Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia (1672-1725), Godfrey Kneller, Signed and dated 1698

Portrait of russian tsar peter i the great by godfrey kneller (1698). This portrait was peter's gift to king of england william iii. It was painted in 1698 when, between 11 january and 21 april, peter the great was in london visiting william iii. This was part of his famous "grand embassy" of 1697-8 a diplomatic mission which turned into a fact-finding tour of the more advanced countries of western europe. The tzar was especially inetrested in the ship-building of the dutch and english, having begun the constrauction of a russian navy in 1695. The tzar is here shown wearing armour with an embroidered gold, ermine-lined cloak, his crown on a cushion in a niche; ships can bee seen at manoeuvres through a window. Object Type: painting. Genre: portrait. Date: Signed and dated 1698. Dimensions: height: 241.2 cm (94.9 in); width: 145.4 cm (57.2 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Depicted People: Peter the Great. Collection: Royal Collection. Peter I by Kneller