Keywords: Woman by A. Tyranov (priv.coll).jpg TYRANOV ALEXEI 1808-1859 Portrait of an Unknown Woman signed with a monogram Oil on canvas 125 5 by 99 5 cm 80 000-120 000 GBP Authenticity of the work has been confirmed by the expert V Petrov This portrait is one of the best works of the celebrated Russian portraitist Alexei Tyranov whose popularity in the 1830s and 1840s was rivalled only by the famous Karl Bryullov A contemporary once noted that at exhibitions there was always such a throng of people around Tyranov ™s paintings that it was impossible to get past Among those who sat for him were the most prominent figures of the period including the seascape painter Ivan Aivazovsky Fate was always kind to Tyranov ever since his youth when as a 16 year-old from a poor petty bourgeois family he was awarded a place in Alexei Venetsianov ™s school for his remarkable talents Venetsianov arranged for Tyranov to attend the Imperial Academy of Arts and after several years of successful study he joined Karl Bryullov ™s studio in 1836 Tyranov ™s gift as an original and skilled portraitist is plain to see in the work offered Before us we have not just a model no mere objectivised paradigm of beauty but a real live young woman made of flesh and blood sensual and gracious bewitching us with her gentle half-smile yet at the same time confidently meeting our gaze and radiating a quiet calm The artist has lovingly depicted the model ™s thick black curls which set off the delicate skin so well and masterfully recreated the costly heavy fabric of her dress contrasting with the refined elegance of its lace trimmings Portrait of an Unknown Woman exemplifies Tyranov ™s talent at the peak of his fame and is a notable example of a Russian formal portrait of the first half of the 19th century http //macdougallauction com/Indexx1211 asp id 209 lx a 19 c Creator Alexey Tyranov Alexey Tyranov Files uploaded by Shakko from various sources MacDougall's Fine Art Auctions Portrait paintings of unidentified women of Russia PD-old |