ARGUNOV, fir-goo'noff, Ivan P., Russian painter: b. 1727; was a serf of Count Shere metyev (A. Matvyeyev's relation) and became a pupil of G. H. Grot. The date of his death is not positively known. That event occurred, we think, not in 1797, as sometimes stated, but probably later by a year or more. Despite the researches of S. Dyagilen, he still remains, as A. Benois says in
all the interest of this characteristic and soundly realistic portrait would be lost if the work proved to be Argunov's copy from the forgotten original by one of these masters.' Other meritorious portraits are those of Count P. Sheremetyev, Field Marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetyev and Countess V. P. Razumovsky. Engravings of the foregoing, with the excep tion of the last mentioned, were made by P. Antipiev. Almost incomparably inferior are, as a rule, other portraits of the Argunov series; yet even in the poorer work we find, besides the mere charm of the past and of interesting costumes and poses, many fine qualities, not a little purely pictorial merit— fairly good painting and sufficiently correct design. We mention finally, as by him, the