Lot Details
Lot 138
Russian Bronze Bust of Prince Andrey III
Cast by Chopin, St. Petersburg, 1868
Cast bust-length, his head slightly raised, struck with foundry mark and dated on reverse, on a columnar hardstone plinth. Height 12 inches (30.5 cm).
Provenance:
Sotheby's, New York.
On September 8, 1862, an official celebration was held in Novgorod to commemorate the millennium of the Russian state. In 862, the Varangians (or Rus') established a trade settlement near Novgorod under the leadership of Rurik, a Viking chieftain, and thus became the founding dynasty of Russia. They would go on to establish Tsardom in Russia and rule until the turn of 17th century, eventually to be succeeded by the Romanov Dynasty.
The present lot is from a series of bronze busts, formally known as "A Gallery of Bronze Busts of All the Russian Grand Princes, Tsars and Emperors," which was sold by subscription. The first subscriber was Emperor Alexander II, and the series subsequently proved so popular that approximately two hundred copies of the original series were produced.
C
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