Watercolor "Equestrian portrait of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich" in the uniform of an officer of His Imperial Majestys Hussar Life Guards Regiment, in a frame under glass. In the center of the composition, the prince himself on a white horse deployed to the front, as required by the iconography of the ceremonial portrait. Depth that unfolds from the bush in the foreground to the gilded domes of the church on the horizon. The figure of the rider is replaced by a high culture of writing and skill of the draftsman. The reins and the cut of the saddle form a pyramid, the top of which forms a shako. The rise of the saddle and the figure of the horse form a diagonal which is balanced by the vertical fit of the figure and the saber continuing the line of symmetry. Especially colloristic and rhythmically enlivened by the portrait is the Andreev ribbon, taken from a cross to a cross with a gold lacing of a mentic. Benckendorffs signature is in the lower right corner.
Origin: For Sale Auction Bonhams "Russian Sales", November 27, 2006, Lot 25.
Author′s signature and date in the lower right corner,
