Prince Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin

Gagarin was born in one of the oldest noble families in Russia, Gagarin princes, descendants of Rurikides. He is raised until the age of thirteen by tutors, while his parents lived in Paris and Rome. He joined the College Tolomei in Siena. As his family knew Karl Bryullov, who lived at the time in Italy, the young prince took drawing lessons from him. He joined the Russian Embassy in Paris after completing his studies in 1826, then went to Rome and Constantinople. It was in St. Petersburg in 1832 that he made the acquaintance of Pushkin, who wrote The Queen of Spades, and Lermontov. He was the secretary of the embassy in Munich, capital of the kingdom of Bavaria, from 1836 to 1838.

Gagarin traveled to the Caucasus (1839-1840) following his friend Mikhail Lermontov.
They worked together; Lermontov wrote and Gagarin painted. It also illustrates the novel by Vladimir Sologub, Tarantas. Gagarin's Caucasian period was probably the most prolific period of his artistic career. He drew numerous drawings and watercolors depicting battle scenes, Caucasian warriors and Russian soldiers, as well as genre scenes of the life of people of the Caucasus.
These works were later reproduced as color lithographs in the album series "Le Caucase Pittoresque", (Paris, 1847-1859) and Scènes, paysages, moeurs et costumes du Caucase (Paris, 1845-1846).
He was actively involved as an officer in 1841, after having had the pain of losing Lermontov, who died in a duel. Gagarin accompanied Prince Tchernichiov on the expedition to Dagestan. He served in the dragoons until 1848. His bravery earned him honors and the rank of captain of cavalry (Rittmeister), then colonel.

From 1848 to 1855, Prince Gagarin served Prince Vorontsov, in addition to his military and administrative duties, working hard to beautify the city of Tiflis. He built a theater, painted frescoes in Sioni Cathedral (Cathedral of the Assumption, Georgian from Tiflis), and restored other churches, including those of the Monastery of Bethany, Georgia.

Prince Gagarin returned in 1855 to St. Petersburg, where he was at the service of the Grand Duchess Marie, daughter of the Emperor Nicolas and President of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. It was at this time a supporter of Byzantine architecture and taste and drew the chapel of the Palais Grand Duchess Marie (1860). Gagarin was appointed Major General and Vice President of the Imperial Academy. He remained in that position until 1872 and was, in fact, the true leader of this institution. He built the Museum of early Christian art, and is the champion of the work of Lermontov. He staged his play at the Devil's Hermitage Theatre in 1856.

He died in France in 1893.

Costumes du Caucase.
Paris: Imprimerie Lemercier for A. Hauser, c.1840]. Containing 66 plates heightened with gum arabic, some tinted by Gagarin, J. Keller, J. Bachmann, C. Schultz, and A. Springer after Gagarin, each with the publisher's blindstamp on the lower margin.
Costumes du Caucase was intended to form part of a work depicting the scenes, landscape, customs, and costumes of the Caucasus, to be issued in 48 livraisons; however, Colas states that only 11 were issued, comprising 66 plates.

References : Colas 1147; Lipperheide Kaa 51.