Duke Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin belonged to one of the oldest aristocratic families which left some significant trace in Russian history. He was an artist, illustrator, art researcher, architect, Royal Court attendant of Her Imperial Majesty, Vice President of the Fine Arts Academy since 1859 and Privy Councillor. Karl Brüllow was one of his teachers. Gagarin spent most of his childhood and youth in Rome and Paris. In 1832 he came to Saint Petersburg and entered the service of the Asian Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He met the famous Russian poets Alexander Pushkin und Michail Lermentow. Gagarin's serious passion for the orient began when he sailed on the brig “Themistokles” from Athens to Constantinople between 1...