Representations of the Monarch

Last week, I mentioned that Peter the Great ushered in a new era for Russia in a number of different realms: politically, militarily, socially, and artistically.  Russia’s government recruited foreigners to staff civil service and military posts.  Russia’s government also became involved in the internal politics of Europe, as Peter married off family members to European royal families.  In addition, the very architecture of St. Petersburg shows a distinctly Western style.  Russia’s military also took a decisively Western turn when Peter introduced shipbuilding to the previously landlocked tsardom.

But we also note a distinct turn to the West in artistic production.   Here is Peter the Great’s father, Alexis I:

The style here is reminiscent of Russian icon painting. More importantly for our purposes here, Alexis is portrayed in a traditional tsarist outfit, include his fur-lined hat and regal robe. He is also depicted in a religious setting.

This artistic style can be seen in an early depiction of Peter, from the 1670s:

Let us compare these 17th century Muscovite paintings with an image of Peter that appeared in 1698:

This represents a radical break from the previous images in a number of ways – all in the span of a single generation:
1. Peter is pictured in shining armor, as a Western-style king.
2. While his father Alexis was portrayed in a religious setting, Peter is pictured in a Western-style building, with a window looking out the the sea.
3. Through the window, a number of ships are visible – indicating the navy that Peter had only just constructed.
4. Peter is pictured without his traditional garments and without the fur-lined hat.
5. Peter is also beardless.

If the portrait of Alexis shows us how the tsars were expected to be portrayed, Peter’s shows just how much had changed during even the early stages of his reign. Particularly significant is the fact that not a single element of Alexis’s regal style has been retained – the setting, the background, the light, the theme, the style, and the dress all represent complete breaks with tradition.

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