Alexander III by S. Zaryanko (v. 1855, priv. coll.), Sergey Zaryanko, circa 1855

Sergei konstantinov zarianko (1818-1871), portrait of tsar alexander iii, oil on oval canvas, signed, circa 1855, 78x71 cm this work by sergei zarianko, portrait and interior painter trained at the imperial academy of arts in st. Petersburg, demonstrates the artist's desire to stay as close as possible to reality. According to zarianko, the objective of art is to be in effect an imitation of nature, a portrait having to be almost inseparable from the living model. The precision of his lines, representative of the school of alexei venetsianov (1780-1847), his capacity for observation and his interest in naturalistic representation are therefore found in this portrait of tsar alexander iii, emperor of russia from 1881-1894. Rosalind p. Gray, russian genre painting in the nineteenth century, oxford university press, 2000 provenance: according to family tradition, the work left russia towards the end of the 19th century. By the ignatiev line. By succession the work became the property of the von bochs then the sarasins and has remained in the same family to this day. Date: circa 1855.