Fedot Ivanovich Shubin (May 28, 1740 – May 24, 1805) is widely regarded as the greatest

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of 18th-century

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Biography

A peasant's son, Fedot Shubnoy was born in a

Pomor The Pomors (, ) are an ethnographic group traditionally thought to be descended from Russians, Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod) living on the White Sea coasts and nearby regions, with their southern boundary marked by a waters ...

village near Kholmogory and, inspired by the example of his neighbour

Mikhail Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (; , ; – ) was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Venus and the law of conservation of ...

, he walked all the way to

St 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 ...

at the age of 18. Lomonosov took notice of his talent in walrus ivory carving ( a folkcraft traditionally practised in Kholmogory) and helped him join the newly established

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 his instructor, Nicolas-François Gillet, was so impressed with his abilities that he had Shubin awarded with a gold medal, which opened to him the prospect of furthering his education abroad. Through the help of Falconet, in 1767 he joined the

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atelier of the great Pigalle, before moving to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

three years later. Upon his return to Russia in 1772, Shubin became the most fashionable and sought-after sculptor in the country. In the 1770s and 1780s, he executed numerous pieces for the

Marble Palace The Marble Palace () is one of the first Neoclassical palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is situated between the Field of Mars and Palace Quay, slightly to the east from New Michael Palace. Design and pre-1917 owners The palace was bu ...

and the Alexandro-Nevsky Lavra, designed 58 medallions representing all the Russian sovereigns from

Rurik Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...

onward, and was admitted into the Academy of Arts as an academician. The intrigues of his rivals undermined his career, however. He remained destitute until 1794, when the academy eventually bestowed a professorship on him. A plaster copy of an early Shubin bust of Tsar Alexander I is housed at

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

's house

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

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. The original Shubin work was a gift from the American

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Levett Harris, in 1804. Shubin's original work given by Harris to Jefferson was lost. Shubin's portrait of Tsar Alexander is in the collection of the Voronezh Museum of Plastic Arts in

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

, Russia. The plaster copy, executed in 1955, is housed in the parlor at Monticello.

Works

File:Скульптура Екатерины II в "Русском Музее", г.Санкт-Петербург (2).jpg, Marble statue of Catherine II (1789-1790) File:MLomonosov-FShubin.jpg, Portrait of M. Lomonosov, plaster, before 1793,

Russian Museum The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...

. Saint-Petersburg File: PavelI-FShubin.jpg, Portrait of Paul I, marble, 1800,

. Saint-Petersburg File:Grigoriy Orlov by F.Shubin (1773, GRM) by shakko 02.jpg, Count

Grigory Orlov Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (; 17 October 1734 – 24 April 1783) was a favourite of the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (1772), state and military figure, collector, patron of arts, and General-in ...

(1773) File:Maria Panina by Shubin (GTG, 1770s) by shakko 02.jpg, Countess Maria Panina (1775) File:Alexander Bezborodko by F.Shubin by shakko 02.jpg, Count Alexander Bezborodko File:Marble bust of Catherine the Great, 1771 CE. From Rome, Italy. By Fedot Shubin, commissioned by Ivan Shuvalov for Catherine the Great. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.jpg, Marble bust of Catherine the Great (1771)From Rome, Italy. By Fedot Shubin, commissioned by Ivan Shuvalov for Catherine the Great. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

References

External links

The Grove Dictionary of Art

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shubin Russian male sculptors Neoclassical sculptors Pomors 1740 births 1805 deaths People from Kholmogorsky District Burials at Lazarevskoe Cemetery (Saint Petersburg) 18th-century sculptors from the Russian Empire