Valentin Serov

Portrait of His Imperial Majesty Nicolai II Alexandrvitch, Tsar of All the Russias (1868-1918)

About this artwork

This striking, impressionistic portrait shows Nicholas II, the last Tsar of the Russian Empire, who ruled from 1894 until his abdication and subsequent execution along with his immediate family during the Russian Revolution. The artist has created a sense of immediacy, skilfully capturing Nicholas’s likeness, as well as the remarkable similarity to his first cousin, the British King George V. Tsar Nicholas wears the full-dress uniform of the Royal Scots Greys, the regiment to which he was appointed as colonel-in-chief by Queen Victoria in 1894. He wore this uniform at several events during a visit to Scotland in 1896 with his wife, Tsarina Alexandra. For the duration of their visit, a contingent of the Scots Greys acted as the Imperial escort.

Updated before 2020

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Valentin Serov

Valentin Serov