1910 La Coupe du Tzar - Sofya Dolgorukaya Delaunay-Belleville Painting

Princess Sofya Alekseevna Dolgorukaya - the only female driver in the race. Many details are hidden all over the drawing. My artworks are not copies of old photographs. Work on one picture usually takes up to 2 months. Many hours of research and reference material to make sure I rebuild the car and environment exactly the way it was in that race. In addition, all fonts, logos and advertisements were used in those years. The race was held from 16–29 June 1910. It was a city-to-city motoring competition and run from Saint Petersburg to Kyiv then Moscow and back to Saint Petersburg. In Russian Empire it was named ‘Accepted under His Majesty's patronage International Automobile test St. Petersburg - Kyiv - Moscow - St.Petersburg’, in France it called ‘La Coupe du Tzar’, in Germany – ‘Kaiser-Nikolaus-Tourenfahrt’. Russia’s last Emperor and Tsar Nicholas II was the first and last Russian monarch to have appreciated and enjoyed the use of the motorcar. A French made Delaunay-Belleville was the Tsar's favorite car. Today this brand is remembered by a few, but at the beginning of the 20th century, it was a well-known name among the richest people in Europe. The Delaunay-Belleville car debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 1904 and made a splash. The contest was organised by The Imperial Automobile Society of Russia. Nikolai Karlovich von Meck was a Commander of the race driving Mercedes car. Princess Sofya Alekseevna Dolgorukaya driving a Delaunay-Belleville 18CV car was the only one woman among participants and one of the first female drivers in the world. Architecture & Landscape: Finish of the race in Tsarskoye Selo near St.Petersburg. Organisation & Advertising: - Delaunay-Belleville advertising in 1910 - Grand Prize – Emperor Nicholas II’ Cup. My motto Authenticity, precision, and historical accuracy in every brush stroke.