Vladimir Borovikovsky (1757-1825)

Ekaterina Nikolaevna Lopukhina was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Nikolai Lavrentevich Shetnev and Ekaterina Nikolaevna Matiushkina. In 1786 she became the second wife of Petr Vasilievich Lopukhin and mistress of estates at Vvedenskoe (near Moscow) and Aspen Grove. In 1798 she became a lady-in-waiting and her husband was appointed Attorney-General. After the death of Paul I, the Lopukhins returned to Moscow. In 1827 Ekaterina Nikolaevna was widowed. She died in St Petersburg in 1839. Four children resulted from her marriage to Lopukhin (two sons and two daughters). Ekaterina was completely uneducated, was known in society for her bigotry and superstition, and enjoyed the most unenviable reputation. Varvara Golovin described her thus: ‘Not only was she of low birth, her manners revealing her complete lack of education, but furthermore, she was known for her erratic behaviour’.
In this portrait Ekaterina Nikolaevna is shown with a lady-of-honour insignia with the portrait of the Empress Maria Feodorovna, as well as the Order of St Catherine.
We are grateful to Dr Ludmila Markina, Director of the 18th and 19th century paintings department at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, for providing this note.