Description of the picture:
Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna – Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky. 1905. Oil on canvas. 133×84
Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky began his artistic career as a member of the Association of Wanderers, exhibiting with paintings on the topic of everyday life of the people. However, over time, his interests changed, and from the 1880s he became a successful salon portrait painter.
Maria Nikolaevna was the third daughter of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fedorovna. The four sisters were friendly with each other, but Maria was considered the universal favorite. Looking at the painting by Makovsky, it seems that the girl in a light white dress, clutching a doll to herself, sat down just a moment to pose for the artist. Another moment – and she slips off the big chair and rushes to play with her sisters. The teacher of the tsar’s children wrote that Maria was distinguished by good health and kindness, she was beautiful, although a little large for her age, for which relatives jokingly called her “good fat Tutu”. However, the princess did not take offense at all.
The fate of the young girl was tragic. In July 1918, Mary, along with the entire imperial family, was shot by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg."
