Lot Essay
A student of Jean-Baptiste Augustin (1759-1832), Pinchon exhibited at the Salon from 1795 to 1844. In 1800, the artist left France to work at the court of Saint Petersburg, where he painted numerous Russian personalities, including the Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna(L. R. Schildlof, La Miniature en Europe, Graz, 1964, II, p. 656). A similar portrait of a woman, signed and dated 'Pinchon 1806', was sold at Christie's, New York, 29 January 2009, lot 74.