Anthelme-François Lagrenée (French, 1774-1832)

A soldier, painter and miniaturist, Lagrenée visited Russia in 1823 and worked for Tsar Alexander I. Born in Paris, he exhibited at the Paris Salon between 1799 and 1831. The portrait is traditionally believed to be of the famous Russian architect Andrei Voronikin (d. 1814) depicted with his family in the park at Pavlovsk Palace. The temple seen on the far right of the painting is traditionally believed to be the Temple of Friendship, however there is no representation of the River Slavianka and the Temple is not built on a steep hill as represented here. Voronikin was commissioned by Maria Feodorovna to restore and furnish Pavlovsk Palace after a fire in 1803.