Bronze
St. Petersburg, Russia, late 19th century
Vasily Yakovlewich Grachev (1831-1905) – Major Russian artist
Signed in Cyrillic ‘???. ??????’ and with foundry mark ‘???. ?. ?. ???????. / ?.?????????’ (foundry C.F. Woerfel, St. Petersburg)
Height (incl. plinth): 24 cm
Good condition
Provenance: German private collection
Representation of a Cossack on horseback, giving his sweetheart a farewell kiss; this emotional representation fetches over 15,000 euros at international auctions

The present bronze by Vasily Yakovlewich Grachev (1831-1905) shows a Cossack on horseback passionately embracing his sweetheart, who he has pulled up toward him. The horse stands on a naturalistic oval plinth. The prominent Russian artist has faithfully captured the emotive scene with a captivating richness of detail. The two figures are rendered in the finest manner with harmonious proportions. The muscular body of the horse is also shown in a lifelike manner.



The sculpture is in good condition. The reins are no longer properly attached. The plinth is signed in Cyrillic ‘???. ??????’ and bears the foundry mark ‘???. ?. ?. ???????. / ?.?????????’ (foundry C.F. Woerfel, St. Petersburg). The height, including the plinth, is 24 cm.



Vasily Yakovlewich Grachev (1831-1905)

Vasily Yakovlewich Grachev initially enjoyed a six-year training in St. Petersburg. In 1885, he then opened his own studio. In the same year he exhibited at the Art and Industrial Exhibition in St. Petersburg and was awarded the silver medal for one of his works. In 1876 his works were shown in Philadelphia, later also at Tiffany and Co. in New York. Like his contemporaries Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848-1886) and Nikolai Ivanovich Lieberich (1828-1883) Grachev represented scenes of Russian life, which reflected the realism of the time. The artist is mainly known for his numerous figures on horseback.