Olga Potocka

The girls grew up in Tulchin, where there were two palaces belonging to their family, and in Uman, where the famous Sofievka garden was laid out in honor of their mother.

[1] After the death of her husband in 1805, Countess Sofia Konstantinovna Potocka fought a difficult inheritance battle with her stepsons for many years.

Count Olizar recalled that Miloradovich’s reception office was decorated with pictures, engravings and figurines depicting Olga, who secretly made fun of the passion of the 50-year-old general.

Then a new candidate for her hand appeared the 33 year old Prince Pavel Lopukhin, whose mother and sister persuaded Olga to agree to this marriage.

In the eyes of General Kiselyov, Olga soon eclipsed the charm of his young wife, and their romance turned into a strong lifelong relationship that shattered Sofia Stanislavovna’s happiness.

In addition to her sister, the wife of Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, Elizaveta Ksaverevna took care of Olga after the death of her mother, and took an active part in her life.

[5] Olga presided over them and was very fond of fashion, constantly changing rich costumes, and discussing with great passion, the colour, pattern, material, length, and cut of the dress.

Everything was calculated, and she saved the arrows of coquetry for defeating the strong... As for Olga’s husband, Lev Naryshkin, he led the strangest life, that is, he was bored with her, did not go anywhere, and spent two-thirds of the day sleeping.

Palen fell at the feet of Olga Naryshkina, begging her to divorce her husband and marry him; she burst out laughing and pointed him to the door."

Pushkin wrote about their relationship in his diary dated 8 April 1834:"Bolkhovskoy told me that Vorontsov’s hair was washed according to a letter from Kotlyarevsky (the hero).

Vorontsov took upon himself many of the costs of maintaining Miskhor, where the Naryshkins lived in the summer, and paid off the gambling debts of Olga’s husband.

Though it was speculated that she was the daughter of Mikhail Vorontsov.The importance of the couple in Odessa was great, but whether it was explained by Maria Naryshkina, who was the mistress of Alexander I, or Olga's relationship with Vorontsov is difficult to say.

[8] Alexandra Smirnova, a close frined of Kiselyov's brither Nikolai, recalled in her memoirs:[9]"We spent the summer of 1838 pleasantly... Countess Kiseleva and her sister Naryshkina, the Ribopierres, always dined at the kurgauz.

After burying her husband in the Annunciation tomb of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Olga settled with her daughter's family in Crimea.

Olga Naryshkina by A.Molinari (1814-6, Hermitage )
Olga and her daughter, Sofia. c. 1830's.
Olga Naryshkina, 1860.