French School, Early 19th Century: Portrait Of Princess Hélène Schakowskoy And Her Daughter

FRENCH SCHOOL, EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Portrait of Princess Hélène Schakowskoy (1824–1903) and Her Daughter
Oil on canvas.
H_93 cm W_74 cm
Minor damage and restorations to the lower section; good overall condition.

This work is a contemporary copy after the original painting by Frédéric Millet, now preserved at the Historical Museum of Lausanne—also known as MHL – Musée Historique Lausanne, Switzerland—alongside other personal mementoes and belongings that belonged to the princess and her family. The museum’s collections include paintings, graphic arts and historical objects documenting the heritage of Lausanne and its region.

This charming double portrait depicts Princess Hélène Schakowskoy—also known as Shakhovskaya, or Шаховская—together with her young daughter, in a pose conveying tender maternal affection. The girl, dressed in a light-coloured, ruffled dress with a pink sash and a double strand of pearls, rests her head against her mother’s shoulder. The princess wears a dark gown enhanced by a richly decorated shawl with Orientalist motifs.
The original composition was painted by the French artist Jean-François Frédéric Millet (1786–1859), a renowned portraitist and miniaturist who produced numerous portraits of high society and members of the European and Russian aristocracy living in Switzerland or travelling throughout Europe during the nineteenth century.
This early twentieth-century version bears witness to the tradition of preserving and transmitting family portraits and heritage within the great Russian princely families in exile