Portrait of Count N.B. Yusupov

Füger employs a chiaroscuro effect, allowing light to model the count’s face and garments while the surrounding space recedes into darkness. The smooth rendering of fabric and the subtle gradations of tone reflect the classicist emphasis on clarity and idealized form, even as the composition retains a decorative flair associated with the Rococo period.

After its creation, the portrait entered the Yusupov family collection before being transferred to the State Hermitage Museum, where it remains on display. The painting’s movement from private aristocratic ownership to a public institution mirrors the broader dispersal of noble art holdings during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Füger, a leading figure of German classicism, was known for both portraiture and historical subjects. This work illustrates his ability to blend classicist restraint with the lighter, ornamental qualities of Rococo, situating the portrait within the transitional aesthetic currents of late‑18th‑century European art.