2-588-170 - The Art Collector/Heritage-Images

'Portrait of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich', 1859. Detail. Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich (1827-1892) was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I and Alexandra Fyodorovna. During the reign of his brother, Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral in the Russian Navy, which he was instrumental in reforming, and was also an important figure in bringing about the emancipation of Russia's serfs in 1861. His liberal views caused him to fall out of favour when Alexander was assassinated and Konstantin's nephew, Alexander III, became tsar. Found in the collection of The Hermitage, St Petersburg.