This Russian grisaille—or grey monochrome—watercolour is contained within a giltwood frame. The picture, executed in a free, painterly manner, portrays the coronation of a monarch; in this instance, the figure being crowned is a Tsar, and is most probably Tsar Nicholas II, who was crowned in 1894. The scene is remarkably intimate, despite its setting within a large, ornate building, likely the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow—the architectural details of the cathedral rendered delicately by the artist. The Tsar, about to be crowned by Metropolitan Palladius, kneels beneath the baldachin. Figures watch from all sides, waiting for the moment the crown is placed upon the Tsar’s head. The painting captures this moment of great anticipation.

Frame: Height 39cm, width 30cm, depth 0.5cm
Sheet: Height 36cm, width 27cm