Porträt von Elisabeth Alexejewna, Gemahlin des Zaren Alexander I.

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

Porträt von Elisabeth Alexejewna, Gemahlin des Zaren Alexander I. by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the favorite painter of Marie Antoinette, captured Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna in a moment of surprising casualness. Notice the white bandage wrapped around her chin and head? She was likely suffering from a toothache, a common ailment of the time. Instead of hiding this imperfection, Vigée Le Brun—who had fled the French Revolution to work in the Russian court—turned it into a charming detail that frames the Empress's rosy cheeks. It’s a brilliant example of how a master artist can make even a dental emergency look elegant and fashionable.

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