Portrait of Pavel Melnikov is an oil painting completed in 1876 by Ivan Kramskoi. The work depicts the Russian writer Pavel Melnikov, and was created during the later period of Kramskoi’s career, when he was recognized for his psychologically nuanced portraits of prominent Russian cultural figures. The portrait presents Melnikov seated at a desk covered with papers, books, and manuscripts. The subject gazes directly at the viewer, his expression thoughtful and serious.

The lighting emphasizes the textures of Melnikov’s face and beard, as well as the surfaces of the scattered documents and bound volumes. Kramskoi employs a restrained palette dominated by browns and ochres, with energetic brushwork in the background and detailed rendering in the face and hands, highlighting the intellectual character of the sitter. This painting is documented as being held in a Russian collection and is dated 1876. Ivan Kramskoi was a leading figure among the Peredvizhniki, a group of realist artists in Russia during the late nineteenth century, and his portraits from this period often feature writers, artists, and thinkers of his time.

No further details about the commission, early provenance, or exhibition history of this specific work are recorded.