At the Dressing-Table


At the Dressing-Table. Self-Portrait is a 1909 painting by Russian-French painter Zinaida Serebriakova. The painting is in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. Its size is 75 × 65 cm.
At the Dressing-Table was drawn by Serebriakova in 1909 while she was living near Neskuchnoye, Kursk Governorate. According to Serebriakova, the winter came early in that year, there was a lot of snow, but it was warm in the house, so "she started to paint herself in the mirror, entertaining by drawing different small things from her dressing-table".
On the insistence of Eugene Lanceray, her brother, Serebriakova sent At the Dressing-Table to Saint-Petersburg. It was exhibited at the 7-th exhibition of Union of Russian artists, which moved from Moscow in the beginning of 1910. The painting was well received by the public and art critics. In particular, a painter Valentin Serov called it a "very cute and fresh thing", while a painter and critic Alexandre Benois wrote that Serebriakova "gave to Russian public such a wonderful gift, such a "smile from ear to ear", that one cannot fail to thank her for it". Right after the exposition the painting was bought by the Tretyakov Gallery.
The self-portrait At the Dressing-Table is considered as one of the most important works of Serebriakova along with "Bath-house", "Harvest" and "Whitening canvas".

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