A. N. Astafiev's portrait

A.N. Astafiev was a figure within the extended network of the Russian provincial nobility that provided much of Borovikovsky's clientele. This 1794 portrait, preserved in the National Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan, documents the wide dispersal of Russian portrait paintings across the former Russian Empire — Yerevan became part of the Russian Empire in 1828, and its national gallery subsequently acquired works that had circulated through imperial Russian collections. The relatively early date of 1794 places the work in Borovikovsky's first decade of St. Petersburg practice, when he was building his reputation among the lesser provincial nobility as well as the grandest families.

Oil on canvas with the confident, direct handling of an artist who had by 1794 fully established his technical approach. The face is modelled clearly, with the warm, controlled lighting that would become ever more refined in Borovikovsky's subsequent work. The costume and background are handled competently within the conventions of provincial society portraiture.