2-587-661 - © Fine Art Images/Heritage Images

'Portrait of Empress Elisabeth Petrovna', 1760. The second daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I, Elizabeth of Russia (1709-1762) became empress in 1741 when she overthrew the infant Ivan VI. Her reign saw Russia become involved in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763). At home she commissioned large architectural projects in St Petersburg, many of them designed by her favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Found in the collection of the State Open-air Museum Peterhof, St Petersburg.