2-587-761 - © Fine Art Images/Heritage Images

'Empress Catherine II before the Mirror', 1779. Catherine the Great (1729-1796) came to the throne in 1762. A German princess, she was chosen at the age of 14 to be the wife of Peter III of Russia. The marriage was a failure and Catherine conspired with a group of nobles including her lover, Count Orlov, to depose the Tsar, with Catherine ruling in his stead. Her reign saw Russia take an increasing role in European affairs and expand its empire with the addition of the Crimea and much of Poland. Found in the collection of the State Russian Museum, St Petersburg.