Artwork
Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna
Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is an oil painting. It dates from 1755 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. The work is an oil painting portraying Empress Elizabeth Petrovna seated on an elevated chair reminiscent of a throne.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work was created in Germany before being acquired by the Hermitage Museum, linking Russian cultural policy with European artistic production.
The painting shows Elizabeth I of Russia holding a sceptre and orb, symbols of imperial authority that underscore her sovereign power. Rendered in oil on canvas in 1755, the portrait reflects the Enlightenment-era emphasis on enlightened monarchy and the visual consolidation of Russian imperial identity. The work was created in Germany before being acquired by the Hermitage Museum, linking Russian cultural policy with European artistic production.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard medium for mid-eighteenth-century European portraiture. According to the catalogue record, the work measures 160 cm in height by 128 cm in width, giving it a substantial, upright format suited to a formal state portrait.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to the tradition of court portraiture, depicting Empress Elizabeth Petrovna with the regalia of sovereignty, specifically a sceptre and orb, conventions that signal imperial authority. The work is dated 1755 and attributed to Georg Caspar von Prenner, a German-born artist active in that milieu, and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
History & Provenance
The portrait was created in 1755 by Georg Caspar von Prenner. The work was produced in Germany using oil paint on canvas. It depicts Empress Elizabeth I of Russia holding a sceptre and an orb. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, where it remains located.
The Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, where it remains part of the institution's holdings as a painting executed in oil on canvas. The work is catalogued within the Hermitage's inventory, though a specific accession number is not recorded in the available sources.
The painting was produced in Germany in 1755 and entered the Hermitage's collection, where it has been documented as part of the museum's portrait holdings. No exhibition history beyond its presence in the Hermitage collection is recorded in the available documentation.
Overview
The work is an oil painting portraying Empress Elizabeth Petrovna seated on an elevated chair reminiscent of a throne. She is attired in a pink and white costume edged with gold, a blue sash draped over her shoulder, and a modest crown atop a high white wig. A gilded staff rests in her hand, while a dark, patterned backdrop with green and gold accents frames the figure.
Artist & collection
