THE MAN’S IMAGE OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT. PORTRAIT OF A.YA. PROTASOV FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM

The special development of Enlightenment ideas in Russia, inextricably linked to religious and moral concepts, was reflected in Russian portrait painting of the second half of the 18th century, influencing the conservation of some of its archaic features. The portrait of the statesman A.Ya. Protasov in the cabinet interior conveys information on the most important career achievements of the model, including work in the Legislative Commission of 1767–1768, which united all estates of the Russian Empire in those years. In memory of the event, deputies were presented with a commemorative medal “To the Deputies of the Legislative Commission”, which is found on a number of provincial portraits of the last third of the XVIII century, including the portrait of A.Ya. Protasov. The involvement of various estates in the development of the draft New Code became one of the reasons for strengthening the self-awareness of representatives of the non-noble estates, which contributed to the development of portraiture in the vast Russian provinces. Protasov’s portrait, focused on metropolitan samples, illustrates the contact between metropolitan art and its more archaic branch – provincial portrait – reflecting the trends in the development of Russian art of the New Age.