The museum’s collection houses a reproduction of a portrait of Princess Zinaida Ivanovna Yusupova. The original was painted by Christina Robertson, a British artist and niece of the fashionable London portrait painter George Sanders. The Yusupov Princes, along with other famous families, were among the first in Russia who commissioned her to paint portraits.
Zinaida Yusupova, née Naryshkina, was born on November 2, 1809. The girl received a good home education and excelled in poetry and art. From a young age, she became a lady-in-waiting to the Russian Empress.
The 15-year-old maid of honor met Boris Yusupov during the coronation of Nicholas I in September 1826. By that time, the prince had already turned 30 years old and had been a widower: his first wife having died in childbirth. The young beauty won his heart, and the prince made every effort to win her parents’ affections. A month later, they became engaged, and were married on January 19, 1827.
Contemporaries noted that the wedding did not go perfectly: the groom forgot to get the blessing of his intended’s father, and the bride dropped her ring, which rolled away so far that it was not found and another had to be used. The diplomat Alexander Bulgakov remarked that “in church the bride was very cheerful, while the groom was thoughtful and frowning.” Soon, the young bride became disappointed in her marriage, telling her father that “she was very bored in St. Petersburg”.
In October 1827, the couple had a son Nikolay, and a little later Zinaida Yusupova gave birth to a daughter, but the girl died at birth. After that, the couple apparently broke off marital relations, allowing each other to have other relationships. The Yusupovs family legend had it that this was partly due to the family curse, which Zinaida Ivanovna was very afraid of: in the old days, her husband’s ancestors had converted to Orthodoxy, and after that their family was predicted to gradually fade away. It was believed that only one male heir would survive, and if more sons were born, no one would live longer than 26 years. The princess was frightened and did not want to give birth to children who were certainly doomed to death.
Even a married woman, Yusupova was one of the most fashionable ladies of the capital. She was “distinguished by her great benevolence towards all and by her remarkable meekness” and even enjoyed the attention of Emperor Nicholas I.
After her husband’s death in October 1849, Zinaida Yusupova left Russia. In the late 1850s, in France, the princess met Captain of the National Guard General Staff Charles Honoré Chauvet, who was 20 years her junior. This did not stop the lovers: they were soon married. The Russian court was dissatisfied with this mesalliance, and Yusupova solved the problem with her usual sweep: she acquired for her husband the title of Count Chauvet and Marquis de Serres.
In 1889, the count died. The princess outlived him by four years: On October 16, 1893, she passed away in Paris.
Zinaida Yusupova, née Naryshkina, was born on November 2, 1809. The girl received a good home education and excelled in poetry and art. From a young age, she became a lady-in-waiting to the Russian Empress.
The 15-year-old maid of honor met Boris Yusupov during the coronation of Nicholas I in September 1826. By that time, the prince had already turned 30 years old and had been a widower: his first wife having died in childbirth. The young beauty won his heart, and the prince made every effort to win her parents’ affections. A month later, they became engaged, and were married on January 19, 1827.
Contemporaries noted that the wedding did not go perfectly: the groom forgot to get the blessing of his intended’s father, and the bride dropped her ring, which rolled away so far that it was not found and another had to be used. The diplomat Alexander Bulgakov remarked that “in church the bride was very cheerful, while the groom was thoughtful and frowning.” Soon, the young bride became disappointed in her marriage, telling her father that “she was very bored in St. Petersburg”.
In October 1827, the couple had a son Nikolay, and a little later Zinaida Yusupova gave birth to a daughter, but the girl died at birth. After that, the couple apparently broke off marital relations, allowing each other to have other relationships. The Yusupovs family legend had it that this was partly due to the family curse, which Zinaida Ivanovna was very afraid of: in the old days, her husband’s ancestors had converted to Orthodoxy, and after that their family was predicted to gradually fade away. It was believed that only one male heir would survive, and if more sons were born, no one would live longer than 26 years. The princess was frightened and did not want to give birth to children who were certainly doomed to death.
Even a married woman, Yusupova was one of the most fashionable ladies of the capital. She was “distinguished by her great benevolence towards all and by her remarkable meekness” and even enjoyed the attention of Emperor Nicholas I.
After her husband’s death in October 1849, Zinaida Yusupova left Russia. In the late 1850s, in France, the princess met Captain of the National Guard General Staff Charles Honoré Chauvet, who was 20 years her junior. This did not stop the lovers: they were soon married. The Russian court was dissatisfied with this mesalliance, and Yusupova solved the problem with her usual sweep: she acquired for her husband the title of Count Chauvet and Marquis de Serres.
In 1889, the count died. The princess outlived him by four years: On October 16, 1893, she passed away in Paris.
