plate no. 0321

Portrait of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna

oilRococoportraitportraitfiguredresshairjewelrybackground

recreation guide

Vladimir Borovikovsky’s *Portrait of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna* (1795) represents the height of his fame as a portrait painter at the Russian court, a period where he dominated portraiture in Russia (Source 3). The work is characterized by a fusion of classicist and sentimental styles, typical of Borovikovsky’s output in the late 1790s, where he embodied the ideal of beauty of his era while subtly conveying the inner world of his subjects (Source 2). As a ceremonial or high-status portrait, it likely demonstrates Borovikovsky’s mastery of texture, specifically the softness of velvet, the brilliance of gilded and satin vestments, and the sparkle of precious stones, which are hallmarks of his ceremonial works (Source 2). The painting reflects the artist’s transition from earlier Cossack Baroque influences to a more refined, aristocratic aesthetic developed during his time in Saint Petersburg under the influence of Prince Nikolay Lvov (Source 3).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

7 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints	Primary medium for the portrait	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and ensure 'fat over lean' layering for stability	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits or turpentine
Canvas	Support surface	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the subject onto the canvas	Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent
Paintbrushes	Traditional tool for transferring paint to the surface	Hog bristle and sable brushes
Palette knives and rags	For scraping off paint if corrections are needed or for specific textural applications	Flexible palette knives and lint-free rags

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While specific ground recipes for Borovikovsky are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting techniques of the period involved preparing a stable surface to prevent cracking. The artist must ensure the ground is sound, as the knowledge of the medium's capacities is an essential requirement for the painter (Source 1).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 7). Borovikovsky, having taken private lessons from Dmitry Levitzky and Johann Baptist Lampi, likely employed a precise underdrawing to establish the composition before applying paint (Source 3).

underpainting

The artist should begin with lean layers (more solvent, less oil) to establish the tonal values and composition. This adheres to the basic rule of 'fat over lean,' ensuring that each additional layer contains more oil than the one below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking (Source 7).

color palette

Flesh tones

Lead white, vermilion, yellow ochre, and raw umber

General use in this artist's palette for depicting the ideal of beauty and inner world of subjects

Deep reds and velvets

Carmine, alizarin crimson, and lead white

Depicting the softness of velvet and brilliance of vestments in ceremonial portraits

Golds and brights

Yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, and lead white

Rendering the sparkle of precious stones and gilded elements

composition

Borovikovsky’s work is dominated by chamber portraits, but this specific work is a ceremonial portrait. In such works, the artist focuses on the citizenship, nobility, and dignity of the portrayed, with a restrained appearance (Source 2). The composition likely emphasizes the texture of materials rather than a complex landscape background, which was replaced by interior depictions in his later works, though this 1795 work may still retain some earlier stylistic elements (Source 2). The artist subtly conveys the inner world of the people he portrays, even in limited emotional expression (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the proportions are accurate, as Borovikovsky was known for his precision.
Traditional oil painting sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a lean underpainting to establish the basic tones and values.
Tip — Use more solvent than oil in this layer to ensure it dries quickly and firmly.
Fat over lean

first pass

step 03
Begin applying color in layers, ensuring each layer has more oil than the previous one.
Tip — Pay attention to the law of simultaneous contrast of colors, where adjacent colors affect each other's appearance.
Layering

refining

step 04
Refine the textures, particularly the velvet, satin, and precious stones, using fine brushes.
Tip — Borovikovsky’s ceremonial portraits show mastery of texture; use careful brushwork to achieve the softness and brilliance.
Texture rendering

finishing

step 05
Add final details and highlights, ensuring the inner world of the subject is conveyed.
Tip — Focus on the subtle emotional expression and dignity of the Empress.
Detailing

varnishing

step 06
Apply a varnish to protect the painting and enhance the colors.
Tip — Wait until the painting is completely dry, which can take two weeks or more.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Fat over lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking.

Simultaneous contrast of colors

Understanding how adjacent colors affect each other’s appearance to harmonize the composition and accurately depict light and shadow.

Texture rendering

Using brushwork to depict the softness of velvet, brilliance of satin, and sparkle of precious stones, characteristic of Borovikovsky’s ceremonial portraits.

common pitfalls

→Ignoring the 'fat over lean' rule, which can lead to cracking and peeling of the paint layers (Source 7).
→Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline, which can result in a stiff appearance. Borovikovsky’s work is known for its subtlety and emotional depth (Source 1).
→Failing to account for the simultaneous contrast of colors, which can lead to inaccurate color perception and disharmony in the composition (Source 6).
→Attempting to deceive the eye with excessive naturalism rather than expressing the feeling and vitality of the medium (Source 4).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific pigments used by Borovikovsky are not detailed in the sources.
·The exact composition and background details of *Portrait of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna* are not described in the sources.
·Borovikovsky’s specific underpainting colors and techniques are not explicitly stated.
·The role of assistants in this specific painting is not confirmed, though he often relied on them (Source 3).

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on craftsmanship and avoiding over-modeling
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Importance of medium and avoiding excessive naturalism
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints — applied to Color harmony and contrast principles
- 315. As to the advantages the painter will find in it — applied to Perceiving light modifications and color harmony

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Vladimir Borovikovsky↗
- part 2 — applied to Artist’s style, texture mastery, and emotional expression
- part 1 — applied to Biographical context and use of assistants
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Traditional oil painting techniques, materials, and 'fat over lean' rule