Portrait of Alexandr Borisovich Kurakin

Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin — the 'diamond prince' — appears in this second Borovikovsky portrait from 1799, painted two years before the more celebrated 1801 Tretyakov canvas. The Russian Museum version may represent an earlier state of the portrait relationship between painter and sitter, or a different commission within the same series of self-presentations that Kurakin pursued with unusual consistency. The existence of multiple Kurakin portraits by Borovikovsky reflects the prince's personal investment in managing his visual image as part of his political and social strategy, a characteristic form of aristocratic image-management in this period.

The 1799 canvas shows confident, accomplished handling of the elaborately costumed sitter, with the virtuosic material rendering of lace, silk, and jewelled decoration that the subject demanded. The face is modelled with care amid the visual richness of the costume. Comparison with the 1801 version reveals subtle differences in costume detail and compositional arrangement that reflect the two-year interval.