Princess Varvara Nikolaevna Gagarina (1762–1802)
Jean-Baptiste Greuze, ca. 1780–82
About this artwork
Step into the opulent world of late 18th-century European nobility with Jean-Baptiste Gre's enchanting portrait of *Princess Varvara Nikolaev Gagarina (1762–1802)*, painted around 1780–82. This oval oil on canvas, measuring 31½ × 25 inches, captures the young Russian princess in a moment of poised grace, accompanied by a loyal dog—a charming detail that underscores themes of affection and status often seen in aristocratic portraits. Greuze, a French artist renowned for his sentimental style blending Rococo elegance with emerging Neoclassical restraint, excelled at conveying emotional depth through soft lighting and expressive features. The oval format, popular for intimate portraiture during the Enlightenment era, emphasizes the subject's refined beauty and the luxurious textures of her attire, rendered with Greuze's masterful brushwork in oil. As a member of the illustrious Gagarin family, Princess Varvara embodied the cosmopolitan elite, likely commissioning this work during travels or stays in France, a hub for such artistic exchanges. Greuze's portraits, like this one, bridged moralistic genre scenes with high-society flattery, reflecting the cultural shift toward personal sentiment amid pre-Revolutionary tensions. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department (gift of Mrs. William M. Haupt, 1965), this piece offers a window into the lives of women like Varvara—noblewomen whose portraits preserved their legacy amid Russia's imperial splendor and Europe's artistic ferment. A delightful fusion of whimsy and grandeur.