Swedish artist Alexander Roslin painted the Portrait of Grand Princess Maria Fedorovna in the 1770s. He portrayed the second wife of Grand Prince Pavel Petrovich, the future Emperor Pavel I. The picture from the exposition is the author’s replica of one of the previous half-figure semi-grand portraits of Maria Fedorovna. Experts received this information from an x-ray study performed on the portrait. It showed that, in contrast to the original, the given picture depicts a different image of the pearls in the hair of the Grand Princess. It seems that the author himself repainted the picture, as copyists usually made exact replicas of the original, without changing the slightest detail.

Roslin presented the portrait in shades of pink and grey, which was characteristic of the then popular Rococo style. In keeping with the times, the author emphasizes the model’s beauty and youthful appearance by accentuating the blush in her cheeks. The artist was most elaborate and skillful in the depiction of minor details: the texture of the fabric and lace, embroidery and accessories. Such ornateness was also one of the characteristic features of Rococo.

Grand Princess Maria Fedorovna was interested in art and crafts. She lathed desktop figurines and decorations out of amber and ivory on a turning machine, carved cameo out of stone and glass. Maria Fedorovna also created crayon pictures. Many of her pictures are displayed in the study of the Pavlovskiy Palace (Pavlovian Palace).