Early Life and Education Grigory Grigorievich Gagarin (1810 – 1893), a Russian painter, major general, and administrator, was born in Saint Petersburg to the noble Rurikid princely Gagarin family. His father, Prince Grigory Ivanovich Gagarin (Saint Petersburg, March 29 April 1782 – Tegernsee, February 12 1837), served as a Russian diplomat in France and later as ambassador to Italy. Despite lacking formal artistic training, Gagarin received instruction from Karl Briullov, a celebrated Russian painter who resided in Italy during his formative years. This mentorship profoundly shaped his artis…