Jean David FRAINET (Geneva, 1752-1788) Portrait of Empress Catherine II of Russia, circa 1776, after Alexandre Roslin, wearing the collar of the Imperial Order of Saint Andrew Oval enamel on copper Signed 'Frainet / pinxit' on the right Gilded copper frame Portrait of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, ca. 1776, enamel on copper, by J. D. Frainet 1.14 x 0.98 in. 2.9 x 2.5 cm Provenance: Ralph Bernal Collection (1783-1854) ; His sale, London, Christie's & Manson, 14 March 1855 (9th day), no. 1092 (sold for 3 pounds 5 shilling to Enson); Hans-Erich Fischer-Curti Collection (1934-2019), Menziken, Switzerland; His sale, Geneva, Christie's, 14 November 1989, no. 208 (sold for CHF 5 500); Pierre Jourdan-Barry Collection (1926-2016); Then by descent; Private collection, Belgium Bibliography: Henri Clouzot, Dictionnaire des miniaturistes sur émail, Paris, 1924, p. 110 Pierre-Francis Schneeberger, "Les peintres sur émail genevois aux XVIIe et au XVIIIe siècle", Genava, Nouvelle série - Tome VI Fascicule 2-3, July 1958, p. 190 ("La meilleure pièce [...]") Leo R. Schidlof, Miniatures in Europe, Graz, 1964, volume I, p. 277 / volume II, p. 977 / volume III, pl. 219 n° 424 In our miniature, the enamel painter Frainet uses the iconography invented by the Swedish painter Alexander Roslin for the official portrait of the Empress painted in 1776. Although the full-length portrait was reproduced in very large numbers to decorate the imperial administration buildings, the sovereign did not think much of Roslin's work, which, in her opinion, had transformed her features into those of a "flat, polished and ignoble Swedish cook". 1 - Pis'ma Iekateriny II k Grimmou (1774-1796) [Letters from Catherine II to Grimm], Sbornik imperaotorskogo rousskogo istoritcheskogo obchtchesta (SIRIO) [Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society], St Petersburg, 1878, vol.23, p.100. Jean David FRAINET (Geneva, 1752-1788) 2.9 x 2.5 cm In our miniature, the enamel painter Frainet uses the iconography invented by the Swedish painter Alexander Roslin for the official portrait of the Empress painted in 1776. Although the full-length portrait was reproduced in very large numbers to decorate the imperial administration buildings, the sovereign did not think much of Roslin's work, which, in her opinion, had transformed her features into those of a "flat, polished and despicable Swedish cook". 1 - Pis'ma Iekateriny II k Grimmou (1774-1796) [Letters from Catherine II to Grimm], Sbornik imperaotorskogo rousskogo istoritcheskogo obchtchesta (SIRIO) [Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society], St Petersburg, 1878, vol.23, p.100.