Adolf Iosifovich Charlemagne, or Sharleman (Russian: Адольф Иосифович Шарлемань; 8 December 1826,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

- 31 January 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian painter of historical,

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

and battle scenes. He was also the creator of a popular design for playing cards known as the " Satin Deck".Brief biography
@ House of Cards.

Biography

His father was the architect, Iosif Ivanovich Charlemagne. His grandfather, the sculptor and decorative artist,

Jean Baptiste Charlemagne-Baudet Jean Baptiste Charlemagne-Baudet (Russian: Жан-Батист Шарлемань-Боде, 1734, Rouen - 26 August 1789, Saint Petersburg) was a French-Russian ornamental sculptor. Biography In 1777, he moved to Russia; one of the many artists inv ...

, was originally from

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

and had come to Russia to work for

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

.Brief biography
@ Russian Paintings. His brother, Iosif, also became an artist and architect. He received his primary education at Saint Peter's School, then enrolled at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

, where he studied history painting with

Fyodor Bruni Fedele Giovanni Baroffi Bruni,. russified as Fyodor Antonovich Bruni (10 June 1799 – 30 August 1875) was a List of Russian artists, Russian painter and draughtsman of Swiss Italian descent, active during the Romanticism, Romantic period, best kn ...

and battle painting with

Bogdan Willewalde Gottfried Willewalde, russified as Bogdan Pavlovich Willewalde (; 12 January 1819, Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg – 24 March 1903, Dresden) was a Russian Imperial artist, academic, emeritus professor of military art, and a fellow of the Imperial ...

. While there, he was awarded several silver and gold medals. The last of these awards, in 1855, carried with it a stipend to study abroad. He went to Munich, where he studied with

Alexander Kotzebue Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm Franz von Kotzebue or Alexander Yevstafiyevich Kotzebue (; 9 June 1815 – 24 August 1889) was a German Romantic painter of historical scenes and battle scenes. Life Alexander von Kotzebue was the son of the playwri ...

, another battle painter. In 1859, he was named an "Academician" for his portrayals of

Alexander Suvorov Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire. Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...

in the Swiss Alps. He then went to Paris and studied the paintings at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. He returned to Saint Petersburg by way of Germany in 1861. His first paintings after returning were for the

Page Corps The Page Corps (; ) was a military academy in Imperial Russia, which prepared sons of the nobility and of senior officers for military service. Similarly, the Imperial School of Jurisprudence prepared boys for civil service. The present-day equiva ...

, followed by ceiling murals at the Meshchersky family mansion in Moscow. In 1867, his portrayal of Catherine the Great in the workshop of

Étienne Maurice Falconet Étienne Maurice Falconet (1 December 1716 – 24 January 1791) was a French baroque, rococo and Neoclassical sculpture, neoclassical sculptor, best-known for his equestrian statue of Peter the Great, the ''Bronze Horseman'' (1782), in St. Pet ...

earned him the title of Professor. It was acquired by Empress Maria Alexandrovna. For the next twenty years, he worked prolifically to supply the demand for his images; many of which became illustrations in magazines. From 1871, he worked for the

Federal State Unitary Enterprise A unitary enterprise () is a government-owned corporation in Russia and some other post-Soviet states. Unitary enterprises are business entities that have no ownership rights to the assets that they use in their operations. This form is possible ...

, designing securities, bonds and other negotiables.

Selected paintings

File:Suvorov Gotthard.jpg, Field Marshal Suvorov in

Gotthard Pass The Gotthard Pass or St. Gotthard Pass (; ) at is a mountain pass in the Alps traversing the Saint-Gotthard Massif and connecting northern Switzerland with southern Switzerland. The pass lies between Airolo in the Italian-speaking canton of Ti ...

File:Suvorov in Milan.jpg, Marshal Suvorov in Milan File:Атласная_колода_Шарлеманя._Эскизы.jpeg, Russian playing card deck designed by Adolf Charlemagne File:Greater coat of arms of the Russian empire.png, Greater coat of arms of the Russian empire File:Constantin Nikolaevich's children skating.JPG, Children skating File:Charlemagne Lackeys.jpg, Lackeys

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlemagne, Adolf 1826 births 1901 deaths 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Male painters from the Russian Empire Military art Painters from Saint Petersburg Illustrators from the Russian Empire Currency designers Saint Peter's School (Saint Petersburg) alumni Playing card manufacturers People from the Russian Empire of French descent 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire