Portrait of countess Yekaterina Skavronskaya

Vigée Le Brun painted Portrait of Countess Yekaterina Skavronskaya around 1790, during her extended stay in Russia following her flight from Paris after the Revolution. Her Russian years (1795–1800) produced numerous portraits of the aristocracy and imperial family, and her work at the Russian court demonstrated that her skills were fully transportable to a completely different cultural context. Countess Skavronskaya was related to Potemkin and moved in the highest circles of Russian aristocratic society. Vigée Le Brun's ability to capture the specific physiognomy and personality of her Russian sitters while maintaining her characteristic luminous treatment of skin and drapery made her enormously successful at Catherine the Great's court.

Vigée Le Brun renders the countess with characteristic luminosity and flattering softness, using a warm palette that enhances the sitter's famous complexion. The elegant composition and shimmering fabrics demonstrate the artist's mastery of aristocratic portraiture.