Portrait of Georgiy Emmanuel, Russian General 1825

George Dawe painted this portrait of Georgiy Emmanuel, Russian General, in 1821. As a military man, Emmanuel would have been considered one of the pillars of the Russian state, and this portrait, now hanging in the Hermitage Museum, helps cement that status. We can see this in the way Dawe has painted him in his formal military attire, complete with epaulettes and multiple medals. It is worth noting that Dawe was an English portraitist who made a name for himself painting the Russian military elite of the early 19th century. Russia had only just played a pivotal role in defeating Napoleon, and this painting is part of a broader effort to celebrate and commemorate that victory. It is no accident that so many portraits of Russian generals can be found in the Hermitage, which was itself closely associated with the Tsarist state. By researching figures like Emmanuel, we can better understand the complex social and institutional contexts in which art is created and consumed.