French carriage of the Russian Empress Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elizaveta Petrovna reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762.
She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous construction projects, and her strong opposition to Prussian policies.
The second-eldest daughter of Tsar Peter the Great (r. 1682–1725), Elizabeth lived through the confused successions of her father’s descendants following her half-brother Alexei’s death in 1718. The throne first passed to her mother Catherine I of Russia (r. 1725–1727), then to her nephew Peter II, who died in 1730 and was succeeded by Elizabeth’s first cousin Anna (r. 1730–1740).
After the brief rule of Anna’s infant great-nephew, Ivan VI, Elizabeth seized the throne with the military’s support and declared her own nephew, the future Peter III, her heir.
Design: Nicolas Pinot
Assembly: A. Drilerosse
Paintings: François Boucher
Made in Paris (France)
Years of production: 1753—1754
Materials: maple, velvet, bronze, carving, gilding, painting.
Gift from Count Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1754.
