Andrej Matwejew (XVIII), Attributed to - Portrait von Fürst Ivan Alexejewitsch Golizyn (1656-1729)

Portrait of Andrej Matwejew, a famous Russian portrait painter. Andrej Matwejew (Russian: Андрей Матвеевич Матвеев, 1701 – April 23, 1739) was a Russian artist. He was among the first portrait painters of the modern style in Russia. He was born in 1701 in Novgorod.
Peter the Great, who became aware of Matveyev's early works and was impressed by them, sent him to study in Europe. From 1716, he spent eleven years in the Netherlands and Flanders, working with Carel de Moor. From 1723 to 1727, he attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He was the first Russian artist to be trained exclusively outside Russia. He became a court painter in Saint Petersburg, where he died early in 1739.
The painting depicts Prince Ivan Alexeyevich Golizyn (1656-1729). Most descendants of this noble family now live in the USA, as they were persecuted and murdered by the Bolsheviks. The painting is created with oil paint on wood. Its size is 97 x 77 cm. With frame, it measures 114 x 93 cm. There is another painting by this artist of Golizyn, showing him in armor. The painting comes from the possession of a German noble family, whose name is known to the seller. The painting is labeled and dated on the back.