#R60
ca. 1840s
Steel engraving, print size 39x34,5 cm on a large sheet 65,5x48,5 cm. “B.R. Davies direxit., J. Thomson sculpt.” underneath the image. With an engraved title in Russian and Lazarev’s coat of arms engraved on the lower margin. Blank margins with minor repaired tears, creases on the upper and lower blank margins not affecting the images, overall a very good print.
Official portrait of Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788-1851), Russian naval officer, circumnavigator, and the discoverer of Antarctica. The print engraved in England on the special order of the Russian Naval Ministry shows Lazarev in his late years, as the Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet (since 1832); the Admiral is depicted waist length, dressed in uniform with all his regalia and holding a spyglass under his left arm. His name under the portrait is adorned with the coat of arms of Lazarev noble family.
‘‘Lazarev first circumnavigated the globe in 1813-1816, aboard the vessel Suvorov; the expedition began at Kronstadt and reached Alaska. During this voyage, Lazarev discovered the Suvorov Atoll. As a commander of the ship Mirny and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen’s deputy on his world cruise in 1819–1821 (Bellingshausen commanded Vostok), Lazarev took part in the discovery of Antarctica and numerous islands. On January 28, 1820 the expedition discovered the Antarctic mainland, approaching the Antarctic coast at the coordinates 69°21’28’’S 2°14’50’’W / 69.35778°S 2.24722°W / -69.35778; -2.24722 and seeing ice-fields there. In 1822-1825, Lazarev circumnavigated the globe for the third time on his frigate Kreyser, conducting broad research in the fields of meteorology and ethnography’’ (Wikipedia). Later Lazarev took part in the Battle of Navarino (1827, part of the Greek War of Independence, 1821-32); was in charge of the naval units of the Baltic Fleet (1830), and became the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, the Black Sea ports, and military governor of Sevastopol and Nikolayaev (since 1833).
