Grand Duke Constantine was the second son of Emperor Nicholas I. and Empress Alexandra, Princess of Prussia. As the Emperor had decided that Constantine, who showed great spirit, was to become Grand Admiral of the Russian navy, the naval profession was to be specially considered in his education. This was the prelude to a brillant career.

In 1846 Grand Duke Constantine accompanied his sister Olga to Gemany and stopped at Altenburg for the purpose of making the acquaintance of Princess Alexandra, the youngest daughter of Duke Joseph of Saxe-Altenburg, who was a first cousin of his mother Empress Alexandra. After that visit he surprised his parents with the announcement that he intended to marry the Princess Alexandra."She or no other". They were married two years later at St. Petersburg and the bride took the name Alexandra Josifovna. Alexandra was the sister of Mary Queen of Hanover.

Upon his accession in 1855, Alexander II immediately appointed his brother Constantine to take charge of all naval affairs. The building shown in the background of the painting is the building of the Admiralty in St. Petersburg. The two brothers worked closely together and Constantine supported his Emperor during the period of Alexander II's dramatic reforms, notably the liberation of the serfs. After a short period as Viceroy of Poland he returned to St. Petersburg and devoted most of his activities to improving the navy. He abolished corporal punishment and made many other improvements in service conditions.

When his nephew, Alexander III ascended the throne in 1881 he hastened to put an end to his uncles career. The Grand Duke was told that the best thing he could do was to resign, which he did. Alexander III had no use for such a "liberal" powerhouse as his uncle was. Grand Duke Constantine spent much of the rest of his life abroad, or on his Crimean estate, making friends with the writer Turgenev, and large numbers of luminaries of the arts and sciences.