Portrait of Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova (1739–1792)
Medium
Wool, silk (22-24 warps per inch, 10 per cm.)
Dimensions
H. 42 1/2 x W. 34 inches (108 x 86.4 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Tapestries
Culture
Russian, St. Petersburg
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alice E. Van Orden, 1962
Accession Number
62.105
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite tapestry portrait depicts Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova (1739–1792), a prominent figure in 18th-century Russian nobility, woven in 1762 at the Imperial Russian Tapestry Manufactory in Saint Petersburg. Attributed to French artisan Jean Baptiste Rondet, it reflects the era's blend of Western European techniques with Russian imperial patronage. Produced during the pivotal year Catherine the Great ascended to the throne, such works symbolized elite status and cultural sophistication amid Russia's Enlightenment-era embrace of luxury arts. Crafted from fine wool and silk w...