Mikhail Zichy (1827-1906) , An important montage marking the occasion of the Emperor Alexander II's Silver Wedding Jubilee
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An important montage marking the occasion of the Emperor Alexander II's Silver Wedding Jubilee
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The favourite portrait artist of both Nicholas I (1796-1855) and Alexander II (1818-1881), Mikhail Zichy was born in 1827 in Zala, Hungary. He first travelled to Russia in 1847 on the invitation of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (1807-1873) who engaged the artist to instruct her daughter, Ekaterina Mikhailovna (1827-1894) in painting and drawing. After completing a number of studies depicting the coronation of Alexander II, Zichy was duly awarded the title of Academician by the St Petersburg Academy in 1856; he was named Court Painter in 1859 and remained so until 1873. During this time he was afforded the opportunity to observe and record the Imperial family at work and at play. Besides the works he executed in his role as court painter depicting parades, family gatherings, balls, theatrical productions, hunting scenes and members of court, Zichy also produced a large number of exquisite nudes and erotic scenes.

In his 1890 volume Nashi khudozhniki na akademicheskikh vystavkakh poslednovo 25-letiia, Feodor Bulgakov insists that 'Amongst the noteworthy paintings of court life painted by Zichy in Russia, one must mention the picture executed by him on the occasion of the celebrations for Emperor Alexander II's Silver Wedding Jubilee, to the Emperor's own specifications' (St Petersburg, 1890, p. 155), apparently referring to the work offered here. The composition, which consists of 24 roundels portraying scenes from the period coinciding with the first 25 years of the Imperial couple's marriage (1841-1866), is surmounted by angels guarding the coats of arms of the Russian Empire and those of the Hessen-Darmstadt Duchy. The two coats of arm accolé, positioned directly above the roundel portraying the wedding ceremony, illustrate the union between Russia and the German Confederation achieved by the then Tsarevich's marriage to Princess Marie of Hesse (1824-1880), thereafter known in Russia as Maria Alexandrovna.

In addition to scenes devoted to the marriage of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, the composition records the date of birth of each of the Tsar's eight children in gold while the death of his two eldest children, his mother, Alexandra Feodorovna (1798-1860), born Princess Frederica of Prussia, and of his father, Nicholas I, are represented in black. The end of serfdom, one of the Tsar's, who was known to history as Alexander the Liberator, greatest legacies, is depicted at the base of the work. To the right lies the impressive bronze monument, The Millennium of Russia, erected in 1862 to commemorate a thousand years since the arrival of Rurik in Novgorod, the moment traditionally given as the starting point of Russian history. Scenes from the Crimean war (1853-1856) adorn the exterior edges of the work while the conquest of the Caucasus (1817-1864) is represented lower right by the leader of the Muslim resistance, Imam Shamil (1797-1891) who was surrounded by the Russians in 1859 and later forced to swear allegiance to the Tsar.

At the centre of the composition there is a photograph of the Imperial family depicting (left to right) the future Alexander III (1845-1894), Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (1857-1905), Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (1860-1919), Tsar Alexander II, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna (1853-1920), Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich (1850-1908) and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (1847-1909). Close inspection of the photograph reveals the shadowy outline of a figure standing behind the Tsar; possibly an allusion to the deceased Tsarevich, Nicholas Alexandrovich (1843-1865).

This fascinating work, rendered particularly rare by its unusually large size, is one of a select number of known montages in the artist's oeuvre now held in museum collections. Comparable works include those created to celebrate St George's Day in the Winter Palace in 1887 (Russian State Museum, St Petersburg), the King of Persia's visit to St Petersburg in 1889 (State Hermitage Museum) and the 100th Anniversary of the LifeGuards Pavlovsky Regiment in 1890 (State Hermitage Museum).