GAM – The shrouded lady
Down a hall inside the Gallery of Modern Art you'll find the oft-discussed statue of Barbara Jakovlevna Tatisjtjeva. It was scuplted in 1794 by Innocenzo Spinazzi on behalf of Prince Aleksandr Michajlovi? Beloselskij, Russian ambassador at the court of King Victor Amadeus III of Savoy and grieving widower after his princess had died, likely of a malaria fever. Barbara was buried in St. Lazarus cemetery, and on top of her grave was placed her statue, its visage covered by a veil so thin you can make out her features beneath it, earning her the nickname of "Shrouded Lady". Following the graveyard's closure the statue was moved several times until it came to rest in the Gallery, carrying its moving story with it.