre

Distinctive features

Era and style

Varieties of ceremonial portrait