1864 ADOLF CHARLEMAGNE 1826-1901 Imperial Academy, antique original oil painting

Adolphe Josefovich Charlemagne was born in St. Petersburg in 1826, and is the younger brother of the artist Josef Josefovich Charlemagne. Like his sibling, he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts from 1848, where he studied historic painting under Feodor Antonovich Bruni, 1799 to 1875, and battle painting with Bogdan Pavlovich Villevalde, 1818 to 1903. He spent the majority of his career working on official commissions which recorded the major events in the reign of Alexander II, and in 1875 was awarded the title of Artist of His Imperial Majesty.  One of a kind artwork. Antique Russian Fine Art For Collectors.

 

He received his primary education at Saint Peter's School, then enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied history painting with Fyodor Bruni and battle painting with Bogdan Willewalde. While there, he was awarded several silver and gold medals.

The last of these awards, in 1855, carried with it a stipend to study abroad. He went to Munich, where he studied with Alexander Kotzebue, another battle painter. In 1859, he was named an "Academician" for his portrayals of Alexander Suvorov in the Swiss Alps. He then went to Paris and studied the paintings at Versailles. He returned to Saint Petersburg by way of Germany in 1861.

His first paintings after returning were for the Page Corps, followed by ceiling murals at the Meshchersky family mansion in Moscow. In 1867, his portrayal of Catherine the Great in the workshop of Étienne Maurice Falconet earned him the title of Professor. It was acquired by Empress Maria Alexandrovna. For the next twenty years, he worked prolifically to supply the demand for his images; many of which became illustrations in magazines. From 1871, he worked for the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, designing securities, bonds and other negotiables.