Porter Robert Ker

British artist, traveler, writer and diplomat, who lived and worked in Russia for a long time. In 1790 he entered the Royal Academy of Painting, where he showed great success, and already in 1792 he painted several paintings for churches and a number of government institutions. In 1792, for the drawing "The Witch of Endor" he received a silver palette from the Royal Society of Arts. In 1804 he was invited to Russia as a historical painter. Emperor Alexander I commissioned him to create three historical paintings to decorate the walls of the Admiralty. In 1809 he published the work "Travel Notes" - a richly illustrated publication reflecting the life and customs of Russia and the Scandinavian countries. The artist's works are presented in the collections of the State Historical Museum, the Borodino Battle Panorama Museum, the State Russian Museum, the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and other museums, as well as in private collections.