Rescuer’s Day
Birthdays
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (27 December 1761 – 26 May 1818),
a Russian Field Marshal and Minister of
War during Napoleon's invasion in 1812 and War of the Sixth Coalition. During the
Patriotic War of 1812 Barclay assumed the supreme command of the 1st Army of
the West, the largest of the Russian armies facing Napoleon. He proposed the
now famous scorched earth strategy of drawing the enemy deep into one's own
territory.
Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (December 27, 1832 – December 16, 1898) , a Russian
businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to
the Tretyakov Gallery and Tretyakov Drive in Moscow. Aspiring to show the
beginnings and development of the domestic school of art , Tretyakov acquired
pictures by masters of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries and
landmarks of Old Russian painting. Tretyakov had the fullest collection of such
artists as: V.G. Perov, I.N. Kramskoi, Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov, I.I. Levitan,
and Valentin Serov. The gallery together with the paintings was transferred to
the city inter vivos.
Last years Pavel Tretyakov didn’t feel well, besides he was very worried about his wife’s health after her stroke. In November 1898 he went on his last business trip to St.-Petersburg. He felt bad upon returning and on December, 4th at the age of 66 the founder of one of the greatest museums of the world passed away. The last words addressed to his relatives, were: “Take care of the Gallery and be well…” Tretyakov spent most of his time at his textile factory and in the Gallery. Besides that he was an honorary member of many boards, scientific committees and educational institutions: “Moscow Society of Art Amateurs”, “Moscow Art Society”, “Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture” etc. He contributed significantly to the foundation of the Antique Art Museum in Moscow University, which later became a basis for the Museum of Fine Arts. Plaster casts of antique sculptures from Rome museums were made with Tretyakov’s financial backing. He did a lot for Arnold school of deaf-and-dumb children, sponsored the expedition of great Russian ethnographer and explorer of Australia N.Mikluho-Maklay, established numerous grants and stipends, helped poor people. The list of Pavel Tretyakov’s donations was really endless.
ReplyDeleteA famous Russian commander, Prince Barclay de Tolly was a hero of the First Patriotic War and anti-Napoleon campaigns in Europe. He was a full chevalier of the Order of Saint George, the highest military award of the Russian Empire.
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