Feodor Iwanowitsch Kalmück was born in the Russian Caucasus, in what is now the Republic of Kalmykia. Tsarist oppression led to the enslavement of many of his people, but the inscription records that Feodor's artistic skills led to his liberty. This delicately etched self-portrait shows that, in addition to his mastery of the medium, Feodor's exotic origins were being marketed to his potential patrons.

Cat. 45