Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder

Empress Catherine II with Allegorical Figures of Saturn and History is a copy of a celebrated portrait of Catherine the Great executed by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder, the Austrian court painter who settled in St Petersburg in 1792 following the invitation from Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, the renowned military leader, statesman and the Empress’s favourite.

The present work exemplifies all key qualities of an official court portrait of its time, combining allegorical and historically strategic symbols to create a powerful and visually striking image of a ruler. The Empress is depicted here pointing her index finger towards Clio, the muse of history and Saturn, the Roman god symbolising time, prosperity, fertility and peace. At the same time, her chest is adorned with the Order of St Andrew, Order of St George and the Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir, three of the five most important honours awarded in the Russian Empire.

The original version of this portrait, executed in 1793, is in the collection of the State Russian Museum and is itself a study for a slightly different version of the same portrait held in the State Hermitage Museum. Lampi’s composition was so successful that the Empress commissioned multiple copies of it to be used as diplomatic gifts, both from Lampi himself as well as from other contemporary court painters.