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Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna
1905
Konstantin Makovsky
1839-1915
Oil on canvas
133 x 84 cm
Maria Nikolayevna (1878-1918) was the third of the four daughters of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fyodorovna. All four daughters were close friends, but Maria Nikolayevna was the darling of them all. They helped to take care of their brother Tsesarevich Alexey, who suffered from hemophilia. According to Alexey's tutor Pierre Gilliard, who remained with the imperial family in exile until very shortly before they were killed in Yekaterinburg, the princess was kind and modest and struck everyone with her bright beauty and healthy looks. Her sisters made fun of her kindness and called her Le bon gros Toutou.
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