Fyodor Gordeyevich Gordeyev (; 1744 - 4 February 1810) was a Russian sculptor.

Life

Born in

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 ...

, he attended the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in the city and then went on a study trip to Western Europe thanks to the bursary. This took him to Paris, where he studied in the studio of

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (; 15 February 1704 – 25 May 1778) was a French sculptor of the 18th century who worked in both the rococo and neoclassical style. He made monumental statuary for the Gardens of Versailles but was best known for his exp ...

, then Rome, where he was influenced by classical art. After returning to Russia, he was commissioned to teach sculpture at the Academy in 1769 Around the same time he produced the noted

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

'' Mercury Entrusting

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...

to the

Nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s'' (1776). In 1802 he was made rector of the Academy. Art critics came to see Gordeyev as one of the best Russian neo-classical sculptors, although his early work such as ''Tomb of N. M. Golicyn'' (1780) still included influences from the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

.le muse, V, Novara, De Agostini, 1964, p. 330. His final works also showed traces of Baroque influence. His most important works include ''

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

'' (1769), ''Monument to A. M. Golitsyn'' in

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alexa ...

in Saint Petersburg (1788), the bas-reliefs of the

Ostankino Palace Ostankino Palace is a former summer residence and private opera theatre of the Nikolai Sheremetev, Sheremetev family, originally situated several kilometres to the north of central Moscow. It is a part of the North-Eastern Administrative Okrug of t ...

in Moscow (1798), and the bas-reliefs on the tympanum of the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg (1804). He also produced portraits and history paintings. He died in St Petersburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordyev, Fyodor Russian male sculptors 18th-century sculptors from the Russian Empire 19th-century sculptors from the Russian Empire 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire Neoclassical sculptors Russian neoclassical painters Russian portrait artists 1744 births 1810 deaths Artists from Saint Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Painters from the Russian Empire