Portrait of a Georgian Princess

Harlamoff's tender portraits of young women and girls won him great success during his lifetime. While similar in subject to these well-received works, the present painting is distinct in that it is particularly psychologically compelling. Whereas most of the children in Harlamoff's oeuvre appear innocently absorbed in play or lost in thought, here the sitter directly engages with the viewer. With her hand on her chin signaling her deep concentration, the young girl peers at us inquisitively and somewhat seductively. Fully cognizant that she is the object of our gaze, she volleys back and challenges us much like the women in the renowned works of Manet and Ingres.

Harlamoff's artistic talents were recognized at an early age. By 1868, he had won numerous awards from the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg as well as a travel scholarship, which allowed him to study in Paris with the great portraitist Léon Bonnat. In the following years, Harlamoff painted the portraits of such leading figures as the poet Alphonse Daudet, the singer Pauline Viardot-Garcia, the writer Ivan Turgenev as well as the Demidoff royal family. Beginning in 1875, Harlamoff participated regularly in the Paris Salons, which brought him great success and recognition in not only Europe but also in the United States.

We are grateful to Olga Sugrovba-Roth for confirming the authenticity of this painting.