Lot number 2887 - Auction 138
HOF DER MILITÄRSCHULE IN ST. PETERSBURG

ADOLPH IGNATIEVICH LADURNER 1798 Paris - 1856 St. Petersburg Court painter to Tsar Nicholas I, professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg COURT OF THE MILITARY SCHOOL IN ST. PETERSBURG Oil on cardboard. 16 x 23 cm (R. 28 x 35 cm). Frame. Verso: number, presumably of Christie's auction house 'EV S66'. Part. min. retouch. The present work is a sketch for the painting "Court of the military school in St. Petersburg'' from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. The composition of both works is based on the monumental proportions of the architecture and the rhythm of light and shadow, which are further emphasised in the final version of the painting. What is particularly interesting is that in the final version of the painting, the artist made minor changes to the figures in the foreground and added additional staffage figures in the background. Such insights into an artist's working process are of great value to connoisseurs and enthusiasts of his works, as they help to better understand the development and decisions behind the final artwork.