Lot 487: Alexander Briullov (1798-1877)

Alexander Briullov (1798-1877)
Portrait of Alexei Illarionovich Filosofov (1799-1874)
signed in Cyrillic 'A. Brulloff' (lower right)
watercolour, heightened with white and with gum arabic in places, on paper laid down on card
8 5/8 x 7 in. (21.6 x 17.4 cm.)
Executed circa 1835

Moscow, Museum of Private Collections, Pushkin's Contemporaries: 100 Portraits in Watercolour from a Parisian Collection, May - July 1999. Moscow, Pushkin Museum, Alexander Pavlovich Briullov. Russian intimate Portraits, 2008, no. 78.

M. Baruch & I. Sakharova, Russian Portraits in Watercolour, 1825-1855, Paris 1994, pp. 28 and 29, illustrated.

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As a graduate of the Pazhesky Korpus (Corps des Pages), an institution designed to prepare men for leading positions in the state and military, Alexei Illarionovich Filosofov began his service as aide-de-camp to the Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich in 1828. He served in the Russo-Persian war, the Russo-Turkish war during which he received a bullet wound to the left eyebrow and cheekbone in the siege of Silistra in 1829, in the Polish campaign of 1831 and in the Algerian Campaign in France for which he became a Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour. In 1838 Alexei Illarionovich was chosen by Nicholas I to help raise the Tsar's sons, the Grand Dukes Mikhail and Nicholas. He was appointed General Aide-de-Camp to the Tsar in 1842 and guardian to the young Grand Dukes in 1852.

When this portrait was executed Filosov held the rank of Colonel and had already received the Order of St George (4th Class) and Order of St Vladimir (3rd Class).
We would like to thank A. M. Gorshman for identifying the sitter.