Centenarian Resident of Tsarskoye Selo with her Family
1771
- oil on canvas. 233 х 162
- Ж–3914
Received in 1925 from the State Hermitage- Provenance: collection of the English Palace, Peterhof
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Location in museum
The St Michael’s Castle,
Room 202
Open the panorama of the hall in the virtual tour
- Period Late 17th century – the 18th century
- Portrait
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The painting was commissioned by the Court, which moved to Tsarskoye Selo in the summer. The archive preserves a “verbal” instruction from Catherine the Great: “to the painter Eriksen for our standing portrait — 1500 rubles, for the painting of a peasant woman and her family at Tsarskoye Selo — 600 rubles, in total 2100 rubles.” (Central State Historical Archive, fund 468, Inv. 1, part 2, No. 3887, sheet 78). The picture was engraved by the English engraver James Walker. In issues of the “St Petersburg List” newspaper from 28 to 31 October 1791 an announcement was published about a sale in Klosterman’s shop on Nevsky Prospekt: “of new prints depicting a peasant woman, surrounded by her sons and grandchildren, executed by the court engraver Walker from the original by Eriksen kept at Her Imperial Highness Hermitage.”