Dmitry Levitzky at Artprice. To look at auction records, find Levitzky's works in upcoming auctions, check price levels and indexes for his works, read his biography and view his signature, access the Artprice database.
Dmitry
Grigorievich Levitzky is, without doubt, the leading Russian painter of
the latter half of the 18th Century, as well as the first Russian painter
to paint at the level of contemporary Western European masters. Levitzky
specialized in the art of the portrait, which was in great demand in Russian
high society at the time, as it sought to emulate its counterparts in the
rest of Europe. He is the most universal of his contemporaries, both in
terms of subjects -- ranging from the serf Nikifor Sezemov to the Empress
Catherine II, the Great, herself -- and in terms of composition. His works
are characterized by a unique style that set him apart from other Russian
painters of the period. The manner in which he imbued his portraits with
finely expressed emotions is, in some ways, far ahead of his time. Levitzky
is sometimes known in the West as "the Russian Gainsborough."
Levitzky was probably born in Kiev, in the middle of May, 1735. There is
no record of his exact birth date, but a church record from 1754 notes
that Dmitry was 19 at the time. His birthday is believed to have been somewhere
between May 13 and May 17 (Old Style; May 26 and May 30 New Style). His
father was Grigory Levizky-Nos, a priest in the village of Mayachky and
a prominent engraver. It was his engraving work that caused him to spend
much time in Kiev. It was he who first taught the young Dmitry art.
Between 1752 and 1755, Aleksey
Antropov, one of the most significant Russian painters of the time,
was working in Kiev on a commission to paint frescoes and iconostases in
the Kiev Cathedral of St. Andrew, and it was probably during this period
that he first met Levitzky. The young painter followed his teacher to St.
Petersburg, and a record from 1758 lists him as one of Antropov's pupils
and a resident in Antropov's household. He stayed with his teacher until
at least 1764.
During this time, he probably attended the lessons of Jean Louis Lagrenée,
a tutor at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, though he was never officially
enrolled at the Academy. Giuseppe Valeriani is often suggested to be another
of Levitzky's teachers.
As part of his apprenticeship to Antropov, Levitzky took part in
the decoration of two of triumphal arches in Moscow, which had been constructed
for the coronation of Catherine II. The work included icons, allegorical
paintings and eight portraits. In 1766, he was commissioned to paint a
large number of icons for three newly-built churches in Moscow. Unfortunately,
none of these works survived to modern times.
In 1770, Levitzky first became famous as a portrait painter after the exhibition
of 6 of his portraits at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. For the
Portrait
of Alexander Kokorinov (1769) he was given the rank of academician
and, in 1771, appointed the professor of portrait painting at the Academy
of Arts. He would work in this position until 1787. In 1776, he was elected
a councillor of the Academy, and in 1780, became a member of the Academy
Council.
However, his good standing in the Academy was not to last and in August
1787, the painter wrote to the Academy Council, asking them to relieve
him of his duties because of "declining health and vision." Since the painter
would work actively for another 25 years, this would doubtfully the real
cause. The Academy assigned him a miserly pension of some 200 rubles a
year.
The 1770s and 1780s were the painter's most productive time. Notable portraits
of this period include the Portrait of Prokofiy
Demidov (1773), Portrait of
Catherine II as Legislator in the Temple of the Goddess of Justice
(1783), Portrait of Maria Dyakova
(1778), Portrait of Nikolay Lvov, Architect,
Painter and Poet (1780). Between 1772 and 1776 Levitzky worked
on a series of portraits of the pupils of the privileged Smolny Institute
for Young Ladies in St. Petersburg, commissioned by Catherine
II, among them, the Portrait of Ekaterina
Nelidova (1773) and 6 other portraits. All the subjects were
the best pupils of the Institute and they are depicted performing dances,
music and drama.
After leaving the Academy, the painter's popularity began to decline. He
stopped receiving commissions from the court and gentry and his financial
situation gradually got worse and worse. In 1807, the Academy softened
its attitude towards the painter and appointed him to the Academy Council
"in view of his years, rank and past fame," boosting his pay to 600 rubles
per year, which improved his position considerably.
Sometime in the late 1790s, the painter joined the masonic lodge "The
Dying Sphynx".
Notable works of this later period include portraits of the daughters of
Paul I, paintings of the Vorontsov family, and pictures of Nikolay
Novikov, the Bilibins, Anna
Protasova, and others.
Dmitry Levitzky died in St. Peterburg on April 4 (Old Style; April 17,
New Style), 1822, just a month shy of his 87th birthday.
Anne Davia (D'Avia) Bernucci - an Italian
actress, who came to St. Petersburg in 1781 and played in the court theater.
She was a favorite of Prince A. A. Bezborodko, who spent great sums
of money on her: he paid her 8,000 gold rubles monthly, and when she went
on vacation to Italy he gave her money and jewelry worth 500,000 rubles.
The Prince's extravagance caused Catherine II to order the eviction of
Bernucci from Russia within 24 hours.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Anna
Davia (D'Avia) Bernucci.
Bakunin, Peter Vasilyevich (1725
- after 1800) son of the State Councillor V.M. Bakunin. He served in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finished his career in the rank of State
Councillor.
Ekaterina Andreyevna Bakunina (1736 - ?) - wife of P.V. Bakunin,
who gave birth to three daughters: Anne (1759), Alexandra (1760), and Maria
(1762).
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of P.
V. Bakunin. Portrait of E. A. Bakunina.
Bezborodko, Alexander Andreyevich
(1747 - 1799) - son of the Chief Judge of the Zaporozh Army A.Y. Bezborodko
and E.M. Zabello. He studied at the Kiev Theological Academy and began
his service in the office of Count P.A. Rumyantsev, then Govenor-General
of Ukraine (Malorossia). In 1775, he was appointed secretary to Catherine
II. In 1780, he was granted the rank of General-Major and appointed
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; there, he took part in working out
a treaty with Austria and preparing documents for the annexation of Crimea.
In 1785, Emperor Joseph II of Austria granted him the title of Count of
the Holy Roman Empire. The peak of his diplomatic career was a peace treaty
between Russia and Turkey (1791), for which he was promoted to the rank
of Privy Councillor and given high dictinctions. Pavel
I gave him the rank of State Chancellor. He died in St. Petersburg
in 1799.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Count
A. A. Bezborodko.
Bilibin the Big, Ivan Kharitonovich
( ? - 1808) a merchant of the top guild and industrialist. In 1795-1798
and 1804-1807, he was the Burgermeister of the city of Kaluga. Had two
sons: Ivan Ivanovich Bilibin (dates of life uknown) and Yakov
Ivanovich Bilibin (1779-1854). The later was married to M. I. Kusova
from a family of St. Petesburg merchants; and during the war with Napoleon
in 1812, he donated 200,000 rubles to outfit militias. After 1912, the
portraits were sold to the Russian Museum by the great-grandson of Y.I.
Bilibin, Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, a famous Russian painter.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of I.
K. Bilibin the Big. Portrait of I.
I. Bilibin. Portrait of Y. I. Bilibin.
Borisov, Andrey Ivanovich (1759-1806?)
- the elder son of a merchant from Kaluga, Ivan Ivanovich Borisov. He was
a notable citizen of Kaluga, famous for his success in business and charity,
and was twice elected Burgermeister of the city. A.I. Borisov had two sons:
Vasiliy (1798-1802) and Pavel (1785-1820).
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of A.
I. Borisov.
Igelstrom, Iosif Andreyevich (1737-1817/1823?)
came from a noble Lithuanian family, and received an education in Riga
and Germany. In 1753, he entered military service in Russia, participating
in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. In 1784-1792 he served as the Governor-General
of Siberia and Ufa province, in 1792 as the Govenor-General of Pskov province,
and in 1793 as the Governor-General of the Kiev and Tchernigov provinces.
In 1794, Catherine II appointed him Ambassador to Warsaw and commander
of the Russian troops in Poland. He was subsequently dismissed for his
failure to suppress the Warsaw uprising. However, Catherine's sucessor,
Pavel
I took him into service once more in the rank of General of the Infantry
and appointed him Governor-General of the Orenburg province.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of I.
A. Igelstrom.
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna
(1783-1801) the first daughter of Emperor Pavel
I. In 1799, she married Archduke Joseph of Austria, heir to the Austrian
throne. She died in Ofen in 1801 during child birth.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Grand
Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna as a Child.
Grand Duchess Elena (Helen) Pavlovna
(1784-1803) - the second daughter of Pavel
I. The name Elena (Helen) was given to her by Catherine II, because
she considered the grand-daughter a beauty, comparable to Helen of Troy.
On April 12, 1799 she married Frederic Louis, Prince of Macklenburg-Schwerin.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Grand
Duchess Elena Pavlovna as a Child.
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna
(1786-1859) - the third daughter of Emperor Pavel
I. She was known for her patronage of arts and her willingness to learn.
In her childhood, Maria suffered from small pox and her face had harsh,
sharp lines, but when she matured she became so attractive that she was
called ‘the pearl of the family’. She had lots of boyish habits, which
worried her mother, Empress Maria Fedororvna, and her tutors. Catherine
II, the Great wrote that her granddaughter Maria ‘behaved like a dragoon
– she was afraid of nothing and all her games resembled a boy’s. Her favorite
pose was to put her hands on her hips.’ By dint of great effort, her tutors
managed to overcome her ‘bad manners’ but they didn’t eradicate her open,
happy character and love of knowledge, which was considered a man’s pursuit.
In 1804, Maria married Charles Frederic of Saxe-Weimar, heir to Grand Duke
Saxe-Weimar. While in Weimar she took lessons from the professors of the
Jena University and met Goethe, Schiller, Wieland and other outstanding
German minds of the time. Schiller acknowledged in her a great talent for
music and painting and a real love for reading. Goethe called her one of
the best and most outstanding women of his time.
See Vladimir Borovikovsky. Portrait
of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.
Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Grand
Duchess Maria Pavlovna as a Child.
Grand Duchess Ekaterina (Catherine)
Pavlovna (1788-1819) the fourth daughter of Pavel
I. In January 1809, she married Peter Friedrich George Holstein-Oldenburg,
Duke of Oldenburg (1784-1812). After the Duchy of Oldenburg was annexed
by Napoleon in 1811, he was appointed the Govenor General of Tver province,
but died shortly thereafter of typhoid. During the Napoleonic Wars in 1812-1815,
Catherine paid to outfit a special regiment of chasseurs. On January 12,
1816 she married her cousin Prince Wilhelm (William) von Wurttemberg, later
King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg. She died in Stuttgart in 1819.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Grand
Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna as a Child.
Hauff, Ivan Ivanovich (Johann) ( ?
- 1810) - painter and restorer in the Imperial Hermitage between 1790 and
1800. In 1801, he became a teacher and restorer in the Academy of Arts.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Johann
Hauff.
Kokorinov, Alexander Philippovich (1725-1772)
- Russian architect, born in Tobolsk into the family of a state official.
He studied in Moscow; and after 1754, he lived in St. Petersburg, working
as assistant to the famous architect F.B.Rastrelli. After 1758, he worked
in the Academy of Arts and participated in the design and construction
of the building. Later, he became one of its first professors, and was
appointed its Director in 1761, and Rector in 1769. In 1760, he married
Pulkheria Demidova, daughter of famous industrialist and millionaire G.A.
Demidov.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Alexander
Kokorinov, Director and First Rector of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.
Khrapovitsky, Alexander Vasilyevich
(1749-1801) son of Vasiliy Ivanovich Khrapovitsky and E.M. Serdukova. In
1782-1793, he was State Secretary to Catherine
II; in 1793, he became a Senator; and during the reign of Alexander
I, he became a Privy Councillor. He was awarded Order of St. Anne. He is
remembered as the author of popular memoirs about Catherine II.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of the
Author A. V. Khrapovitzky.
Lanskoy, Alexander Dmitrievich (1758-1784)
son of a poor nobleman, Captain Dmitry Artemyevich Lanskoy. He began his
service in 1772 in the Izmailovky Guard regiment as a soldier, becoming
a horseman and aide to Prince G.A.Potemkin in 1772. In 1779, became a favorite
of Catherine II and was granted the rank of
aide-de-camp to the Empress. In 1780, he became Chamberlain, Major General
and commander of the Smolensk Dragoon regiment. In 1781, he was awarded
the Order of the White Eagle, and in 1783 the Orders of Alexander Nevsky
and of St. Anne. He died at the age of 26 and was buried in Tsarskoe Selo.
Catherine II had a church built over his grave.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of the
Aide-de-camp A. D. Lanskoy.
Levitzky-Nos, Grigory Kirillovich (1697-1769)
father of the painter, an artist and engraver himself. He was born in the
village of Mayachky in Poltava province, to the clergyman Kirill Stepanovich
Nos. He Studied in Poland and in the Kiev theological academy. Between
1752 and 1757, he created engravings for ecclesiastic books, and worked
as an editor for Kiev-Pechersk Lavra's printing house. After 1738, he became
a clergyman. He died in his native village of Mayachky in 1769.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of G.
K. Levitzky, Artist's Father.
Levitzkaya, Nastasiya Yakovlevna
(1746? - 1824?), wife of the painter. She had two sons Grigory and Aleksey
by him, both of hwom died as infants, and a daughter Agafya.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of N.
Y. Levitzkaya, Artist's Wife.
Levitzkaya, Agafya Dmitriyevna
(1760?-1805), daughter of the painter. In 1785, she married Alexander Matveevich
Andreyev, a collegiate assessor. In 1805, A. M. Andreyev died and left
his family in the charge of his father-in-law.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of A.
D. Levitzkaya, Artist's Daughter
Lopukhin, Ivan Vladimirovich (1756-1816)
Senator, freemason, author, son of the General-Lieutenant Vladimir Ivanovich
Lopuchin and Yevdokia Ilyinichna, née Isayeva. He entered a freemason
secret society in 1782 after he had retired from the Russian army in the
rank of Colonel.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of I.
V. Lopukhin.
Lvov, Nikolay Alexandrovich (1751-1803),
Russian architect, painter, poet and musician. He was born into the family
of a Ukrainian landowner and was educated at home. He entered the diplomatic
service first, but then was appointed to the Post Office Department. He
designed and built several buildings, such as the Post Office in St. Petersburg,
the Cathedral of St. Boris and St. Gleb in Torzhok, several country manors,
and the Priory Palace in Gatchina. He held prominent positions at the courts
of Catherine II and Pavel
I. Lvov made the designs of the medals for the Russian orders of St.
Vladimir and St. Anne. He was a skilled drawer and engraver, wrote poetry,
composed music and published the first ever collection of Russian folk
songs. Lvov was the leader of a circle of poets, artists and musicians,
many of whom were influenced by him. He was married to Maria
Alexeyevna Dyakova (1755-1807) daughter of Chief Prosecutor Senator
Aleksey Afanasyevich Dyakov and Avdotya Petrovna, née Princess Myshetskaya.
She had two sisters: Darya, who married G. R. Derzhavin, and Alexandra,
who married V. V. Kapnist. She secretly married Nikolay Alexandrovich Lvov
in 1779, without receiving her parents' permision. Her parents allowed
the marriage to go ahead only in 1783. When everybody gathered in the church
for the wedding ceremony, the couple announced that they had already been
married 4 years. A valet and a maid were wedded instead. Nikolay and Maria
lived together happily and had 5 children.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Maria
Dyakova. Portrait of Nikolay Lvov,
Architect, Painter and Poet. Portrait
of M. A. Lvova.
Makerovsky, Favst
Petrovich (1780-1847) went into military service at the
age of 12. After 1816, he served in the civil service, where he reached
the rank of State Councillor.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of F.
P. Makerovsky in a Masquerade Costume.
Melgunov, Alexey Petrovich (1722-1788)
son of St. Peterburg's Vice Governor. He served as a chamber-page at court,
and then was appointed aide to Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich. On December
28, 1761 Peter III made him
Major General, and on February 1762, Lieutenant General. During the reign
of Catherine II in 1764 he was appointed Governor-General
of Novorossiysk province. In 1765, he served as a Senator, and in 1777
he became Governor-General of Yaroslavl province. In 1780, he was promoted
to Governor-General of both Yaroslavl and Vologotsk provinces. In 1780,
for the successful fulfillment of 'a delicate task' -- the transportation
of the exiled Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (Braunschweig), Anthony Ulrich,
and his family from Russia to Denmark -- he was awarded the Order of St.
Andrew.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of A.
P. Melgunov.
Mniszeck (also Mniszech), Ursula
(about 1750 - 1808) - daughter of voyevoda (governor of a province in Poland)
Jan Jakub (Jan Jacob) Zamoyski and Ludwika Poniatowska, sister of the Polish
King Stanislaus (Stanislaw) Augustus Poniatowski. After her first marriage,
her last name became Pototskaya, and in 1781, it changed to Mniszeck after
she married Count Mikhail Mniszeck. She became a holder of the Order of
St. Catherine in 1787, and a lady-in-waiting in 1797.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Ursula
Mniszeck.
Mussar, Maria Ivanovna (dates of life unknown),
née Hetz (or Getz), wife of St. Petersburg watchmaker and merchant
Daniil Francois Mussar, who had come to Russia from Geneva as a boy. Their
daughter, Barbara Danilovna, was married to the Russian author N.I. Grech.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of M.
I. Mussar.
Novikov, Nikolay Ivanovich (1744-1818)
- Russian author and publisher. He published satirical magazines, where
he criticized the serfdom of Russian peasants. He also opened schools,
libraries and printing shops in the cities of Russia to help with the education
of Russia's lower classes. For his criticism of the existing regime he
was imprisoned by Catherine II in the Schlisselburg
Fortress in 1792-1796.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of the
Author Nikolay Novikov.
Palmenbach, Evstafy Ivanovich (Gustavovich)
(1759-1794) - son of Ivan (Gustav) Ivanovich, scion of an old Lithuanian
noble family, who entered Russian military service in 1731 and retired
in the rank of Lieutenant General; his mother was the daughter of General
A. N. Wilboa (Gilboa). E. I. Palmenbach entered Russian military service
in 1760. He was killed in action in 1794. He was married to Baroness E.A.
Tcherkasova and had three daughters.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of E.
I. Palmenbach.
Poltoratzky, Mark Feodorovich
(1729-1795) - son of archpriest of the town of Sosnitsy in Tchernigov province;
was the Director of the Court Choir; since 1754 a Colonel, later State
Councillor. Married to Agafokleya Alexandrovna Shishkova.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of M.
F. Poltoratzky.
Protasova, Anna Stepanovna (1745-1826)
- daughter of Senator Stepan Feodorovich Protasov and Anisya Nikitishna,
née Orlova. Maid-of-honor to Catherine II; in 1785, she became lady-in-waiting.
She was a favorite of Catherine II and accompanied her on all her trips
and journeys. In 1801, she was granted the title of Countess and remained
lady-in-waiting to the Empress Maria Feodorovna. She died in St. Petersburg
in 1826.
See Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Countess
A. S. Protasova. Portrait of Countess
A. S. Protasova.
also: Angelica Kauffman. Portrait
of Princess A. S. Protasova with Her Nieces.
In the latter picture, she is with her nieces, daughters of her brother
P. S. Protasov; in the future, they would become Countess Rostopchina,
Princess Golytsyna, Countess Tolstaya, Princess Vasilchikova and Countess
Protasova. Protasova wears a medallion with a portrait of Catherine II,
given to her as a gift by the tzarina.
Orlov, Feodor Grigoryevich (1741-1796)
- Count, forth of five brothers Orlovs, younger brother of Grigory
Grigoryevich Orlov, favorite of Catherine II.
He began his military service as a soldier in the Semenov guard regiment;
participated in the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Russo-Turkish War
of 1768-1774. He retired in 1775, in the rank of General-in-Chief.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Count
F. G. Orlov.
Repnina, Praskovya Nikolayevna (1756-1784),
the youngest daughter of General-Field-Marshal Prince Nikolay Vasilyevich
Repnin and Natalya Alexandrovna, née Princess Kurakina. In 1781,
she became a maid of honor to Catherine II.
In 1783, she married Prince Feodor Nikolayevich Golytsin, Chamberlain and
Privy Councillor, trustee of the Moscow University.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Princess
P. N. Repnina.
Sezemov, Nikifor Artemyevich (? -
not before 1797) - a serf of the Count P. B. Sheremetyev, was successful
in business and bought himself freedom. The portrait was commissioned by
the Director of the Moscow Foundling Hospital, to which Sezemov used to
give charitable contributions.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of N.
A. Sezemov.
Shuvalov, Ivan Ivanovich (1727-1797),
favorite of the Empress Elizaveta
Petrovna, already during the first years of her reign, he was given
the ranks of Lieutenant General, then Major General and was awarded the
order of Alexander Nevsky. Patron of sciences and arts, he participated
in the founding of the first Russian University in Moscow (1755), the Academy
of Arts in St. Petersburg (1757) and a gymnasium in Kazan (1758). After
the death of Elizaveta, he left Russia for 14 years, traveling through
Italy and France. In 1777, he returned to Russia and was heartily welcomed
back by the court. He was granted the position of Chief Chamberlain and
decorated with the Orders of Vladimir and St. Andrew.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of I.
I. Shuvalov.
Vorontsov, Artemy Ivanovich (1748-1813)
- Count, Privy Councillor, Senator and Chamberlain. He was the son of Lieutenant
General Ivan Illarionovich Vorontsov and Maria Artemyevna, née Volynskaya.
He possessed a very large fortune, but went bankrupt by the end of his
life, and had to agree to a marriage between his younger daughter, Praskovya,
and a rich landlord from a family of former serfs. He was married to Praskovya
Feodorovna Vorontsova (1750-1797), née Kvashina-Samarina, daughter
of Feodor Alexeyevich Kvashin-Samarin and Anna Yuryevna, née Rzhevskaya.
They had daughters: Maria Artemyevna Vorontsova (1777-1866), maid
of honor to Empress Maria Feodorovna, who moved to Italy in the 1820s,
converted to Catholicism and died in Florence; Anna Artemyevna Vorontsova
(1777-1854),
who married Count D. P. Buturlin, one of the most educated persons of his
time and Director of the Imperial Hermitage; they moved to Italy in 1817,
had 4 children, also converted into Catholicism, and died in Florence;
their son M. D. Buturlin wrote memoirs about the family;
Ekaterina Artemyevna
Vorontsova (1780-1836), maid of honor to Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna,
was prominent in the court until the end of her life and had an apartment
in the Winter Palace; Praskovya Artemyevna Vorontsova (1786-1842),
was raised in the Smolny Institute, which she finished with honors, and
in 1813 married A. U. Timofeev, a landlord of rather humble origins from
Tambov province. See the portrait of Artemy Vorontsov's brother I.
I. Vorontsov.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Count
A. I. Vorontsov. Portrait of Countess
P. F. Vorontsova. Portrait of Countess
Anna Vorontsova as a Child. Portrait
of Countess Ekaterina Vorontsova as a Child. Portrait
of Countess Maria Vorontsova as a Child. Portrait
of Countess Praskovya Vorontsova as a Child.
Fedor Rokotov. Portrait
of Count Artemiy Ivanovich Vorontsov.
Vorontsova, Ekaterina Alekseyevna
(? - 1784) daughter of Admiral Aleksey Naumovich Senyavin and maid of honor
to Catherine II. She married Count S. R. Vorontsov,
ambassador of Russia in Venice, by whom she had two children: son M. S.
Vorontsov, later Prince and Govenor-General of the Caucasus, and daughter
E. S. Vorontsova, later Lady Pembroke. She died in Italy and was buried
in Venice, in Greek Orthodox Church of St. George.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of E.
A. Vorontsova.
Smolny Pupil Portraits, commissioned by Catherine II.
Feodosiya Stepanovna Rzhevskaya (on
the right) (1760-1795) daughter of Lieutenant General Stepan Matveevich
Rzhevsky and Sofia Nikolayevna, née Baroness Stroganova. She finished
the Smolny Institute for Young Ladies with honors. She eventually married
Prince M. N. Golytsin, State Councillor, later the Governor of Yaroslavl
province.
Princess Nastassiya Mikhailovna Davydova (1764 - ?), daughter
of Major General Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Davydov, the Governor of Tambov
province in 1780s.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of F.
S. Rzhevskaya and Princess N. M. Davydova.
Nelidova, Ekaterina Ivanovna (1758-1839)
- daughter of Lieutenant Ivan Dmitrievich Nelidov. She was raised in the
Smolny Institute for Young Ladies and was noticed there by Empress Catherine
II, who made her a maid of honor to the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna,
later Empress, whose husband Emperor Pavel
I was charmed by the grace and vivacity of Nelidova. She was sincerely
attached to him, although their relations were never intimate. She was
able to influence Pavel I, preventing some of his unwise decisions and
tantrums. She was also a close friend of the Empress Maria Feodorovna.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of Ekaterina
Nelidova.
Khruschova, Ekaterina Nikolayevna
(1761-1811),
daughter of Premier Major Nikolay Semenovich Khruschov and Praskovya Mikhailovna,
née Volkonskaya.She studied in the Smolny Institute in 1767-1779,
graduating with honors. Her success in her studies was noted by Catherine
II and the King of Sweden Gustav III, who presented the girl with jewelry
inlaid with diamonds. After her marriage, her last name changed to von
Loman..
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of E.
N. Khruschova and Princess E. N. Khovanskaya.
Khovanskaya, Ekaterina Nikolayevna
(1762-1813), Princess, daughter of Colonel Prince Nikolay Vasilyevich Khovansky
and Maria Nikolayevna, née Schepotyeva. She attended the Smolny
Institute in 1767-1779, graduating with honors. In 1786, she married Yuri
Alexandrovich Neledinsky-Meletsky, poet, Secretary of State for Emperor
Pavel
I, and later Senator. In 1798, she moved with her husband to Moscow.
She died in 1813, in Yaroslavl, where the family had gone after escaping
from Moscow, which had been occupied by the French army of Napoleon in
1812.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of E.
N. Khruschova and Princess E. N. Khovanskaya.
Levshina, Alexandra Petrovna (1757-1782),
daughter of Premier Major Peter Ivanovich Levshin and Tatyana Ivanovna,
née Princess Koltsova-Masalskaya. She studied in the Smolny Institute
between 1764 and 1776, graduating with a major gold medal. In 1778, she
was appointed maid of honor to Catherine II.
In 1780, she married Prince P.A. Tcherkassky, Captain of the Izmailovky
regiment. She died in Moscow and was buried in the Donskoy Monastery.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of A.
P. Levshina.
Borschova, Natalya Semenovna (1758-1843)
daughter of Semen Ivanovich Borschov. She studied in the Smolny Institute
in 1764-1776, finishing it with a major gold medal, was very good in singing.
In 1776 was appointed a maid of honor to Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna.
In 1809 was appointed the Head (Hofmeisteress) of all the Maids of Honor
of the Imperial court. She was awarded the Order of St. Catherine. She
was married twice; her first husband was K. S. Musin-Pushkin. After his
death, she married Major General Baron von der Hoven. She died in St. Petersburg
and was buried in the Smolensk cemetery.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of N.
S. Borschova.
Molchanova, Ekatherina Ivanovna
(1758-1809), daughter of Collegiate Councillor Ivan Yakovlevich Molchanov.
She studied in the Smolny Institute between 1764 and 1776, graduating with
a major gold medal. In 1776, she was appointed maid of honor to Grand Duchess
Maria Feodorovna, then to Catherine II. In
1780, she married S. A. Olsufyev, later Major General.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of E.
I. Molchanova.
Alymova, Glafira Ivanovna (1758-1826)
daughter of Colonel Ivan Akinfievich Alymov. She studied in the Smolny
Institute and graduated with a gold medal; was one of the best harp players
of her time. In 1776, she became maid of honor to Catherine
II, later lady-in-waiting. Her first husband was A. A. Rzhevsky, author,
freemason and vice director of the Academy of Science. Her second husband
was I. P. Maskle, translator and later consul of Russia in Nice. She was
awarded the Order of St. Catherine. She was buried in the Vagankovsky cemetery
in Moscow.
See: Dmitry Levitzky. Portrait of G.
I. Alymova.
Bibliography:
Russian Painters. St. Petersburg. 1998. (in Russian)
The
Art and Architecture of Russia (Pelican History Art) by George
Heard Hamilton. Yale Univ Pr, 1992.
A
Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Artists 1420-1970 by John
Milner. Antique Collectors' Club, 1993.