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”RUSSIAN TATTOOED NOBLEMAN” is a Genuine Signed &
Dated (1987) Ari Roussimoff Oil on Canvas Painting, measuring
18 x 21 inches. ”RUSSIAN TATTOOED NOBLEMAN” is a portrait of a
member of the old Russian Aristocracy. Before the current mass
popularity of body art, tattooing in the last centuries has
traditionally been associated with two social classes, the
so-called peasant class, which included sailors and ruffians,
and, on the other end of the social spectrum, the upper
echelons of the aristocracy. Yes, among the tattooed were many
a Monarch, Grand Duke, and Prince. The illustrious members of
this decorated group included Czar Alexander III of Russia,
Kaiser Franz Josef of Austria, Wilhelm of Germany, and King
Frederick of Denmark. The gentleman depicted in this painting
by Roussimoff reflects such a royal lineage, and his personage
appears in more than one of the artist’s paintings. He sports
Mutton Chops or Burnsides, a beard that was very popular in
Russia from the 1800’s onward. His body boasts elaborate
images of tattooing—dragons, flowers, butterflies, and other
fantastical images. His is an image that recalls characters in
the great literary works of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekov.
This penetrating character study brings to life a classic
Russian figure, who steps out from posterity into the here and
now. A full colour reproduction of this painting appeared in
an issue of "Tattoo Revue Magazine" in an article devoted to
Tattoo Themed Paintings of Ari Roussimoff.
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”RUSSIAN TATTOOED NOBLEMAN"
Oil on Canvas by Ari Roussimoff |
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