Pictorial Collection of a Manor as a Reflection of the Customer’s Life Credo. The Idea of Military Valor Glorification in the Portraits and Paintings of the Olgovo Manor

In the 18th century, many nobles used to glorify feats of arms in their manors, using allegories and symbols. S.S. Apraksin turned his ceremonial residency Olgovo into a Pantheon of military glory. He used fine art to emphasize his family’s contribution to the history of his homeland, as all the men in his family, including him, were military. The main decoration of the hall was the large formal portraits: of S.S. Apraksin by B.C. Mitoire, of his father, Field Marshal S.F. Apraksin, and of Admiral Fyodor Apraksin, painted by unknown artists. There were some sculptural portraits of the customer’s ancestors as well. Many of them were killed on a battlefield. For greater clarity, B.C. Mitoire painted, on the initiative of S.S. Apraksin, a series of nine battle pieces depicting those combats in which the owners of the manor were involved. There was a portrait of S.S. Apraksin by J.B. Lampi in Olgovo. The painting was drawn on the occasion of the customer’s wedding. The program of the work, made up with S.S. Apraksin’s participation, is also associated with the glorification of his feats of arms. The epithalamium - song of praise written for the newly married - helps most fully understand the idea of the portrait. In the article, there is a translation of this song. The images of all renowned Russian generals complemented this hymn to the glory of feats of arms.

«пантеон воинской славы», Olgovo, Apraksin, J.B. Lampi the Elder, B.C. Mitoire, portrait gallery, semantic program, customer, military art, portraits of military commanders, “Pantheon of military glory”

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