Alexander Roslin

Presumably the portrait depicts Count Schuwaloff

In September 1775 Alexander Roslin arrived at St. Petersburg , and his fame as one of the most sought after artists in France had preceded him. Roslin was specially invited by Catherine the Great to paint her portrait.
In Paris, several of the aristocrats he portrayed belonged to the Russian court, so when he arrived in Russia, he had plenty of contacts and orders flocked for the famous painter. Also through contacts such as the Swedish envoy , Baron Johan Fredrik von Nolcken , Roslin established further contacts.
It took a while before the Empress had the opportunity to receive the artist and the time Roslin spent productively. With more than 75 paintings he painted in Russia, before he returned more than a year later, this time belongs to one of the most productive artistic periods in his life.
Some of his most famous paintings were created during this time, for example, the portrait of the beautiful Moldovan Princess Zoie Ghika .
The French legation secretary, Chevalier de Corberon , visited his studio in 1776 and got to see several of the portraits Roslin was working on at the time and wrote admiringly in his diary: " He overlooks nothing in his paintings and the details are characterized by a high degree of perfection which contributes to the portrait similarity. "
The current catalogue number is dated 1776, and is an excellent example of the portraits he created during his period in Russia.