Józef Oleszkiewicz, Portrait of General Nikolai Svechin (1758-1850) (?)

Józef Oleszkiewicz (1777-1830)
Portrait of Infanterie General Nikolai Svechin (1758-1850) (?)
Before 1816, copper, oil, 40 × 33.3

This portrait, in a private collection, was painted in oil on copper panel in the early decades of the 19th century, during the Classical period. The portrait depicts a high-ranking military man whose status is reflected in his general's uniform and the very high decorations adorning his chest. Military historians of the Tsarist period identify the person as Nikolai Sergeyevich Svechin (1758-1850). This military and statesman, a former commandant of St Petersburg (1798) and general of infanterie (1800), was retired in 1805. During the War of 1812, he organised the training of soldiers, but did not participate directly in the fighting. He was honoured with all the highest imperial decorations, including the portrait of St. John of God. He is also the recipient of the most prestigious medals on his portrait, including the St. Vladimir and St. The latter he received in 1802.

In 1799, Svechin married a young, well-educated and mystically inclined religious woman
writer Sofya Petrovna Soymonova (1782-1857), whose spiritual quest had
significant consequences: in 1815, S. Svechina converted from Orthodoxy to the Catholic Church and
She converted to the Orthodox Church and eventually became one of the most famous converts of the 19th century. As a result of this decision, the Svechins were forced to
From 1816 onwards, the couple lived permanently in Paris (with a year's break in 1817, when the
for a short time in 1817). He was popular among Parisian intellectuals and the upper classes
Sophie Svechina's literary salon, which attracted people to the couple's home in the suburb of Saint-Germain
many European celebrities. The Svechins died in Paris and are buried in the Montmartre cemetery.

Svechin's portrait was to have been painted before the General left St Petersburg, i.e. before
Based on technological, stylistic and comparative studies, it can be attributed as the work of Joseph Oleshkevich, a renowned painter working in St Petersburg and one of the most famous portraitists of the Classical period (a technological examination of the portrait was carried out in 2018. The painting was examined by the Independent Research Agency named after P. M. Tretyakov). Oleshkevich was characterised by painting on copper plates, and several of his small-format works are known to have been painted on metal (Portrait of Fyodor Tolstoy, 1812, copper, oil, 28 × 21.1, in the collection of Dr. Junior Gumby; Portrait of a Young Man, 1822, copper, oil, 41.4 × 33, was sold at auction; Portrait of a Young Officer, 1819, copper, oil, 66 × 57, in the Tartle). The smooth, even painting, the expressive drawing and the balanced composition are in line with Oleshkevich's manner of painting, which was aptly described by Paulus Galaunė in 1927: 'all portraits depicted a seated figure at a table without the lower parts of the legs <...>. For all portraits he gave the same backgrounds, mostly perspective: part of the landscape can be seen through an open window or through a porch with Doric columns with a drapery hanging in between" (P. Galaunė, "Tapytojas Juozas Oleškevičius", Kaunas, 1927, p. 103).

Born in Šiluva, Lithuania, J. Oleškevičius studied painting with Franciszek from 1798.
Smuglevičius at Vilnius University, from 1803 to 1806 he studied painting in Paris, from 1810 to
mirties gyveno ir kūrė Peterburge, gavo Peterburgo dailės akademijos akademiko laipsnį ir
became a very popular portraitist of the upper classes. He was an active member of Masonic lodges,
He was known as a mystic and theosophist, a deeply religious and virtuous man. It is likely that
his interest in religious matters brought him closer to the Guests. On the other hand, the military
Oleškevičius painted more than once. It is interesting to compare the portrait with the one painted by Oleškevičius of the infanterie
Portrait of General Ivan Yakobi, preserved in the Vasily Tropinin Museum in Moscow (portrait
created before 1803, oil on cardboard, 22,8 × 15,5). The works share a small
format, similar posture of the sitter, analogous modelling of forms, meticulous
painted elements of clothing.

Oleškevičius' works rarely appear on the art market, so the hitherto unknown portrait
The discovery of a new artist's portrait is a significant contribution to the creative legacy of this as yet little-known artist.
research.
Dr. (hp), academician Rūta Janonienė