DESCRIPTION: Continental School (20th Century). Oil on canvas or linen on wood. Portrait of a young Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin in nineteenth century Russian general attire. Gagarin was born in Saint Petersburg to the noble Rurikid princely Gagarin family. His father, Prince Grigory Ivanovich Gagarin, was a Russian diplomat in France and later the ambassador to Italy. His father married in Saint Petersburg in 1809 his mother Yekaterina Petrovna Sojmonova. Thus until the age 13 the boy was with his family in Paris and Rome and then studied in the collegium Tolomei in Siena.Grigory did not receive a formal artistic education, but took private lessons from the famous Russian painter Karl Briullov who at that time lived in Italy. MEASUREMENTS: 45-5/8" x 36-3/8". CONDITION: Unframed. Scratches to edges consistent with handling. Eleven apparent scratches to surface. Minor scratches throughout. Evidence of repair to upper left side. Craquelure throughout. Losses, molding and and chips to bottom edge. UPDATE: Upon closer inspection, the painting appears to be 19th century canvas or linen mounted on wood. Black light inspection provided the following: Varnish hazy. Fluorescence to buttons. Dark spot near the top right edge (essentially parallel with the figure's face). Two minor dark lines on the right and left side and minor dark spots on the background and lower ground.

Upon closer inspection, the painting appears to be 19th century canvas or linen mounted on wood. Black light inspection provided the following: Varnish hazy. Fluorescence to buttons. Dark spot near the top right edge (essentially parallel with the figure's face). Two minor dark lines on the right and left side and minor dark spots on the background and lower ground.