Jugate busts of Czarevitch Paul and Maria Feodorovna of Russia

Art Historical Context

This delicate cast glass medallion, titled *Jugate Busts of Czarevitch Paul and Feodorovna of* (1791), captures the conjoined profiles of the Russian heirs—Paul, the future Tsar Paul I, and his wife, Maria Feodorovna—in a gem-like intimacy. Created in London by Scottish artist James Tassie, renowned for his vitreous pastes mimicking ancient cameos, and associated with the empress herself, the piece measures just 2 11/16 x 2 3/16 inches, evoking the grandeur of classical intaglios while honoring Enlightenment-era portraiture. Tassie's mastery of cast glass allowed for exquisite detail in the sitters' noble features, their profiles facing outward in the Roman "jugate" style seen on imperial coins. Produced during a time of cultural exchange between Russia and Britain, it reflects Maria Feodorovna's European roots and the couple's pivotal role in Russian succession amid Catherine the Great's reign. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, this tiny treasure highlights the fusion of royal patronage, technical innovation, and neoclassical revival in late 18th-century Britain.

About the Artist

Empress Maria Feodorovna|James Tassie (Russian|British, Scottish) · 1759 |1735 –1828 |1799

Russian, born Poland, Szczecin 1759–1828 St. Petersburg|British, Glasgow, Scotland 1735–1799 London