Portrait of m. F. Soymonov early 1800s bone, watercolor, gouache. 7. 1 × 5. 7 (oval) mikhail fyodorovich soymonov (15 may 1730, moscow – 17 october 1804, moscow) was the son of an actual privy councillor, vice-admiral, senator, and famous hydrographer and cartographer f. I. Soymonov (1692–1780), who was exiled to siberia in connection with the case of a. P. Volynsky. At the age of 8, he was sent to study at the academy of sciences; in 1742, he was enlisted as a bombardier in the artillery and sent to the artillery school. In 1753, he was sent to siberia to describe arable lands in the nerchinsk district and measure the fairway of the shilka river. He was then promoted to lieutenant and sent back to siberia to describe the chinese border and fortify nerchinsk. From 1763 - chief prosecutor of the 3rd department of the senate with promotion to major general. From 1771 - director of the mining collegium and mints. In 1773, on his initiative, the mining school (later the mining institute) was established. From 1796 - privy councilor and senator. In 1801, due to illness, he was dismissed from service. He is depicted in retirement, in a house suit, with the order of st. Andrew the first-called (granted in 1799), st. Alexander nevsky and st. Anne. The authorship of f. Kühnel was proposed by l. Yu. Rudneva based on the stylistic similarity of this miniature to his famous works. Provenance: collection of grand duke nikolai mikhailovich (1859-1919); private collection, barcelona; christie's auction "outstanding portrait miniatures and gold snuffboxes", london, november 27, 2007, lot no. 146. Literature: russian portraits of the 18th and 19th centuries. Edition of grand duke nikolai mikhailovich. St. Petersburg, 1906, v. 2, ill. 189.
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