Valery Jacobi: Jesters at the Court of Empress Anna (1872)

(Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia)

A painting by the Russian artist Valery Ivanovich Jacobi (1834-1902). This painting is a historical piece regarding empress Anna Ioannovna of Russia (reign 1730-1740), daughter of Tsar Ivan V by his wife Praskovia Saltykova and wife of Frederick William, Duke of Courland. After the death of emperor Peter I the Great (reign 1682-1725), he was succeeded by his second wife Catherine I who only reigned for about 2 years. She was succeeded by Peter II Alexeyevich who was the only son of of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich (son of Peter I of Russia by his first consort Eudoxia Lopukhina). Peter II himself reigned only for 3 years and after his death the main line of the Romanov dynasty was extinct, leaving several candidates for the Russian throne behind. The Supreme Privy Council of Imperial Russia, original an advisory council for empress Catherine I, selected Anna, selected Anna, the second daughter of tsar Ivan V, half-brother of emperor Peter I with whom he had co-ruled for several years. Anna accepted the throne and reigned for about 10 years. Her reign is usually seen as a dark period as Anna was known for her cruelty and vulgar sense of humor, although there were positive aspects to her reign. This piece shows empress Anna in her bed with a large group of nobles around her. Several men are trying to entertain the empress by playing leapfrog. Bend over in red clothing is Prince Mikhail Alekseevich Golitsyn who was forced by Anna to become her court jester and several other . Sitting next to Anna is count Ernst Johann von Biron of Courtland, a lover of Anna. Biron was a cruel man who had a strong influence on Anna's domestic and foreign policies. After the death of Anna he was regent of Russia for 3 weeks after a palace revolution and removed from power. The entire painting more or less shows the corruption and cruelness of empress Anna. Painting from 1872.