The portrait of Natalia Zubova found its way to the museum from Fetinino, ancestral estate of her husband count Nikolai Alexandrovich. His portrait, as well as portraits of other Zubovs, was handed over to the employees by the Leontyev family – the last owners of the estate and the descendants of a famous noble family. 

Suvorov’s relationship with his wife was not easy, so Natalia was sent to Smolny Institute when she was still a child. Upon graduation, future countess became the maid of honour of Catherine II. It was the Empress who arranged the family life of the girl – she approved of count Nikolai Zubov (who was the older brother of Platon Zubov, Catherine’s minion) as her husband.

However ten years of marriage did not bring ‘Suvorochka’ happiness. According to the memoirs of the contemporaries Zubov had a very crude and bad temper, and in 1801 he became one of the main participants in the assassination of Paul I. The coup resulted in Alexander I ascending the throne. Later the Emperor designated Zubov as the Master of the Horse and made the Chief of the Royal Household Stables. Yet, two years later, the count was removed from the seat for ‘brutal high-handedness with coachmen’.

A consistent manner of works and similar stylistic details make art historians believe that they were written by the same master. In the old museum documentation Henri−François Riesener, famous portraitist of the court, was registered as the author of the paintings, however this supposal of his authorship was not confirmed. Then the staff of the Grabar Conservation Centre suggested that these works were copies of not preserved Riesener 's paintings, which he created in the early romantic period of his artwork. The name of the copyist could not be identified.