ELENA PAVLOVNA ZAHAZHEVSKAYA FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM
Currently in storage
About this object
The elder daughter of Russian Senator Count Pavel Ivanovich Tiesenhausen (1774-1864), Elena Pavlovna Zahazhevskaya (1804-1889) was, through her mother, Yulia Petrovna (1782-1862), the granddaughter of Count Peter Pahlen (1745-1826), who played a pivotal role in the assassination of Paul I in 1801. Nicknamed “Lili,” she was one of St. Petersburg’s beauties. Her marriage in 1829 to Lieutenant General Grigory Andreyevich Zahazhevsky (1792-1845), one of the heroes of the War of 1812, was arranged by her parents. As commander of the 2nd division of the Horse Guards Regiment, Grigory took part in the repression of the Decembrist revolt in 1825. The couple mingled with Alexander Pushkin and members of his circle. Elena’s father and husband were both portrayed by Petr Sokolov. Elena’s unhappy marriage may have encouraged her to become very involved in her court duties. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna and was Master of the Court of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. By the 1880s, she had become one of the pillars of the court.
The bust-length portrait presents Elena Pavlovna Zahazhevskaya with her body facing partly left and her face and eyes turned to the right, against a neutral background. She wears a large grey coat and gold and gem-studded pendant earrings. Her brown hair is covered by a wide-brimmed hat save for the ringlets framing her face. The hat features a large bow on the crown and is held in place by a long pink scarf or veil tied under her chin.
- Object name:
- ELENA PAVLOVNA ZAHAZHEVSKAYA FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM
- Made from:
- Watercolor on paper
- Date made:
- 1829-1835
- Size:
- H. 7 7/8 in., W. 6 1/4 in.
Detailed information for this item
- Catalog number:
- 52.39.26
- Signature marks:
- Inscription Madame de Zacharjewsky, née Comtesse de Tiesenhausen Bottom of page In cursive
- Credit line:
- Museum Purchase, 2004