Lot 337: WEISS, JOSEPH ANDREAS 1814-1887 View of the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius

WEISS, JOSEPH ANDREAS 1814-1887 View of the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius signed with a monogram and dated 1865 Oil on cardboard, 48 by 73 cm.
Authenticity has been confirmed by the expert N. Ignatova.
Authenticity certificate from the expert V. Petrov.
Authenticity certificate from the expert S. Usacheva and I. Lomize.

In the present work, Weiss offers an iconic view of the Trinity Lavra with its onion domes and fortified walls. The artist painted the magnificent architecture in great detail, paying special attention to the correct proportions of the buildings. The foreground is enlivened by figures, wealthy pilgrims in horse-drawn carriages and peasants with their cattle.

Born in Bavaria, Joseph Andreas Weiss was invited to Russia by Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg, the grandson of Maximilian I of Bavaria. Maximilian's father was Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon's adopted son. In 1839 Leuchtenberg married Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the eldest daughter of Nicholas I of Russia, and settled in St Petersburg. A true art lover and connoisseur, he had brought with him an important art collection, and from 1843 until his death, he was President of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

An admirer of the work of his compatriot, Leuchtenberg named Weiss his court painter. The artist resided in St Petersburg from1839 until 1853, and his views of the Russian capital as well as of Moscow soon became hugely popular among Russian nobility. After his return to Germany, the artist maintained close links with his Russian patrons, and he continued to paint his famous views of Russian towns based on earlier sketches. The painting offered here for auction dates from 1865 and was most probably painted in Bavaria for an important Russian client.