Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 6 works by Robert Schwede in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Robert Schwede left, the most famous is Portrait of Nikolai Monsey (1848), in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Close behind it come Portrait of Konstantin Monsey (1848) and Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev (1845). Our catalog holds 6 works by Robert Schwede; the gallery has kept the 6 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
The man sits in a three-quarter pose, his gaze directed toward the right as if acknowledging a presence just beyond the frame. He wears the heavy, dark fabric of a hussar-style uniform, a garment of deep blues and blacks that absorbs the light. Against this somber void, the gold of his braided aiguillettes catches the lamp, creating rhythmic, metallic curves across his chest. A single white plume rises from his…
The sitter meets the gaze with a quiet, steady authority, his presence filling the space between the viewer and the dark, heavy drapery that frames him. He is a man of status, captured in a moment of stillness that feels heavy with the weight of his station. His military tunic, a deep and commanding scarlet, catches the light, revealing the intricate, braided patterns of hussar-style frogging that run across his…
In this mid-19th-century oil portrait, we encounter Admiral Mikhail Lazarev in a moment of quiet, resolute authority. He is presented in a three-quarter view, seated with arms crossed, a posture that suggests both a settled confidence and a certain stoicism. The composition is framed within an oval shape, drawing the eye immediately to the subject's face and the heavy, gold-braided epaulettes that catch the light. There is a weight to…
The portrait presents Nikolay Ivanovich Lorer, a Major of the Vyatka Infantry Regiment, captured in a three-quarter view against a vast, atmospheric landscape. He is dressed in a formal military-style uniform, where the deep black of the fabric meets a striking red collar, creating a sharp silhouette against the soft, muted tones of the background. The composition places the subject slightly off-center, grounding him within a setting of distant, snow-capped…
The air in the room feels heavy with the weight of command as Admiral Mikhail Lazarev sits before us. He is a man carved from experience, his gaze steady and unyielding, meeting the viewer with the quiet confidence of one who has weathered countless storms. He is draped in the dark, somber navy of his ceremonial regalia, a uniform that speaks of duty and the rigid hierarchies of the mid-19th…
The gaze of Yelena Volkova meets the viewer from within a dark, circular boundary. It is a quiet encounter, captured in 1847. The composition focuses on her bust, centered and still. Soft light falls from the front left, casting gentle shadows that give her face a subtle, three-dimensional weight. Her dark hair curls softly around a face rendered in pale, luminous tones. She wears a garment of deep black, its…
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Robert Schwede | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 6 | Portrait of Nikolai Monsey, Portrait of Konstantin Monsey, Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev |
Barely a decade, 1841 to 1848, gave the world every dated Robert Schwede original in this selection: here it is, year by year.
Pick a year to see its originals.
The portrait presents Nikolay Ivanovich Lorer, a Major of the Vyatka Infantry Regiment, captured in a three-quarter view against a vast, atmospheric landscape. He is dressed in a formal military-style uniform, where the deep black of the fabric meets a striking red collar, creating a sharp silhouette against the soft, muted tones of the background. The composition places the subject slightly off-center, grounding him within a setting of distant, snow-capped…
The air in the room feels heavy with the weight of command as Admiral Mikhail Lazarev sits before us. He is a man carved from experience, his gaze steady and unyielding, meeting the viewer with the quiet confidence of one who has weathered countless storms. He is draped in the dark, somber navy of his ceremonial regalia, a uniform that speaks of duty and the rigid hierarchies of the mid-19th…
In this mid-19th-century oil portrait, we encounter Admiral Mikhail Lazarev in a moment of quiet, resolute authority. He is presented in a three-quarter view, seated with arms crossed, a posture that suggests both a settled confidence and a certain stoicism. The composition is framed within an oval shape, drawing the eye immediately to the subject's face and the heavy, gold-braided epaulettes that catch the light. There is a weight to…
The gaze of Yelena Volkova meets the viewer from within a dark, circular boundary. It is a quiet encounter, captured in 1847. The composition focuses on her bust, centered and still. Soft light falls from the front left, casting gentle shadows that give her face a subtle, three-dimensional weight. Her dark hair curls softly around a face rendered in pale, luminous tones. She wears a garment of deep black, its…
The man sits in a three-quarter pose, his gaze directed toward the right as if acknowledging a presence just beyond the frame. He wears the heavy, dark fabric of a hussar-style uniform, a garment of deep blues and blacks that absorbs the light. Against this somber void, the gold of his braided aiguillettes catches the lamp, creating rhythmic, metallic curves across his chest. A single white plume rises from his…
More from 1848
Portrait of Nikolai Monsey (1848), Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Portrait of Konstantin Monsey (1848) and Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev (1845) come next.
42 years old: Portrait of Nikolai Monsey dates from 1848, and Robert Schwede was born in 1806.
Our catalog holds 6 works by Robert Schwede, dated from 1841 to 1848.
Mostly in Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1848: 2 of the 6 works on this page were made then, Portrait of Nikolai Monsey among them.
On this page, the earliest is Portrait of the Decembrist N.I. Lorer (1841) and the latest Portrait of Nikolai Monsey (1848).
Man (5), Military uniform (4) and Gold embroidery (2), across the 6 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 5 of the 6 works on this page.
Academic realism, judging by the originals on this page.
Portrait of Nikolai Monsey, Portrait of Konstantin Monsey and Portrait of Admiral Mikhail Lazarev: the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg holds 6 of the works on this page.
Robert Schwede lived his life within the shifting landscapes of the Baltic region and the Russian Empire. Born in Mõisaküla on 6 December 1806, he was a man of German-Baltic roots who found his professional home in Saint Petersburg. His path was shaped by the rigorous halls of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied the formal traditions of the era. It was here that he earned the title of free artist, a distinction that marked his official entry into the professional art community.
His family connections placed him within a small circle of creators. He was the cousin of Theodore Schwede, another painter associated with the Saint Petersburg Academy. This shared environment of study and practice meant that his early development was deeply rooted in the academic standards of the time. While some historical records suggest he passed away in 1870, others note 1871 as the year his life reached its end.
Schwede focused much of his energy on the study of people and the natural world. He specialized in portraiture and landscapes, using oil on canvas to capture the likenesses of those around him. His work often brought him into contact with the prominent figures of Russian society, including military officers and members of the high aristocracy. One notable example is his portrait of Pavel Petrovitch Melnikov, a man who served as a Major General and played a significant role in the development of the St Petersburg-Moscow railway.
His approach to painting was influenced by the techniques he learned during his training. While he was a contemporary and pupil of Karl Timoleon von Neff, he did not simply mimic the Raphael tradition. Instead, he adopted various methods to document the faces and settings of his era. His portraits, such as the one of Maria Miln held in the Latvian National Art Museum, remain among the most recognizable pieces of his output.
Much of what remains of Schwede's career is found in private collections or scattered across different regions. While many of his over thirty known works are held by the descendants of his family in Russia and Germany, his connection to Latvia remains a central part of his story. He is often remembered as a painter whose work bridged the gap between Baltic and Russian artistic identities.
The difficulty in studying his full body of work arises from the fact that many of his landscapes are known only through photographs. This makes it hard to fully grasp the breadth of his natural scenes. Nevertheless, his ability to capture the presence of historical figures through portraiture ensures his place in the history of nineteenth-century painting.
