亚历山大一世沙皇之妻伊丽莎白·阿列克谢耶芙娜肖像

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

亚历山大一世沙皇之妻伊丽莎白·阿列克谢耶芙娜肖像 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.

Views: 7

Related Artworks