The Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna was painted by Gerhard von Kügelgen in 1801, the year of the palace coup and the death of her husband, Emperor Paul I. Hence, the black dress of the character. The portrait was popular with the contemporaries and was often copied by other artists.The Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna was painted by Gerhard von Kügelgen in 1801, the year of the palace coup and the death of her husband, Emperor Paul I. Hence, the black dress of the character. The portrait was popular with the contemporaries and was often copied by other artists.
Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna
Creation period
1801
Dimensions
69x51 cm
Technique
canvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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Gerhard von Kügelgen
Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna
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The portrait is painted in the spirit of Early German Romanticism. In such pictures, artists would typically focus on the inner life of their characters rather than on state attributes. Von Kügelgen conveyed the natural grace and ease of Maria Feodorovna, which can be seen in the turn of her head, a quiet and attentive look, and a barely noticeable smile. The master caught the character’s individual features, but slightly romanticized the portrait.
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This was a ceremonial portrait of the dowager empress, so the artist could not do without status attributes. He depicted the Maltese Cross pinned to the dowager’s dress, and a cameo with Paul I’s portrait attached to it.
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It is a known fact that the Empress turned amber and ivory articles on a lathe, like various table decorations and inkpots. Also, she made portrait cameos. In all probability, she made the Paul I cameo herself. She is known to have loved her husband dearly and missed him a lot after his death.
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The overall portliness of the ceremonial portrait did not make Maria Feodorovna’s image cold or estranged. In the picture, she remained as human as she was in life. The empress is known to have been engaged in charities, managed foundling hospitals, and did a lot for women’s education. She contributed to the establishment of the Imperial Philanthropic Society, the largest charity institution.
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Even before his marriage, Paul I wrote about her:
“I found my bride a person who I could only wish for me: nice-looking, tall, slim, shy, answers intelligently and quickly. As for her heart, it is very sensitive and tender”.
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Franz Gerhard von Kügelgen, the court artist, repeated this image of Maria Feodorovna more than once. Also, he painted the famous portrait of the whole royal family in 1800:
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Gerard von Kugelgen, “Portrait of Paul I with his family”, 1800.
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Apart from portraits of the ruling house, Kügelgen painted men of science and art, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Johann Gottfried Seume, and many more writers, artists, and scholars.
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Yaroslavl Museum of Fine Arts
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Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna
Creation period
1801
Dimensions
69x51 cm
Technique
canvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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