During his five years in Russia he traveled through Finland, Lithuania, and Siberia (according to some scholars, only as far as Kazan); on the empress's instructions he made sketches of "Russian types."
May 1762
Departure from Russia
He left Russia in May 1762, visiting Livonia on the way.
December 1763
Return to Paris with Russian Drawings
He returned to Paris in December 1763 with an extensive collection of drawings, which he used as the basis for paintings and prints on Russian themes.
1765
The "Russian Series" at the Salon of 1765
He presented fifteen paintings of scenes from Russian village life at the Salon of 1765, including The Russian Baptism, which earned Diderot's enthusiastic praise, and The Cradle, which he repeated many times.
