impressive eighteenth century watercolour of one of Russia's most iconic views.
Moscow's legendary landmark is here depicted from the East, overlooking the Bolshoy Moskovetsky Bridge and the Moskva river. Joseph Hearne travelled to Russia in 1787 and on his arrival produced a series of watercolours of Moscow and St Petersburg, most of which are now in the collections of the Hermitage and the Russian Museum.

Hearne's reputation rests largely on six engravings of Petersburg views which Thomas Malton produced from the original watercolours to sell both in London and in Russia. The set was to become the most popular publication since Makhaev's jubilee prints of 1753, partly due to Malton's use of aquatint but also thanks to the lively atmosphere Hearne captured. The attention given to the personable side of city life in conjunction with the architectural grandeur is seen in the present watercolour, with the Kremlin sitting proudly on its fortified pedestal beside Muscovites going about their daily life.

Watercolour over pencil, heightened with pen and black ink (49.5 x 73.2 cm); signed lower left 'Joseph Hearn 1787 The Crimline [sic] at Masco [sic]'; mounted and framed (79 x 98 cm).