Lot 143: Empress Maria Fyodorovna of Russia (1759-1828), née Duchess Sophie Dorothy of Württemberg, in lace-bordered pale blue dress, matching bandeau and straw hat adorned with multi-coloured flowers and foliage in her long powdered curling hair falling

IGNAZIO-PIO-VITTORIANO CAMPANA (ITALIAN, 1744-1786) Empress Maria Fyodorovna of Russia (1759-1828), née Duchess Sophie Dorothy of Württemberg, in lace-bordered pale blue dress, matching bandeau and straw hat adorned with multi-coloured flowers and foliage in her long powdered curling hair falling to her shoulders, wearing the silver-bordered red moiré sash and breast-star of the Russian Order of St. Catherine oval, 2½ in. (63 mm.) high, silver-gilt mount within rectangular fitted gold-tooled red leather case

This miniature was painted by Queen Marie-Antoinette's favourite miniaturist, Campana, during the Parisian sojourn of Tsarevich Paul Petrovich and his wife Maria Fyodorovna in 1782. 'About the close of the last century several of the Northern sovereigns took a fancy for travelling. [...] The Grand Duke of Russia (afterwards Paul I.), son of Catherine II., and the Princess of Wurtemberg, his wife, likewise resolved to visit France. They travelled under the titles of the Comte and Comtesse du Nord. They were presented on the 20th of May, 1782. The queen received them with grace and dignity. On the day of their arrival at Versailles they dined in private with the king and queen. [...] The Comtesse du Nord was not at first so successful with the queen. This lady was of a fine height, very fat for her age, with all the German stiffness, well informed, and perhaps displaying her acquirements with rather too much confidence.' (Madame Campan, Memoirs of the Private Life of Marie-Antoinette, Paris, 1818, book IV, chapter XI).