Portrait of Alexandra Pawlowna Grand Duchess of Russia( 1783-1801) and her sister Helene Pawlowna Grand Duchess of Russia (1784-1803), daughters of Paul I Russian Emperor, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

"in 1796 the russian empress katharina ii ordered a painting of her two eldest grand-daughters by elisabeth-louise vigée-lebrun. It is known that the empress did not like the painting. She complained about the rough colours of the girl's dresses and about their tousled coiffure. Despite this harsh critique many copies of the painting were executed and can be found in several castles. " [1]. Object Type: painting. Date: 18th century. Dimensions: height: 102 cm (40.1 in); width: 94 cm (37 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Unidentified location. Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna of Russia after Vigee-Lebrun (priv.coll)