Portrait of an unknown in a cocked hat, Rokotov

Description of the picture:

Portrait of an unknown in a cocked hat – Fedor Stepanovich Rokotov. The beginning of the 1770s. Canvas, oil. 50 eight x 40 seven cm.

   This painting has long been intriguing art critics and connoisseurs of painting. It is believed that the portrait depicts a young man, presumably Earl Bobrinsky, the offspring of the Russian Empress Catherine II from an morganatic marriage with her long-term winner Grigory Orlov. But the young man has a very fresh feminine face, which gave reason to suspect that the picture depicts a young lady dressed in a man’s dress. In those days, masquerade balls with dressing flourished, so this version is not without foundation and credibility.

   Suddenly, this assumption was proved by the fruits of a super-technological X-ray study. Under the top layer of paint was found an image of a young lady, which was painstakingly recorded, not counting her face. In other words, we can state with full confidence that the portrait of the unknown in a cocked hat is actually an image of an unknown lady in a man’s suit. There is speculation that this is the first wife of N. Struysky.

   The spectrum of the painting is very restrained and black, built on a combination of a huge number of coffee and dark colors. Thanks to this color politra, the rosy and fresh face of the character practically shines with life and youth. Despite the monochromaticity of the color palette, the canvas does not look dark – the depicted lady caresses smiling, and the small details of the clothes and decorations of the triangular hat are painted with amazing skill."