I stood in front of this painting for quite a long time. There was just something about the way she was staring back with such an unexpected and self-assured look. It was tinged with just a touch of mischief. This painting was on display at the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House in London. It was part an exhibit of paintings on loan from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham.
The painting is a portrait of Countess Golovina and was painted in Moscow by the French artist Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun. Another artist I had not heard of before however after reading about her, I'm not sure how knowledge of her had escaped me. During her years on this earth she painted 660 portraits and 200 landscapes in addition to many uncatalogued works in private collections around the world.
Early in her career she painted several portraits of Marie Antoinette which opened a door to elite society and a vast social circle that spanned several countries. I have to say that her Wikipedia page is one of the longest I've ever encountered. She has paintings in the Louvre, Hermitage, the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to name just few.
I love this quote from the Barber Institute's website "Countess Golovina sweeps up her shawl and looks at us with startling candor". What a perfect description.
In the future, I will be looking for Vigee Le Brun paintings whenever I visit major art museums around the world.
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