Portrait of Pyotr Kh. (Ludwig Adolf Peter) Wittgenstein (1768/69-1843)

Dawe employs a precise, almost photographic approach, detailing the texture of the fabric, the intricate braiding on the epaulets, and the reflective surfaces of the medals. The palette balances muted earth tones of the coat with the bright metallic highlights, while the background remains subdued, keeping focus on the figure’s attire and facial features.

An Englishman who settled in Saint Petersburg in 1819, Dawe was commissioned to produce over three hundred portraits for the Winter Palace’s Military Gallery.

An Englishman who settled in Saint Petersburg in 1819, Dawe was commissioned to produce over three hundred portraits for the Winter Palace’s Military Gallery. This particular canvas was among those works, contributing to his reputation among Russian patrons and earning commendation from contemporaries such as Alexander Pushkin. Dawe died in 1829, leaving a substantial body of portraiture in the Russian imperial collection.

The portrait belongs to a broader program of commemorating Russian military leaders after the 1812 campaign, a period when the state sought to celebrate the heroes who repelled the French advance. Dawe’s role as a foreign artist hired for this national project illustrates the cross‑cultural artistic exchanges taking place in early‑19th‑century Saint Petersburg.