This is the only copy made by a Russian master on the birthday of Catherine II, May 2, 1729.

Catherine II 1729 - 1796
Catherine II went down in Russian history as an empress and educator. She is rightfully considered the successor to the cause of Peter the Great. A foreigner by birth, she sincerely loved Russia and cared about the welfare of her subjects. Having occupied the throne through a palace coup, the wife of Peter III tried to implement the best ideas of the European Enlightenment into the life of Russian society. At the same time, Catherine opposed the outbreak of the Great French Revolution (1789-1799), outraged by the execution of the French king Louis XVI of Bourbon (January 21, 1793) and predetermining Russia's participation in the anti-French coalition of European states in the early 19th century. Catherine II Alekseevna (née Sophia Augusta Frederica, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst) was born on May 2, 1729 in the German city of Stettin (present-day Poland), and died on November 17, 1796 in St. Petersburg. The daughter of Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst and Princess Johannes-Elizabeth (nee Princess of Holstein-Gottorp), who was in the Prussian service, was related to the royal houses of Sweden, Prussia and England. She received a home education, the course of which, in addition to dancing and foreign languages, also included the basics of history, geography and theology. In 1744, she and her mother were invited to Russia by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and baptized according to the Orthodox tradition under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna. Soon it was announced about her engagement to the Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Emperor Peter III), and in 1745 they got married. Catherine understood that the court loved Elizabeth, did not accept many of the oddities of the heir to the throne, and, perhaps, after the death of Elizabeth, it was she, with the support of the court, to ascend the Russian throne. Catherine studied the works of the leaders of the French Enlightenment, as well as jurisprudence, which had a significant impact on her worldview. In addition, she made as much effort as possible to study, and possibly understand the history and traditions of the Russian state. Because of her desire to learn everything Russian, Catherine won the love not only of the court, but of the whole of Petersburg. After the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine's relationship with her husband, never distinguished by warmth and understanding, continued to deteriorate, taking on clearly hostile forms. Fearing arrest, Catherine, with the support of the Orlov brothers, N.I. Panin, K.G. Razumovsky, E.R. Dashkova on the night of June 28, 1762, when the emperor was in Oranienbaum, she made a palace coup. Peter III was exiled to Ropsha, where he soon died under mysterious circumstances. Starting her reign, Catherine tried to implement the ideas of the Enlightenment and arrange a state in accordance with the ideals of this most powerful European intellectual movement. Almost from the first days of her government, she has been actively involved in public affairs, proposing reforms that are significant for society. On her initiative, in 1763, a reform of the Senate was carried out, which significantly increased the efficiency of its work. Wishing to increase the dependence of the church on the state, and to provide additional land resources to the nobility supporting the policy of reforming society, Catherine carried out the secularization of church lands (1754). The unification of the administration of the territories of the Russian Empire began, and the hetmanate in Ukraine was abolished. The champion of the Enlightenment, Ekaterina, creates a number of new educational institutions, including for women (Smolny Institute, Ekaterininskoe School). In 1767, the empress convened a commission, which included representatives of all strata of the population, including peasants (except for serfs), to compose a new code - a code of laws. In order to direct the work of the Legislative Commission, Catherine wrote "The Order", the text of which was based on the writings of educational authors. This document, in fact, was the liberal program of her reign. After the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. and the suppression of the uprising led by Yemelyan Pugachev began a new stage of Catherine's reforms, when the empress independently developed the most important legislative acts and, using the unlimited power of her power, implemented them. In 1775, a manifesto was issued, allowing the free opening of any industrial enterprises. In the same year, a provincial reform was carried out, which introduced a new administrative-territorial division of the country, which remained until 1917. In 1785, Catherine issued letters of gratitude to the nobility and cities. In the foreign policy arena, Catherine II continued to pursue an offensive policy in all directions - north, west and south. The results of foreign policy can be called the strengthening of Russia's influence on European affairs, the three sections of the Commonwealth, the strengthening of positions in the Baltic States, the annexation of the Crimea, Georgia, participation in countering the forces of revolutionary France. The contribution of Catherine II to Russian history is so significant that many works of Russian culture keep her memory.