1717
Oil on canvas, 143 x 110 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Catherine (Ekaterina Alexeyevna) I (1684-1727) was the second wife of Peter the Great. She functioned as co-ruler with her husband from 1724 until his death early in the next year, and reigned as sole Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death. Catherine was the first woman to rule Imperial Russia.
