Museum of A.S. Pushkin

The painting depicts part of the old park. In the center of the composition is a circular area where ladies and children are strolling. Among the dense trees of the park, a pavilion is visible, with its facade facing the viewer, decorated with classical columns and a triangular pediment.
The work is of interest to museums, since there are very few of Lütke’s works in Russian museums.
The painting depicts a mausoleum, built on the orders of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III in the classical style and intended as a tomb for his wife, Queen Louise, who died in 1810 and was much respected by the people. The construction was based on the architectural design of Heinrich Gentz, and in 1841 the memorial building was enlarged by the famous Karl Schinkel for the burial of the king himself. Keeping the number of columns, the builders built a second larger pediment on top of the first. Therefore, the shape of the extant building is different from the original, recorded in Lütke’s painting.

The painting seems to have been commissioned by Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, the wife of the Russian emperor Nicholas I, who was born a Prussian princess with the name Frederica Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina and was the first daughter of King Friedrich III and Louise, whose names were associated with the construction of the mausoleum depicted in Lütke’s picture. In turn, Peacock Island is important in the biography of Wilhelmina, that is Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. In her early years the princess spent her summers around a zoological garden and exotic aviary on an island in the river Havel, a tributary of the Elbe in the vicinity of modern Potsdam. In 1820, Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, future Emperor Nicholas I, made a trip with Alexandra to her family home. During this visit, Alexandra spent most of her time on the island, reminiscing about her happy childhood. Before the arrival of the dignitaries, in the vicinity of the island a three-story izba (wooden cottage) was built, with a balcony that offered stunning views of the surrounding landscape, and with a Russian roller coaster nearby.

The painting was probably commissioned in memory of this stay in a place dear to the Empress’s heart. Lütke’s work is indisputable evidence of his status of a court painter and his success in aristocratic circles, without which he would never have been such an important order like this one for Emperor Nicholas I and his wife. The author’s fame is also indicated by the fact that he spent all the years of his life in his hometown, except for some time spent studying and traveling—he received a sufficient number of commissions to allow him to stay at his place of residence and earn income there.
No wonder, then, that Peter Lütke’s works are included in the most important museum collections in Germany.

A half-length portrait of a man, turned ¾ to the right, on a solid gray-brown background. The artist depicted himself as an aging man, with his long gray hair combed back, leaving his high forehead visible, and with his gaze directed inward. His elbows are bent and his arms are crossed at chest level; he is holding a pencil and a notebook. He is wearing a simple brown coat, yellow waistcoat, and colorful shirt, with a light-colored cravat tied around his neck.

The painting has soft and muted colors, with a predominance of brown, yellow, gold, pale pink, and silver tones.
The painter Martin Ferdinand Quadal is a representative of the Austrian school of painting. He studied in the academies of Vienna and Paris. He worked in England, Italy, Austria, Holland, Germany, and St. Petersburg. He painted portraits, genre scenes, and still lifes, as well as animal and battle scenes.
Self-portraits are an important part of Quadal’s œuvre. This self-portrait, painted in St. Petersburg, is distinguished by its freedom and subtlety of its style. Quadal’s works are displayed in both Western European and Russian collections, including the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the State Hermitage, and the State Tretyakov Gallery.

A half-length portrait of a woman on a neutral background, facing forward, with her head turned slightly to the left. The lady is wearing a light brocade dress with a low neckline, hoop skirt, and corset, embellished with embroidery and lace. On the left side of her chest is lady-in-waiting’s bow with a monogram indicating her status. Behind her is a red cape or cloak.

The portrait was professionally made (though it seems to be unfinished), and is of great interest, especially since German portraiture of the 1830s is poorly represented in museum collections in our country.
In its iconography, the portrait is similar to a portrait of the young Catherine II, painted by an unknown artist and kept in the Tropinin Museum, and other portraits by Moscow artists of the time.

A bust-length portrait of a woman (Madonna) in a prayerful, somewhat ecstatic pose, with her head lifted, her gaze directed upward, her arms pressed to her chest, and her fingers intertwined. Her hair is hidden under a golden veil, and her shoulders are covered with a blue cloak.

Similar images of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Passion of Christ were painted for devozione private (private devotions) and enjoyed great success among the artist’s contemporaries. Guido Reni himself created the classic and canonical versions of these images, which became widespread in the Catholic world into the 19th century. He was assisted by artists from his workshop. It is quite probable that this work was painted by the venerable artist, Guido Reni.

A bust-length miniature portrait of Marie Antoinette, turned ¾ to the right, on a gray-greenish background. Her light gray hair is arranged in a complicated lush coiffure with curls falling on her shoulders. The queen is wearing a turban-like hat, decorated with colorful ostrich feathers and ribbons. Her neck is encircled by a double string of large pearls.

She is wearing a golden dress with a low square neckline decorated with lace.
On the reverse side of the miniature is a leather lining, in which “Marie Antoinette ? 1786” is written in black ink.
The miniature is a stylized version of late 18th-century portraits. Marie Antoinette, along with Napoleon Bonaparte, was one of the most popular historical figures in the mid-19th century.

The miniature presents a genre scene of a young woman (Venus) dressing. The interior of the room shows a young topless woman stretched out on a chair, encircled by three maids who are dressing her. Between the goddess’s legs is a naked little boy (Cupid?).

Another boy is shown in the background on the left near the window. He is holding a small bouquet of flowers in one hand.
The work is a rare example of a miniature painted genre scene; usually miniatures contained portraits.

Travel kit consisting of a leather case and three glass bottles with metal lids.

The case is an elongated octagon, made of brown leather with has three comportments, a lid, a strap, and a button buckle. Inside the case there is a glued liner covered with pink leather cloth.

The bottle has a glass stopper and a metal screw cap. It has a trapezoidal shape and is made of transparent, colorless glass, with a narrow neck. From the outside the opening has white metal threads for screwing the top.
The stopper is recessed and ground from transparent glass in the shape of a mushroom.
The cover has a screw top made of white metal, shiny, mushroom-shaped with a profile on the upper edge. It has a protuberance on the foot and the label: “GESCHUTZT”.

Stand for table knives in the shape of two oak trees, with a bridge between them. The trees are on the sides and are leaning away from the center. There are acorns on a few branches. At the bottom and top of the crowns of the trees, there are two horizontal, slightly curved crossbars with twelve cut transverse holes for utensils.

The upper crossbar is wider than the bottom, with larger apertures, and is bent in an arch, at the top of which a tall handle is mounted. It has the form of a diamond, branches, and a pentagon. The stand has a black base shaped like a hill of earth, with relief roots, bushes of grass, leaves, and flowers; and on the edge, curls of leaves and roots, forming stylized feet. On the base of the front foot is an oval stamp:
“Plewkiewicz / w / Warszawie”.