DavidsSamlingGennem24År

21/1962 Portrait of Grand Duke Paul of Russia Vigilius Eriksen, St Petersburg 1764 Oils on canvas. H:61, W:49 without frame Inscribed above Grand Duke Paul’s right arm are the words “V. Eriksen Pixt. 1764”. This is probably the portrait that was given to Catherine II (1729-1796) on her son’s 10 th birthday, and she was so delighted with it that she commissioned Eriksen to repeat it jull-length; there are also a number of workshop repetitions of the half-length portrait. Grand Duke Paul (1754-1801) wears a rose-pink suit and the blue ribbon, star and cross of the Order of St Andrew, likewise a black bow tie. His features are still childish, without trace of his mother’sfrequent neglect of him. It was not until the age of 42 that he was able to assume his rightful place on the throne. Vigilius Eriksen (1722-1782) was born and educated in Denmark, but left the country after having competed in vain for the Gold Medal of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1757 wefind him in St Petersburg, where after Catherine’s seizure ofpower in 1762 he became Court Painter and won wide acclaim for his cool, formal, lifelike portraits. In 1772 he returned to Copenhagen and was immediately appointed Court Painter. In the Museum this portrait of the Grand Duke hangs as a pendant to another Eriksen portrait, of the Empress in her coronation robes, and in between them stands an escritoire by David Roentgen, from the 1780s, which originates from The Hermitage.

2 1 /1 9 6 2 P o r tr æ t a f s to r f y r s t P a u l a f R u s la n d V ig iliu s E rik s e n , S k t. P e te r s b o r g 1764 O lie p å læ rre d . H :6 1 , B :4 9 u d e n r a m m e »V. E r ik s e n P ix t. 1764« s tå r d e r a t læ se o v e r s to r ­ f y r s t P a u ls h ø jr e a rm . P o r tr æ tte t e r f o r m o d e n tlig d e t, s o m b le v o v e r r a k t K a th a r in a II (1 7 2 9 -1 7 9 6 ) p å s ø n n e n s ti å rs fø d s e ls d a g , o g h u n b le v så b e g e js tr e t f o r d e t, a t h u n b e o r d re d e E rik s e n til a t g e n ta g e d e t i h e l fig u r, lig e s o m d e r fin d e s e n d e l v æ r k s te d s ­ g e n ta g e ls e r a f h a lv f ig u r p o r tr æ tte t. S to r f y r s t P a u l (1 7 5 4 -1 8 0 1 ) e r if ø r t e n ro s a d r a g t m e d S k t. A n - d r e a s o rd e n e n s b lå b å n d , s tje rn e o g k o r s s a m t et s o r t h a ls b å n d . H a n s a n s ig t e r e n d n u b a r n lig t, u d e n s p o r a f m o d e r e n s m a n g e tils id e s æ tte ls e r a f h a m - f ø r s t 42 å r g a m m e l k u n n e h a n in d ta g e sin r e tm æ s ­ sig e p la d s p å tro n e n . V ig iliu s E rik s e n (1 7 2 2 -1 7 8 2 ) fø d te s o g u d d a n ­ n e d e s i D a n m a r k , m e n f o rlo d la n d e t e fte r f o r g æ ­ v e s a t h a v e k o n k u r r e r e t o m K u n s ta k a d e m ie ts g u ld m e d a lje . 1757 f in d e r v i h a m i S k t. P e te r s b o r g , h v o r h a n e fte r K a th a rin a s m a g to v e rta g e ls e i 1762 b le v h o f m a le r o g o p n å e d e s to r a n e rk e n d e ls e fo r sin e k ø lig e , a fm å lte o g v e llig n e n d e p o r tr æ tte r . 1 772 v e n d te h a n tilb a g e til K ø b e n h a v n o g u d ­ n æ v n te s s tra k s til h o fm a le r. I m u s e e t h æ n g e r s to rf y r s te n s p o r tr æ t s o m e n p e n d a n t til e t a n d e t E r ik s e n - p o r tr æ t a f m o d e r e n i k r o n in g s d r a g t, o g im e lle m d e m s tå r e n s e k re tæ r a f D a v id R o e n tg e n fra 1 7 8 0 ’e rn e , d e r s ta m m e r fra E r e m ita g e n .