Portrait of Nikolai N. Khovansky (1777-1837)

Dawe employed oil paint on canvas to execute the portrait, utilizing a palette dominated by deep blacks, crimson red, and burnished gold against a somber, atmospheric background of muted brown and greenish tones. Light falls from the left, illuminating the general's face and the gold elements of his uniform while leaving much of the dark coat in shadow. The brushwork varies across the surface, appearing smooth and blended in the rendering of the face, but becoming more textured in the handling of the epaulettes and background. The painting's surface currently exhibits extensive craquelure throughout.

The portrait was created in 1822, though some records date the work no later than 1825. It was painted during Dawe's residence in St. Petersburg, which lasted from 1819 to 1829. The commission came directly from Tsar Alexander I, who sought to have the senior Russian military staff immortalized for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. The painting has remained in this original location, now part of the State Hermitage Museum collection in St. Petersburg. Dawe worked on this massive commission with the assistance of Alexander Polyakov and Wilhelm August Golicke between 1822 and 1828.

George Dawe was an English painter born in 1781, the son of mezzotint engraver Philip Dawe. Initially trained as an engraver, he later studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, winning a gold medal in 1803 and becoming an Academician in 1814. He gained early praise for classical subjects but shifted to portraiture for financial success. In 1819, traveling with the Duke of Kent, his portrait work brought him to the attention of Alexander I, leading to the Russian commission. Dawe became a celebrity in Europe, mingling with the Russian intellectual elite, including Alexander Pushkin, who wrote a poem about him. In 1828, he was appointed First Portrait Painter of the Imperial Court by Nicholas I.

The significant body of work Dawe created in Russia, including the Portrait of Nikolai N. Khovansky, remains housed in the Military Gallery of the Hermitage Museum. While Dawe enjoyed international celebrity during his lifetime, his popularity did not endure in England after his death in 1829. However, in Russia, his portraits of the Napoleonic era generals continue to be well-known and held in high regard. Beyond the Hermitage, many of his paintings are also included in the British Royal Collection, preserving the legacy of his cross-cultural artistic career.