S. L. Stroganova

S.L. Stroganova, dated 1864 and executed in oil on canvas, is an early work in Makovsky's portrait career, painted when he was approximately twenty-five years old and still developing his mature portrait style. The Stroganov family was one of the wealthiest and most culturally significant dynasties in Russia, their fortune built on Ural salt mines and later expanded through fur trade and mineral extraction. They were also significant art collectors and patrons, their collection eventually passing to the Russian state. A portrait commission from this family at such an early stage of his career suggests that Makovsky's abilities were already recognized in the highest circles of Russian society, and that his portrait practice began with access to the most prestigious clientele.

Oil on canvas showing the influence of Makovsky's early training at the Moscow School of Painting and subsequently at the Imperial Academy of Arts. The portrait handling is accomplished if not yet fully mature, reflecting his rapid development as a portraitist in these early years.