Allegory of the Victory at Poltava. (Apotheosis of Peter I). Early 1710-ies


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Unknown artist of the early XVIII century



Allegory of the Victory at Poltava. (Apotheosis of Peter I). Early 1710-ies

Oil on canvas. 141,5 õ 126


Inscription on the banner: ÓÑËÛØÈÒÅ ÑÈß ÂÑÈ ßÇÛÖÛ, ÂÍÓØÈÒÅ ÂÑÈ ÆÈÂÓØÛÉ ÏÎÂÑÅËÅÍÍÎÉ. Lower on the scroll an inscription repeating the text from the engraving by D. Galyakhovsky. Inscription in the upper left cartouche: ÑÀÌÏÑÎÍÚ and following is the text from «The Book of Judges» (XIV, 6). Inscription in the upper right cartouche: ÄÀÂÈÄÚ and following is the text from «The First Book of the Kings» (XVII, 34-35). Inscription in the lower left cartouche: ÂÀÍÅÀÑÚ and following is the text from «The Second Book of the Kings» (XXIII, 20). Inscription in the lower right cartouche: ÄÀÍIÈËÚ and further - the text from «The Book of Daniel» (VI, 22).

SHM
Inv. 68257/ÈI-5987

Transferred in 1930 from the Museum of the Military History, Moscow.
Composition of the picture copies the one of the engraving by Daniel Galyakhovsky (1709), which was presented to Peter I in Kiev by Mitropolit Theophan Prokopovich to celebrate the victory at Poltava. The picture is full of allegoric images, typical for Peter I time, presumably invented by Theophan Prokopovich circle. In the centre - Peter I on horseback, trampling the Swedish lion. On the right - defeated Swedes, the figure on the foreground, whose breast is exposed to the horse’s hoof, is seemingly Charles I. In the corners of the picture in the oval medallions are the Biblical heroes, famous for lion wrestling: Samson, David, Vaneas and Daniel. The Galyakhovsky’s engraving, probably not survived, is reproduced in the publication: Al’bom vystavki XII Archeologicheskogo s’ezda v g. Khar’kove. M., 1903. Tabl. 33 (Album of the Exhibition at the XII Archaeological Congress in Khar’kov).






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