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Carl Timoleon von Neff, also russified from 1844 as Timofey Andreyevich Neff (, – ) was a Russian Imperial artist of Baltic German descent.


Biography

Carl Timoleon von Neff was born at a manor house in Neu-Isenhof (Püssi), Kreis Wierland in the Governorate of Estonia of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(present-day
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
) in 1804. His mother was a French governess at the estate; he was an illegitimate child. He began studying art in Estonia under the tutelage of Karl von Kügelgen and continued at the Academy of Arts in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, present-day Germany. He graduated from there in 1825. Following his graduation, he travelled and divided his time between his native Estonia,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
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 ...
, the Imperial capital. In St. Petersburg he received a commission to paint the daughters of the emperor Nicholas I. The portrait was apparently well received as he from this time onward became tied to the court, and made a career as an artist working for the higher echelons of society. He received prestigious commissions in both St. Petersburg and abroad. In recognition for his work, especially for contributing to the artistic embellishment of several churches, he was generously awarded with different forms of official recognition, such as orders and titles. In addition, he became one of the emperor's closest advisers in questions related to art. In 1846, he was made an honorary member of the Academy of Florence and after finishing the decoration of parts of the iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, was nominated to become a member of the Russian Imperial Academy of Arts. Following his many successes he built an Italianate manor house to house his personal art collection in Muuga, Estonia.


Works

As a court artist, von Neff was appreciated as a portraitist and painter of typically academical subjects which were then popular, notably odalisque-like nude bathers and nymphs. As mentioned, he contributed to the artistic decoration of Saint Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, and Helsinki Cathedral, in present-day
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, as well as churches outside the Russian empire - e.g. in
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionWiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
, present-day Germany. Several of his works are displayed in the Art Museum of Estonia today.


Gallery

File:Aleksandra Petrovna of Rzssu.jpg, Portrait of Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia File:Italian woman with children on the stairs.jpg, Young Mother File:Neff Kupalshchitsa.jpg, The Bather File:Neff Angel.jpg, The Angel File:Itaalia tänavalapsed.jpg, Italian street children


See also

* Culture of Estonia * List of Baltic German artists


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links

*
Carl Timoleon von Neff
at the Russian Academy of Arts' official website
Works by von Neff at the Art Museum of Estonia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neff, Carl Timoleon von 1804 births 1877 deaths People from Püssi People from Kreis Wierland Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire Painters from the Russian Empire Privy Councillor (Russian Empire)