Artwork
Portrait of Elizabeth of Russia
Portrait of Elizabeth of Russia is an unspecified painting by Jean Henri Benner. It is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. Jean‑Henri Benner’s 1821 oil portrait presents Empress Elizabeth of Russia in full ceremonial attire.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Elizabeth of Russia in regal attire, a royal mantle, crown, and the Order of St Andrew, emblems of imperial authority and court ceremony that underscore her status and reflect the pomp of early nineteenth-century Russian court life. It was painted by Jean Henri Benner in 1821 and is held in the Hermitage Museum, where it forms part of the collection of Russian portraiture.
Technique & Style
It depicts the empress in a royal mantle and crown, with the Order of St Andrew and court dress, indicating a formal, ceremonial mode of representation.
The Portrait of Elizabeth of Russia by Jean Henri Benner is classified as a painting in the portrait genre. It depicts the empress in a royal mantle and crown, with the Order of St Andrew and court dress, indicating a formal, ceremonial mode of representation. Dated to 1821, it is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. The sources do not specify the medium, support, dimensions, or condition of the work.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Elizabeth of Russia was completed in 1821 by Jean Henri Benner. Classified as a portrait, it is now part of the Hermitage Museum's collection. The sources do not record earlier owners, the circumstances of the commission, or the date of the museum's acquisition, though the painting's date and attribution are established by the available sources.
Context
The work belongs to early nineteenth-century Russian court portraiture and reflects the Hermitage Museum's role in preserving imperial iconography. Painted during the reign of Alexander I, it is discussed within Jean Henri Benner's oeuvre and the broader contribution of European-trained portraitists and miniaturists to Russian visual culture in the Romantic era.
Overview
Jean‑Henri Benner’s 1821 oil portrait presents Empress Elizabeth of Russia in full ceremonial attire. The canvas, now part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection, captures the monarch’s dignified bearing, emphasizing the regalia that signified her imperial authority.
Artist & collection
Portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna
Carl Peter Ulricks gemalinde, Sofia Augusta. Katharina II af Rusland
Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna, née Princess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (1759-1828), Wife of Emperor Paul I of Russia ( Type of Gerhard von Kügelgen)
Tanskan kuningatar Sofia Magdalena
Portrait of A.I. Kurakina
Portrait of Catherine Orlova (1758-1781)
Portrait of Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste Sofie of Neuburg (1693 - 1728)
Carl Peter Ulricks gemalinde, Sofia Augusta. Katharina II af Rusland
