Apotheosis of the Reign of Catherine II
by GUGLIELMI, Gregorio, Oil on canvas, 107 x 168 cm
This canvas is a study for the ceiling painting in one of the halls of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. It was executed in Augsburg and dispatched by the artist to St. Petersburg. The ceiling painting was never executed because Guglielmi died soon after coming to Russia.
In the centre of the composition is Catherine II surrounded by the gods of Olympus, Christian saints, and allegorical figures of the virtues, the liberal arts, and vanquished people. Two eagles - emblems of the Russian Empire - are depicted at the bottom right.