Description
Cast bronze sculpture of winter scene with a troika carrying a man and a woman, with a standing driver. Road marker included. This bronze sculpture represents a troika, a Russian sleigh on wooden runners drawn by three horses abreast. It is an example of the Realism movement of mid-19th century Russian art primarily based in St. Petersburg, the cultural center of Russia's art development at that time. The portrayal of Russian folk life was a particularly popular subject of small scale statues in Russian Realism.
Alexei Petrovitch Gratcheff (c. 1780- 1850) was born in Russia. He made his career as an engraver, and was a member of the Russian school. Gratcheff studied under the engraver, A. A. Ossipoff, who like Gratcheff engraved portraits of famous contemporaries, book illustrations, and copies of paintings."