Her portrait work of the English upper class regularly served as the basis for engravings from magazines of the time, it was through these publications that her fame spread to the Russian dignitaries in St. Petersburg. England at that time was very much in vogue in Russia, it was a period of 'anglomania' in Russian high society, anything British was very fashionable.
Christina Robertson - Self portrait (1822)
Around 1830, during visits to Paris, she got the opportunity to portray some Russian officials. She exhibited in St. Petersburg and her popularity among the Russian nobility rose, after which they asked her to paint two full-length portraits of Tsar Nicholas I and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. In 1847 she settled permanently in Russia. But eventually the relation between Britain and Russia cooled off, culminating in the Crimean War. Her work wasn't appreciated anymore with full enthusiasm. Her health and perhaps her financial situation went backwards. In 1854 she died, and she is buried at the Volkovo cemetery in St. Petersburg.
next episode: Gabriella
What a beautiful painting. You can almost hear the rustle of silk in that dress!
ReplyDelete8 children and still time to paint! I'm impressed. I wonder if she took the whole family (children included) to St Petersburg, it sounds like hers would be an interesting biography to read.
ReplyDeleteInteresting history. I visited St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad, in the early 1960s. A wonderful city with incredibly architecture.
ReplyDeleteJust did an online image search of Robertson's paintings...they are lovely. She portrayed many of her subjects with a glow or luminous quality; I like her style. Her painting entitled "Children with a Parrot" is my favorite. Thanks for introducing us to another superb artist!
ReplyDelete