Lot 102: IOSEF IOSEFOVICH CHARLEMAGNE

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION 1824-1870 MONUMENT TO NICHOLAS I, ST ISAAC'S SQUARE signed in Latin and indistinctly dated 1857 l.r. watercolour over pencil on paper heightened with gouache 31 by 40.7cm, 12 1/4 by 16in.

Sotheby's London, Russian Pictures, Works of Art and Icons, 5-6 December 1989, lot 63

The equestrian monument to Tsar Nicolas I in St Isaac's Square was designed by French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand in 1856, but was only unveiled in July 1859. The present work is thought to be an earlier representation of the planned monument, a common architectural practice. The monument differs from its final incarnation, in the position of the Tsar's head for example. Also different is the inscription on the frontispiece, which reads 1858 in Roman numerals, suggesting that the project was due to be completed earlier.