Valentin Alexandrovich Serov was a Russian painter, and one of the premier portrait artists of his era.Princess Zinaida Nikolaievna Yusupova (September 2, 1861, Saint Petersburg, Russia - November 24, 1939, Paris, France) was the daughter of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, Marshal of the Imperial Court, and Countess Tatiana Alexandrovna de Ribeaupierre (June 29, 1828 - January 14, 1879). Prince Yusupov was much like his a patron of the arts, and first served in the chancery of Nicholas I. Zinaida's mother, served as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and and was the daughter of Comte Alexandre de Ribeaupierre and his wife Ekaterina Mikhailovna Potemkina, another niece of Prince Potemkin. As the only child of this distinguished, highly placed, and vastly rich couple, Zinaida enjoyed great favor at court. With the death of her father, Princess Yusupova was one of the richest women in the world.