V.A. Morozova

V.A. Morozova, painted in 1884 and now in the Tretyakov Gallery, depicts a member of the Morozov family, one of the most powerful merchant dynasties in nineteenth-century Russia. The Old Believer textile magnates from whom the Morozov fortune derived became, by the second half of the century, significant art collectors and cultural patrons — the Morozov brothers Mikhail and Ivan assembled collections that became the core of what is now the Pushkin Museum's French Impressionist holdings. A commission from this family represents the intersection of old merchant wealth and new cultural aspiration that was transforming Russian society in the reform era. Makovsky's portrait of V.A. Morozova reflects this world — a woman of substantial commercial background presented according to the conventions of aristocratic portraiture.

Oil paint on canvas with the refined surface quality that Makovsky maintained for his formal female portraits. The Tretyakov collection's holding ensures that this work has been closely studied and well preserved, offering a clear view of his mature portrait technique.