Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 109 works by Ivan Kramskoi in our catalogue
In short
Portrait of a Woman is the Ivan Kramskoi painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. After it, the eye goes to Christ in the Desert and Christ in the Wilderness. Among the 109 works of Ivan Kramskoi in our catalog, these 100 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
The Portrait of a Woman by Ivan Kramskoi presents a quiet, introspective encounter with a young woman. This work, dated about 1885, captures a singular moment of stillness. The subject gazes out with a sense of internal reflection, her presence filling the space with a heavy, thoughtful energy. It is a study of character and gaze, where the individual's inner life seems to press against the surface of the canvas.
Introduction Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy was a prominent Russian artist known for his religious paintings. One of his most famous works is 'Christ in the Desert,' which depicts Jesus Christ during His 40-day fast in the wilderness. In this article, we will explore the artist's background, the painting's title, description, and interpretation. Artist: Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy (1837-1887) was a Russian painter and art critic who played a significant…
The heavy silence of the desert hangs over Christ in the Wilderness, a profound religious painting that captures a moment of profound spiritual isolation. Created by the Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi, the work emerges from the year 1872. It presents a scene of deep contemplation, where the weight of the divine meets the stark reality of the physical world. The figure of Christ sits amidst a desolate landscape, caught in…
The gaze of the sitter in Portrait of a Woman meets the viewer with a quiet, unsettling strength. Painted by the Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi, this work captures a moment of profound stillness. Though the title suggests a specific person, she remains a mystery to history. She is widely recognized as an unknown subject, a woman whose identity remains veiled by time and the artist's own silence. This sense of…
The Empress Maria Feodorovna sits in a quiet, commanding stillness, her figure emerging from a dark, indistinct background that pushes her presence into the immediate space of the viewer. She is draped in a gown of luminous whites and creams, the fabric heavy with the weight of silk and the delicate, intricate textures of fine lace. A deep crimson sash cuts across her torso, providing a sharp, singular contrast to…
In the realm of nineteenth-century Russian Realism, few works capture the delicate intersection of innocence and burgeoning intellect as poignantly as Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy’s Portrait of a Girl. Painted in 1870, this masterpiece transcends a mere physical likeness, offering instead a window into a soul caught in the quiet transition of childhood. The subject, presented within an elegant oval frame that evokes the intimacy of a cherished heirloom, sits with…
The oil portrait depicts Yevgeny Lamansky, an elderly man seated in a three-quarter length pose. He is positioned slightly off-center within a room defined by a desk and leather-bound books. The subject possesses prominent white mutton-chop whiskers and a smooth silk waistcoat beneath a heavy, dark suit. His hands are positioned near a desk, holding a pen and papers. The lighting originates from the upper left, casting shadows that define…
The painting titled Somnambula was executed by the artist Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. This work is an oil on canvas created in 1871. The object is a painting that measures 135 cm in height and 86 cm in width.
In the quiet, commanding presence of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy’s Portrait of Princess Catherine Alekseevny Vasilchikova, we encounter more than just a likeness; we enter a moment of frozen dignity from the heart of 1867 Russia. The painting serves as a masterful window into the mid-19th century, capturing the essence of a noblewoman whose very posture speaks of an era defined by rigid social hierarchies and refined elegance. As the viewer…
A dignified and somber realist portrait, this work captures a middle-aged man in a moment of quiet introspection. Positioned in a three-quarter length composition, the subject faces the viewer's right, yet his gaze meets the observer with a steady, penetrating clarity. The lighting is low-key, emerging from a shadowy, indistinct background to illuminate the face and a crisp white collar. This chiaroscuro effect creates a profound sense of three-dimensionality, pulling…
Portrait of Count Frederick Maurice van Heiden1881 · Hermitage Museum
12
Portrait of Nikolai Ivanovich Kramsky1882 · Tretyakov Gallery
13
Portrait of Sonya Kramskaya, the Artist`s Daughter1870
14
Portrait of Pavel Tretyakov1876 · Tretyakov Gallery
15
Portrait of S.S. Botkin1882 · Tretyakov Gallery
16
Portrait of Adjutant-General Count Alexei Bobrinskiy1872 · Hermitage Museum
17
Portrait of Vera Nikolayevna Tretyakova1879 · Tretyakov Gallery
18
Portrait of Sofia Sergeyevna Botkina1879 · Tretyakov Gallery
19
Portrait of the Artist Nikolai Dmitrievich Dmitriev-Orenburg1866
20
Portrait of Alexander Dmitrievich Litovchenko1878 · Tretyakov Gallery
21
The Girl's Head1878
22
Portrait of Theodora Saltykova, the Painter`s Mother in Law1875
23
In the country. Siverskaya1883 · Kramskoy Museum of Fine Arts
24
Portrait of Roftopulo O.A.1884 · Perm State Arts Gallery
25
Portrait of Adrian Viktorovich Prakhov1879 · Tretyakov Gallery
26
The Actor A.P.Lensky as Petruchio in Shakespeare's Comedy "The Taming of the Shrew"1883 · Tretyakov Gallery
27
Portrait of the Publisher and Publicist Alexey Suvorin1881 · The State Russian Museum
28
Unknown Woman1883
29
Portrait of V. S. Solovyov1885 · The State Russian Museum
30
Portrait of a Woman1881 · Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts
31
Mina Moiseyev1882 · The State Russian Museum
32
Portrait of I.K. Aivazovsky1881 · Feodosia National Gallery I. K. Aivazovsky
33
Herodias1885 · Tretyakov Gallery
34
Sergey Botkin1881 · Tretyakov Gallery
35
Arkhip Kuindzhi1872 · Tretyakov Gallery
36
Reading. A Portrait of the Artist's Wife1866 · Tretyakov Gallery
37
Portrait of Vera Nikolayevna Tretyakova1876 · Tretyakov Gallery
38
Portrait of Taras Shevchenko1871 · Tretyakov Gallery
39
Portrait of Doctor Karl Rauchfus
40
Portrait of Art Critic Pavel Kovalevsky
41
Sergei kramskoi
42
Portrait of the Artist Ivan ShishkinTretyakov Gallery
43
Portrait of Sophia Kramskaya, the Artist's Daughter
44
Portrait of an Old Peasant (study)Art Museum of Estonia
45
Portrait of the Empress Maria Feodorovna
46
Portrait of the Artist Konstantin SavitskyKramskoy Museum of Fine Arts
47
Poet Apollon Maikov Fishing
48
Viewing an Old HouseTretyakov Gallery
49
Head of an Old Ukranian Peasant
50
Bouquet of Flowers. Phlox1884 · Tretyakov Gallery
51
SelfPortrait 1
52
Mocking ChristThe State Russian Museum
53
Portrait of a Woman (Detail)
54
Portrait of Sophia Kramskaya the Artist-s Daughter
55
Portrait of a Admiral Login Loginovich Heyden
56
Water Nymphs1871 · Tretyakov Gallery
57
Portrait of a ManNational Museum in Warsaw
58
Portrait of the Singer Elizaveta Lavrovskaya on Stage
59
Forest Path1870 · Tretyakov Gallery
60
Suburb of Paris. The Bois de Boulogne1876 · Kramskoy Museum of Fine Arts
61
The Sculptor M. M. Antokolsky1876
62
Russian Girl in a Blue Shawl
63
Portrait S.I. Kramskoy1880
64
Portrait of the artist Paval Shestakova
65
Portrait of Ivan I. ShishkinThe State Russian Museum
66
Peasant Holding a Bridle
67
Portrait of the Artist Ilya Repin
68
Portrait of E. Vasilchikova
69
In the Park
70
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
71
Ivan Kramskoy Working on Portrait of his DaughterTretyakov Gallery
72
Portrait of the Agronomist Vyunnikov
73
Portrait of the Artist Feodor Vasilyev
74
Insulted Jewish Boy
75
Portrait of Piotr ValuyevHermitage Museum
76
books got herKramskoy Museum of Fine Arts
77
Portrait of Sonya Kramskaya, the Artist's Daughter
78
Portrait of the Writer Leo Tolstoy
79
Portrait of Empress Maria Fyodorovna in a Head Dress Decorated with PearlsHermitage Museum
80
Mina moiseevKiev National Picture Gallery
81
Bois de Boulogne near Paris
82
Village Yard in FranceTretyakov Gallery
83
Portrait of Anatoly Kramskoy the Artist-s Son
84
Pond
85
Girl with Washed Linen on the Yoke
86
Kramskoi village elder
87
Portrait of the Artist Grigory Myasoyedov
88
Portrait of the Cellist S.Ya.Morozov
89
The Portrait of a Peasant
90
In the Grove of Medon near Paris
91
Girl with a TressTretyakov Gallery
92
sophia kramskaya reading
93
Portrait of a Young Woman Dressed in Black Velvet
94
Portrait of Sophia Kramskaya the Artist-s WifeTretyakov Gallery
95
Portrait of the Actor Vasily SamoilovTretyakov Gallery
96
Bunch of Flowers. Phloxes
97
Portrait of the Artist Feodor Vasilyev
98
Head of an Old Peasant
99
self portraitTretyakov Gallery
100
In the Park. Portrait of the Artist-s Wife and DaughterKramskoy Museum of Fine Arts
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Ivan Kramskoi | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tretyakov Gallery |
Moscow | 38 | Portrait of a Woman, Christ in the Desert, Portrait of a Woman |
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 6 | Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Portrait of the Banker Yevgeny Lamansky, Portrait of Count Frederick Maurice van Heiden |
 Kramskoy Museum of Fine Arts |
Voronezh | 5 | In the country. Siverskaya, Portrait of the Artist Konstantin Savitsky, Suburb of Paris. The Bois de Boulogne |
 The State Russian Museum |
St. Petersburg | 5 | Portrait of the Publisher and Publicist Alexey Suvorin, Portrait of V. S. Solovyov, Mina Moiseyev |
 Perm State Arts Gallery |
Perm | 2 | Portrait of Princess Catherine Alekseevny Vasilchikova, Portrait of Roftopulo O.A. |
 Kiev National Picture Gallery |
Kyiv | 2 | Mina moiseev |
 Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts |
Yekaterinburg | 1 | Portrait of a Woman |
 Feodosia National Gallery I. K. Aivazovsky |
Feodosiia | 1 | Portrait of I.K. Aivazovsky |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In the quiet, commanding presence of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy’s Portrait of Princess Catherine Alekseevny Vasilchikova, we encounter more than just a likeness; we enter a moment of frozen dignity from the heart of 1867 Russia. The painting serves as a masterful window into the mid-19th century, capturing the essence of a noblewoman whose very posture speaks of an era defined by rigid social hierarchies and refined elegance. As the viewer…
In the realm of nineteenth-century Russian Realism, few works capture the delicate intersection of innocence and burgeoning intellect as poignantly as Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy’s Portrait of a Girl. Painted in 1870, this masterpiece transcends a mere physical likeness, offering instead a window into a soul caught in the quiet transition of childhood. The subject, presented within an elegant oval frame that evokes the intimacy of a cherished heirloom, sits with…
The gaze of the sitter in Portrait of a Woman meets the viewer with a quiet, unsettling strength. Painted by the Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi, this work captures a moment of profound stillness. Though the title suggests a specific person, she remains a mystery to history. She is widely recognized as an unknown subject, a woman whose identity remains veiled by time and the artist's own silence. This sense of…
Portrait of a Woman, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Christ in the Desert and Christ in the Wilderness come next.
Portrait of a Woman, Christ in the Desert, Christ in the Wilderness, Portrait of a Woman, Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna, Portrait of a Girl, Portrait of the Banker Yevgeny Lamansky, Somnambula, Portrait of Princess Catherine Alekseevny Vasilchikova and Portrait of the writer Y.F. Samarin. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 109 works by Ivan Kramskoi, dated from 1866 to 1886.
Mostly in Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg) and Kramskoy Museum of Fine Arts (Voronezh). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1870s: 19 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Portrait of a Girl among them.
On this page, the earliest is Portrait of the Artist Nikolai Dmitrievich Dmitriev-Orenburg (1866) and the latest Portrait of the Banker Yevgeny Lamansky (1886).
Portrait (31), Russian art (15) and Man (14), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 43 of the 100 works on this page.
Realism, judging by the originals on this page.
Portrait of a Woman, Christ in the Desert and Portrait of a Woman: the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow holds 30 of the works on this page.
Yes, as a reproduction: the original stays in its museum, but any painting on this page can be painted by hand for you, made to order one at a time, from the painting's own page.
Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy, born on May 27, 1837, in the quiet town of Ostrogozhsk, stands as a monumental figure within the landscape of Russian art history. His life was defined by an intellectual fervor and an unwavering dedication to artistic principles rooted in social realism, leaving an indelible imprint on both his contemporaries and subsequent generations. Growing up in Voronezh Province, Kramskoy’s early years were shaped by an upbringing steeped in intellectual curiosity and a profound engagement with the burgeoning ideas of Russian revolutionary democracy. Influenced by the radical thinkers of his era, such as Chernyshevsky and Herzen, he embraced the conviction that art possessed a moral obligation—a duty to reflect truthfully upon society and champion its betterment.
This deep-seated belief in the transformative power of art propelled him toward the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, yet it was there that his rebellious spirit truly ignited. Kramskoy famously spearheaded the “Revolt of Fourteen,” a historic student uprising against the academy’s restrictive and outdated artistic standards. This act of defiance led to his expulsion, but rather than stifling his talent, it solidified his commitment to independent expression. Under the guidance of mentors like Mikhail Borisovich Tulinov, who recognized his burgeoning genius, Kramskoy began to forge a path that would eventually lead him to become a cornerstone of the Peredvizhniki, or the Wanderers movement.
The formation of the Peredvizhniki movement marked a decisive intersection in Kramskoy’s artistic trajectory. Alongside luminaries like Ilya Repin, he sought to reject official patronage and the didacticism of the Imperial Academy in favor of a more democratic and socially conscious approach to painting. His work became a vessel for social commentary, capturing the psychological depth of the Russian people and the stark realities of their existence. Kramsk_oy was not merely a painter but a profound art critic and leader, shaping the aesthetic discourse of his time through his ability to blend technical mastery with intense emotional resonance.
His repertoire is characterized by a remarkable versatility that ranges from the deeply introspective to the symbolically grand:
Kramskoy’s contribution to art extends far beyond the canvas. As an organizer and critic, he provided the intellectual scaffolding upon which Russian Realism was built. He believed that the artist must be a witness to their time, a role he fulfilled with unparalleled integrity. His ability to navigate the complexities of political upheaval while maintaining a focus on the human condition allowed his work to transcend the immediate politics of the 19th century.
The legacy of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy is found in the very fabric of Russian identity. By championing the truth of the common experience and challenging the elitism of academic institutions, he helped democratize art, making it a tool for national reflection. Today, his works continue to captivate audiences worldwide, offering a window into a period of intense spiritual and social transformation. His life remains a testament to the idea that art, when wielded with courage and truth, can serve as a powerful catalyst for change.
