Lot 392: Muraview, Alexander Artamonowich 1823 Napolean's escape from Russia in winter 1812.

Muraview, Alexander Artamonowich
1823

Napolean's escape from Russia in winter 1812. Signed and dated lower right: A. Muraview 87. Oil on canvas. 121 x 180cm. Framed.

Napolean's crusade in Russia in 1812 is more than an initial impetus in the tragic collapse of the French Empire. In its earliest stages, the Grande Armée boasted 675,000 men - the largest army ever to exist. Upon retreat over the Memel River, however, the army is believed to have only numbered 18,000. Here, Muraview appears to portray the beginning of the grueling retreat, although the coming destitution of the brutal Russian winter is already palpable.

Muraview received the highest degree of painting from the St. Petersburg Academy of Art.