Franz Gerhard von Kügelgeni Georg Friedrich Parroti portree - ühe maali leidmis- ja rännakulugu: Portrait of Georg Friedrich Parrot by Franz Gerhard von Kügelgen - a story of its wanderings and discovery

Abstract

The article focuses on a portrait of Georg Friedrich Parrot that hasbeen our main source about the appearance of the famous rectorand professor of physics. However, the portrait painted by the artistFranz Gerhard von Kügelgen was lost for the past 100 years until itreached the University of Tartu thanks to a lucky chance in 2016.Finding the painting initiated a research project to clarify and verifythe provenance and identity of the recovered piece of art.Initially, there were two versions of the same portrait. Thehypothesis that was proved during the research was that in 2016the University of Tartu acquired not the first version of the portraitpainted around 1803 but its replica painted in later years and commissionedby von Liphart. The replica (painting No. 2) was broughtto Germany in the late 19th century and travelled to the US afterWorld War II with the Zychlinski family who were also the last ownersof the painting.Technical research (X-ray, UV, IRR, microsampling etc.) that alsoinvolved five other paintings by Kügelgen proved that the portrait ofParrot has been painted in the early 19th century and features manysimilarities with other portraits by the same artist. The painting underwentconservation and was displayed with a new golden frameat the exhibition dedicated to the 250th birth anniversary of GeorgFriedrich Parrot in 2017