Portrait of Luke Alekseevich Denisiev

“Portrait of Luke Alekseevich Denisiev” - a painting by George Dow and his workshop from the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace.

George Dow and the workshop

Portrait of Luke Alekseevich Denisiev . Around 1826-1827

Canvas, oil. 70 × 62.5 cm

State Hermitage Museum , St. Petersburg

( inv. GE-7939 )

The picture is a chest portrait of Major General Luke Alekseevich Denisiev from the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace ^[1] .

Since the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Major General Denisiev was the chief of the Seversky Dragoon Regiment and commanded the 19th cavalry brigade, fought against the Austro-Saxon auxiliary corps in Volyn , Mogilev and Grodno provinces, distinguished himself in the battle on Berezina . In the overseas campaigns of 1813-1814 he distinguished himself in battles on the Rhine and at Fer-Champenoise , was at the capture of Paris ^[2] .

Depicted in the officer’s uniform of the Seversky Dragoon Regiment, introduced in 1816, with general epaulettes of the mid-1820s model, a lunar bandage was thrown over his shoulder. On the left on the chest is a star of the Order of St. Anne of the 1st degree; on the neck there are crosses of the orders of St. George of the 3rd class and St. Vladimir of the 2nd degree; on board the uniform a cross of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle of the 2nd degree; a silver medal “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812” on the St. Andrew’s ribbon and a bronze noble medal “In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812” on the Vladimir’s ribbon , under the band, a star of the Order of St. Vladimir of the 2nd degree ^[3] . Signature on the frame: L. A. Denisiev 1st, General Mayor . Denisiev’s regimental uniform was mistakenly depicted, since general positions were abolished in army regiments since September 1814, and Denisiev himself was retired from 1816 ^[4] and therefore could not be registered in the regiment, so he did not have the right to wear a regimental uniform . Also, due to his early resignation, he could not wear general epaulettes of the 1820s model.

On August 7, 1820, the Denisiev Attestation Committee of the General Staff was included in the list of “generals deserving to be written in the gallery” and on February 16, 1822, Emperor Alexander I ordered his portrait to be painted. The Dow fee was paid on March 24, 1825 and June 21, 1827. The finished portrait was taken to the Hermitage on July 8, 1827. Since the previous delivery of the finished portraits to the Hermitage took place on October 18, 1826, the gallery portrait of Denisiev can be considered executed between these dates ^[5] .