Princess Daria Alekseevna Golitsyna (1724-1798) was the youngest daughter of Prince Alexei Matveyevich Gagarin from a marriage with Anna Petrovna Shafirova. She was the maid of honor of Elizaveta Petrovna, and later was appointed, together with her sister, to be the lady in waiting of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. After her sister’s death in 1746, Daria Alekseevna married Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn, who had previously proposed to her sister. The princess won not only the heart of Adjutant General Golitsyn, but also the future empress. Although she was with the Grand Duchess for much less time than her older sister, she was in good grace of Catherine.
In 1773, Princess Golitsyna was granted the status of the lady in waiting - the highest court title of a woman serving with the Empress, and was also awarded the Order of St. Catherine - in fact, the second in seniority in the Russian Empire at that time.
Daria Alekseevna led an active social life: she arranged balls, all kinds of concerts and home performances, where one could see French comedies.
The portrait from the Zaraysk Kremlin collection is a miniature copy of the lost work by the Swedish portrait painter Alexander Roslin. From 1755 to 1777 Roslin lived and worked in Russia, where he created numerous portraits of the imperial family and other nobility. The artist was especially successful in conveying all the details of lace, fabrics, costumes and other accessories. The Swedish master was appreciated by the Parisians and created many portraits of his contemporaries.
The portrait by Roslin has been lost, but the copy made by an unknown artist has a rather high standard of performance. The picture perfectly conveys the brilliance of the socialite’s lively charm. The gaze of the princess’s dark eyes is full of intelligence and energy, her expression is not without a touch of coquetry. Daria Golitsyna is depicted with a miniature portrait of Catherine II - a sign of her special position. All the princess’ accessories are painted with great skill and precision, which speaks of the high level of the unknown copyist painter.
The portrait came to the collection from the Bogdanovs' estate in the Zaraysk district in the 1920s.
In 1773, Princess Golitsyna was granted the status of the lady in waiting - the highest court title of a woman serving with the Empress, and was also awarded the Order of St. Catherine - in fact, the second in seniority in the Russian Empire at that time.
Daria Alekseevna led an active social life: she arranged balls, all kinds of concerts and home performances, where one could see French comedies.
The portrait from the Zaraysk Kremlin collection is a miniature copy of the lost work by the Swedish portrait painter Alexander Roslin. From 1755 to 1777 Roslin lived and worked in Russia, where he created numerous portraits of the imperial family and other nobility. The artist was especially successful in conveying all the details of lace, fabrics, costumes and other accessories. The Swedish master was appreciated by the Parisians and created many portraits of his contemporaries.
The portrait by Roslin has been lost, but the copy made by an unknown artist has a rather high standard of performance. The picture perfectly conveys the brilliance of the socialite’s lively charm. The gaze of the princess’s dark eyes is full of intelligence and energy, her expression is not without a touch of coquetry. Daria Golitsyna is depicted with a miniature portrait of Catherine II - a sign of her special position. All the princess’ accessories are painted with great skill and precision, which speaks of the high level of the unknown copyist painter.
The portrait came to the collection from the Bogdanovs' estate in the Zaraysk district in the 1920s.
