Alexander Ivanovitch, Prince Chernichev (1786-1857)

Prince Alexander Chernichev, painted by Lawrence in 1818 for the Waterloo Chamber and now in the Royal Collection at Windsor, was one of the most intellectually adventurous of the Russian military figures Lawrence encountered on his European tour. Before the 1812 campaign, Chernichev had served as a Russian military attaché in Paris, gathering intelligence about French military preparations with the skill that eventually led to his being unmasked as a spy and forced to flee France in 1812 — arriving back in Russia just as Napoleon's Grande Armée was beginning its fatal invasion. His subsequent military career in the campaigns of 1812-14, during which he led cavalry operations deep into French-occupied territory, gave him the reputation for daring that made him a hero of the Patriotic War. Lawrence's portrait at 127.2 by 102.7 centimeters captures Chernichev in the post-war moment when his intelligence and military achievements had made him a leading figure in Tsar Alexander's imperial court. The Royal Collection's Waterloo Chamber context places the portrait within the gallery of Allied military leadership that remains one of the most comprehensive portrait series from the Napoleonic period.

Lawrence captures the dashing cavalry officer with characteristic panache, the military uniform rendered with attention to decorations and the rich fabric of the hussar jacket. The face combines aristocratic refinement with the alertness of a soldier and intelligence agent, the bright eyes conveying the energy that drove Chernichev's remarkable career.