St Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory
This three-quarter portrait of Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna is unique in its artistic value and was created at the St Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory in the early 19th century, when the art of tapestry in Russia was flourishing. At this time, the rare portrait genre occupied a special place among works by the manufactory. Artists created woven images of royal personages, members of their family, and individuals closely linked to the court milieu. The use of expensive kinds of wool and improved methods of dyeing allowed for the high quality of the work that made it possible for the weavers to achieve subtle modelling of light and shadow in faces and thus of expressions.