Russia's Infamous Grigori Rasputin up for Auction

A mystic, charlatan, womanizer and holy man. The fabled Grigori Jefimovich Rasputin is known all over the world – not least for his alleged role as a political advisor to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and through this role perhaps one of the causes behind the Russian Revolution. The Danish auction house, Bruun Rasmussen, can now present two rare portraits of Rasputin, where he personally sat as a model, at their upcoming Live Auction on 2 June in Copenhagen.

You now have a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of Russia's most unusual history, when he Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen presents two of the Danish artist Theodora Krarup's portrait paintings of the fabled Rasputin, who is said to have acted as counsellor to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and a healer of his son in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution in 1917.

The two works, which Rasputin personally sat as a model for, will be presented at Bruun Rasmussen's Russian Live Auction in Copenhagen on 2 June and are estimated at DKK 100,000-150,000 and DKK 500,000-600,000, respectively.

"These are two historically distinctive works, in which one of Russia's most infamous and historical figures, Grigori Jefimovich Rasputin, has personally sat as a model. They were painted by the Danish artist Theodora Krarup, who today is a good deal less known than her infamous subject. However, she did have a remarkable career and life in Russia for many years as a portrait painter – among other subjects she depicted members of the Imperial Family and nobility right up to the revolution,” says Martin Hans Borg, Russian Chief Specialist at Bruun Rasmussen.

Theodora Krarup also became personally acquainted with Rasputin, of whom she managed to paint a total of 12 portraits before his death in 1916. She writes about these portraits in her memoir "42 Years in the Realm of the Czar and the Soviets". Most of them, however, have either disappeared or been destroyed, making the two works here exceptionally rare.

Both works were consigned to Bruun Rasmussen by descendants of the Finnish Consul General, Otto Auer, who himself bought them directly from the artist.

"The provenance of the two works is interesting since Theodora Krarup herself recounts in her memoirs that she sold three of her portraits of Rasputin to a consul in St. Petersburg. This was the Finnish Consul General, Otto Auer. One of the paintings was later resold, its present whereabouts is therefore unknown, while the two remaining portraits can now be found at our auction – consigned by the Consul General's descendants," says Martin Hans Borg.

The two portraits are estimated at a price of DKK 100,000-150,000 and DKK 500,000-600,000, respectively, and they will be up for auction at Bruun Rasmussen's Russian Live Auction in Copenhagen on 2 June. 

Read more about Bruun Rasmussen's upcoming Live Auctions HERE, including their Russian Live Auction HERE.

About Grigori Jefimovich Rasputin (1869-1916)

Grigori Jefimovich Rasputin was a Russian peasant from Siberia who proclaimed himself to be a holy man. He was in contact with the Russian Imperial court from 1907 due to his assumed healing powers with which he supposedly helped the Tsar's son who suffered from haemophilia. The rumours surrounding Rasputin were many. In her memoir, Theodora Krarup describes, among other things, the public's image of him as "a demon, a seducer of women, a manipulative, cunning and calculating peasant who exploited his hypnotic power over the weak-willed ruling couple." Krarup herself was of another opinion. She found him to be a kind person without ambition and could not at all recognize the many rumours about the man. It has been argued that Rasputin was able to influence Tsar Nicholas II significantly during his final time in power, which helped to discredit the Tsar and his government and led to the fall of the House of Romanov in 1917. Prior to this, many wanted Rasputin gone for good, both among the general population, the nobility and the Imperial family itself. Rasputin was assassinated on 17 December 1916, and among the killers were members of the Tsar's family. Less than three months later, the Russian Revolution broke out.

About Theodora Krarup (1862-1941)

Theodora Krarup was a Danish painter who arrived in St. Petersburg in 1896, where she began painting portraits of the Imperial family. Here she was given, among other accolades, the Romanov Medal in gold by Tsar Nicholas II, which helped boost her career. Until 1917, she had a residence and studio on Nevsky Prospekt, and she led a remarkable life with numerous portrait assignments and many acquaintances among Russian artists, scientists and writers. Among her clients was also Rasputin, who often came to visit her studio to sit as a model for the portraits. In her memoir, Theodora Krarup talks about her "friendship with Rasputin", including their very first meeting. After the revolution, Theodora Krarup lived in Russia until 1938, before she moved to Copenhagen where she lived the remaining three years of her life. Her memoir "42 Years in the Realm of the Czar and the Soviets" was published in Danish shortly after her death in 1941.