The lady in the portrait was known as Princess Praskovya Yuryevna Gagarina (1762-1848). She is the great–grandmother of P.S. Uvarova, the last mistress of the estate in Karacharovo, from where the portrait entered the museum in 1918. A copy of the portrait is kept in the State Historical Museum.
In Griboyedov’s immortal comedy “Woe from Wit”, the princess holds the name Tatiana Yuryevna: “Famous, — moreover, all her friends and relatives are officials… " — this is exactly what was said about her in the early 1820s. In the Murom portrait, an unknown artist depicts a sweet old lady “with traces of former beauty” in an elegant cap, in bright red robes with red bows. Such bright outfits at a very advanced age clearly speak of an unquenchable temper. Only thanks to the painstaking and careful work of restorers can we consider all this — the canvas was in terrible condition, it was stored for a long time without a stretcher, there are traces of lost at folds. The portrait was first exhibited in 2006 in the Art Gallery after restoration. It is not possible to find such a portrait of her in order to make any analogies. The face is painted carefully and with professionalism, the expression of her face is accurate, the eyes are bright and lively. It is not possible to identify the artist’s name. If not for the entry in the inventory book, it would hardly have been possible to recognize the famous Gagarina in the depicted elderly lady. The portrait does not appear in catalogs, nor was it at the famous exhibition at the beginning of the twentieth century in the Tauride Palace, and did not enter the five-volume edition of Russian portraits. At that exhibition there was a beautiful picturesque portrait of her at a young age, which belonged to P. P. Vyazemsky, and disappeared without a trace later. That portrait is known only from reproduction “Russian portraits of the XVIII and XIX centuries”, V, No. 16. The magnificent young Princess Gagarina in the 90s of the XVIII century was painted by Joseph Grassi.
She was among the first beauties — mane men were duelling because of her. She became even more famous for her amazing character. She was the daughter of the privy councillor in deed Prince Yuri Nikitich Trubetskoy and Daria Alexandrovna, born Rumyantseva — the sister of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. In those days, emancipation had not yet been heard of, rare ladies allowed themselves bold behavior. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1789-1791, Princess Praskovya followed her husband, Major General Prince Fyodor Sergeyevich Gagarin, on a campaign. She slapped in public His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin in response to harassment, but he did not take revenge, but was imbued with respect and set an example for the ladies of the court, where free morals reigned. Then she followed her husband to Poland, where he was killed during the Polish uprising. Gagarina was taken into custody, and in captivity gave birth to her daughter, and she already had five children. After the capture of Warsaw by Suvorov, she was released and went to the Russian court. For a long time she was widowed, she wore the earth from her husband’s grave in an earring. She was gifted not only with beauty and firm character, but also with many talents, vivacity and cheerfulness of disposition. There was a theater in Gagarina’s house, there were Italian operas, where she herself performed as a prima donna, and in the Shakhovskys theater she appeared in the roles of the repertoire of the French actress Georges.
In Griboyedov’s immortal comedy “Woe from Wit”, the princess holds the name Tatiana Yuryevna: “Famous, — moreover, all her friends and relatives are officials… " — this is exactly what was said about her in the early 1820s. In the Murom portrait, an unknown artist depicts a sweet old lady “with traces of former beauty” in an elegant cap, in bright red robes with red bows. Such bright outfits at a very advanced age clearly speak of an unquenchable temper. Only thanks to the painstaking and careful work of restorers can we consider all this — the canvas was in terrible condition, it was stored for a long time without a stretcher, there are traces of lost at folds. The portrait was first exhibited in 2006 in the Art Gallery after restoration. It is not possible to find such a portrait of her in order to make any analogies. The face is painted carefully and with professionalism, the expression of her face is accurate, the eyes are bright and lively. It is not possible to identify the artist’s name. If not for the entry in the inventory book, it would hardly have been possible to recognize the famous Gagarina in the depicted elderly lady. The portrait does not appear in catalogs, nor was it at the famous exhibition at the beginning of the twentieth century in the Tauride Palace, and did not enter the five-volume edition of Russian portraits. At that exhibition there was a beautiful picturesque portrait of her at a young age, which belonged to P. P. Vyazemsky, and disappeared without a trace later. That portrait is known only from reproduction “Russian portraits of the XVIII and XIX centuries”, V, No. 16. The magnificent young Princess Gagarina in the 90s of the XVIII century was painted by Joseph Grassi.
She was among the first beauties — mane men were duelling because of her. She became even more famous for her amazing character. She was the daughter of the privy councillor in deed Prince Yuri Nikitich Trubetskoy and Daria Alexandrovna, born Rumyantseva — the sister of Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. In those days, emancipation had not yet been heard of, rare ladies allowed themselves bold behavior. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1789-1791, Princess Praskovya followed her husband, Major General Prince Fyodor Sergeyevich Gagarin, on a campaign. She slapped in public His Serene Highness Prince Potemkin in response to harassment, but he did not take revenge, but was imbued with respect and set an example for the ladies of the court, where free morals reigned. Then she followed her husband to Poland, where he was killed during the Polish uprising. Gagarina was taken into custody, and in captivity gave birth to her daughter, and she already had five children. After the capture of Warsaw by Suvorov, she was released and went to the Russian court. For a long time she was widowed, she wore the earth from her husband’s grave in an earring. She was gifted not only with beauty and firm character, but also with many talents, vivacity and cheerfulness of disposition. There was a theater in Gagarina’s house, there were Italian operas, where she herself performed as a prima donna, and in the Shakhovskys theater she appeared in the roles of the repertoire of the French actress Georges.
