Autograph letter signed by Pushkin's muse, Elizaveta Vorontsova dated 1843

Scarce letter from Alexander Pushkin's Muse
 
VORONTSOVA, Countess Elizaveta (Elizabeth) Branicka (1792-1880), wife of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, Governor-General of New Russia. Autograph Letter, unsigned, to her sister-in-law Catherine Herbert, Countess of Pembroke.
 
Autograph letter written on both sides of a large sheet, approximately 250 x 200 mm, but apparently lacking an opening leaf, the surviving text commencing mid-sentence. Old horizontal and vertical folds as posted, addressed on the integral address panel to "The Countess of Pembroke, 1 Grafton Street, Berkeley Square", with postal markings and red wax seal remnants. Light age toning, a few small fold separations and light postal wear, otherwise very good.
 
A letter from Countess Elizaveta Vorontsova to Catherine Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (1783-1856), sister of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov. Although the opening leaf is no longer present, the surviving text is extensive and contains numerous internal references securely identifying the writer.
 
The letter was written during the construction of the Vorontsov Palace at Alupka in the Crimea, designed by the English architect Edward Blore. Vorontsova discusses sending architectural drawings, describing "the south front of our house at Aloupka" together with another view showing the palace from Miskhor. 
 
She continues with family news, commenting upon the proposed marriage of a member of the Branicki family, discussing Count Vorontsov's health, and looking forward to travelling through England, including visits to Wilton House, Chatsworth, and the coalfields of Lancashire and Yorkshire. 
 
Born Countess Elizaveta Branicka, Vorontsova was one of the best-known women of the Russian Imperial aristocracy. During Alexander Pushkin's exile at Odessa she became closely associated with the poet and has long been regarded as the inspiration for several of his lyric poems. Her surviving correspondence is uncommon.