Princess Zenaida Yusupova - discussion and pictures

[Vera_Narishkin]

Are you talking  about Zenaida Ivanovna Naryshkina? She was born in 1809, and felix was born in 1887.  So, you are saying Zenaida Ivanovna's mother had another child almost 80 years (more or less) after Zenaida was born???...Interesting

Yes, I am referring to my great-great-aunt Zenaida Ivanovna Narishkina (Felix's great-grandmother), who was born November 2, 1809, and who died October 25, 1893. Here, let me help you:

My father was Vadim Alexandrovitch Narishkin (born December 26, 1891, died in March 1952). His father was Alexander Dimitrievitch Narishkin (born January 8, 1851, died August 10, 1894). He was the son of Dimitri Ivanovitch Narishkin (born April 17, 1812, died March 1, 1866) who was the only sibling of Zinaida Ivanovna Narishkina. Their parents (and therefore Felix's and my great-great-grandparents) were Ivan Dimitrievitch Narishkin (born April 17, 1776, died April 15, 1848 ) and Varvara Nikolayevna Narishkina née princess Ladomirsky (born May 17, 1785, died November 26, 1840).

So, what's your problem with that, and whence did you pull out the notion that Zinaida's mother (Felix's and my great-great-grandmother) had another child 80 years after Zinaida Ivanova's birth?

[Valmont]

I missundertood your comment,  Somehow I understood  it wrong. My apologies if  any offense was taken.

[Vera_Narishkin]

I missundertood your comment,  Somehow I understood  it wrong. My apologies if  any offense was taken.

Don't worry - no offense was taken. I was puzzled by your comment, that's all.

Take care.

[Johnny]

Yes, the Iusupov descendant lives in Greece for part of the year.

Princess Zinaida died in 1923, and I am told that she is buried in the Russian Cemetery in Paris.

She died much later in 1939.

[Johnny]

I was just looking at Zinaida's pictures posted on this thread. I am amazed at how beautiful she was. Even as an older woman in that one picture (she must be in her 60s) she is ravishing. And all that with no make up. In the 1882 picture with her husband in front of that fake ocean background she is just drop-dead gorgeous even with our modern standards. Some of these photos I had never seen before, and the ones I had seen didn't reveal her beauty that well (with the exception of the Serov painting). Now I am convinced that she was far more beautiful than Ella and Alix and Queen Alexandra of England.

[Martyn]

I was just looking at Zinaida's pictures posted on this thread. I am amazed at how beautiful she was. Even as an older woman in that one picture (she must be in her 60s) she is ravishing. And all that with no make up. In the 1882 picture with her husband in front of that fake ocean background she is just drop-dead gorgeous even with our modern standards. Some of these photos I had never seen before, and the ones I had seen didn't reveal her beauty that well (with the exception of the Serov painting). Now I am convinced that she was far more beautiful than Ella and Alix and Queen Alexandra of England.

Well, I will freely admit that she was extremely beautiful.  It might have something to do with her bone structure and the regularity of her features; her face is a perfect oval and all her facial features are in proportion.  Plus most pictures of her show her either smiling or with a very serene, relaxed expression on her face.  She seems to radiate beauty; what a delight it would have been to see her in the flesh.....

[Annie]

She was one of the few people from those days who always smiled in pics, most people didn't.

[ashanti01]

I think she is the only one I have seen smile in "formal" pictures...indeed she was very radiant even when she reached middle age. A true beauty

[Johnny]

One more thing regarding Zinaida and Ella- it seems very true that they were great friends for many years, perhaps Zinaida felt a little different about her after she became a nun? Still, they were together in trying to get Alexandra to drop Rasputin. Felix spoke only glowingly of Ella. Perhaps Zinaida was only fed up and having a bad day when she wrote that letter. For the most part I'm sure she loved Ella.

Under the "Zinayida and Ella" thread we just discussed and it seems pretty clear that "the celebrated sister of mercy" bit in Zinayida's famous letter does not refer ro Ella at all. Quite possibly she is talking about a famous nurse who was hired to look after Irina and her baby, both of whom were fallen ill. Chances are the nurse was feeling too much at home and that irritated Zinayida.
If that's the case then we should also accept Felix's statement that ZInayida and Ella remained great friends until Ella's death.

[ashanti01]

Can you imagined how Zinaida must have felt when she learned of Ella's death?

[helenazar]

Are there any letters by Zinaida where she talks about her reaction to Ella's death?

[Martyn]

Are there any letters by Zinaida where she talks about her reaction to Ella's death?

That's a good point Helen.  There must be some record of her reaction to the terrible end of her 'great friend', mustn't there?

[Gaev]

Yes, the Iusupov descendant lives in Greece for part of the year.

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Hello,
Does anyone has any idea on how one could get in contact with countess Xenia Sheremetievna Sfiris?

[Gaev]

This is a very nice site!!!
Congratulations to the owners and further congratulations to the users!!!!

When - ten years ago- I mailed ordered "Lost Splendour" from a publishing house in England, I was thinking myself "kind of lonely" for choosing that book!
Now that i have found you I think I have to "sieve" that book again.

[Zenaida1861]

Wonderful pics!