Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev

Light falls evenly from the left, illuminating the admiral's face and the gold elements of his uniform against the darker interior space at the right.

Schwede executed the portrait in oil on canvas, employing a palette dominated by dark blues and blacks for the uniform, contrasted with warm golds for the regalia, muted blues and yellows for the sky and sea, and deep reds for the patterned upholstery of the chair. The brushwork varies across the composition. The face and sky feature smooth, blended brushwork, while the gold epaulettes and braid exhibit a more textured impasto. Light falls evenly from the left, illuminating the admiral's face and the gold elements of his uniform against the darker interior space at the right. The painting's surface shows fine craquelure throughout, particularly concentrated in the darker areas of the composition.

The painting was created in Russia in 1844, during the later years of Lazarev's life while he served as commander of the Black Sea Fleet and military governor of Sevastopol and Nikolayev. Some historical captions have questioned the attribution to Robert Constantin Schwede, listing the author as anonymous, though institutional records at the Hermitage Museum attribute the work to Schwede. The painting eventually entered the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it remains today.

The 1844 portrait places Lazarev within the tradition of Russian military portraiture, commemorating his status as a high-ranking officer and mentor to prominent younger commanders like Pavel Nakhimov, Vladimir Kornilov, and Vladimir Istomin. Lazarev was a recipient of numerous honors, including the Order of St. George IV class, the Order of St. Vladimir first class, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, and the Order of the White Eagle, which underscored his prominence within the Imperial Russian Navy. Although Schwede's broader artistic career remains less documented in the provided sources, this work aligns with the era's practice of documenting senior military leadership.

The portrait preserves the likeness of a figure whose legacy extends far beyond his military rank. Lazarev is remembered as a discoverer of Antarctica and a key reformer of the Russian fleet, who advocated for steam-powered ships. His name has been given to numerous geographic locations, including the Lazarev Sea, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, and a settlement near Sochi. The Russian and Soviet navies have named multiple vessels after him, including a monitor built in 1867, a Sverdlov-class cruiser, and a Kirov-class battlecruiser renamed Admiral Lazarev after 1991. The minor planet 3660 Lazarev also bears his name.