Anna Paulovna, grand duchess of Russia, married the heir to the Dutch throne, the future King William II, in 1816 in St Petersburg. The tsar’s daughter and her husband enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle and collected beautiful things. While the prince assembled a celebrated art collection, Anna Paulovna was famous for her splendid jewellery.
French miniaturist Jean Baptiste Singry painted this tiny picture after a lifesize portrait by François-Joseph Kinson (c. 1822), a version of which is found in the House of Orange-Nassau Historic Collections Trust.