220 years ago, on the 5^th of June 1805, Baron Pyotr Clodt, a Russian sculptor of German descent from the noble family of hereditary military man, Clodt von Jurgensburg. The sculptor is well known in Russia and abroad. Hence, the citizens of St. Petersburg are especially grateful to him – his famous horses adorn the bridge over the Fontanka River and the Narva Triumphal Arch.

The sculptor is widely known as a master of animalistic sculpture. Academician (since 1838) and professor (since 1848); honoured professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts (since 1858), actual state councillor (since 1859).

Like his ancestors, young Pyotr was destined to become a military man. In Omsk, the young man studied at a military Cossack school. In 1822, at the age of 17, he returned to the capital and was enrolled in the Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy. While studying military skills, Peter pursued painting with genuine passion, using every spare minute for his creative endeavours. His attention was drawn to horses, their plasticity and stature – this became the main focus of his work. Military science did not appeal to the young man at all. A small exception was his work with metal in military workshops, where bullets were cast.

While still a cadet at the academy, Clodt carved a wooden horse for the son of writer Nikolay Gretsch. At one of the literary gatherings at the writer's house, the participants accidentally noticed the toy horse and were so delighted with it that they raffled it off among themselves and used the proceeds to buy Pyotr Clodt a set of carving tools. Later, using these same tools, Clodt, while still in military service, carved two more horse figurines in his spare time, which he presented as gifts to Grand Dukes Mikhail Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich.

According to legend, one of the figurines was presented to Nicholas I. The latter liked the figurine so much that the young man was granted an audience with the tsar. After receiving such attention from the sovereign, many people were eager to have figurines created by Clodt. And the young sculptor began to receive a pension from the Committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists.

Pyotr Clodt continued his education at the Academy of Arts, where he studied not only sculpture but also casting.
Clodt received his first major governmental commission in 1832: he had to create a team of six horses for the Chariot of Glory, which adorned the Narva Triumphal Arch. Entrusting such an important order to a young self-taught artist was risky, and it could have ended in disaster for the sculptor himself, but he took the risk. The horses turned out well, and the baron was immediately awarded the title of professor and director of the Foundry of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

In Moscow, Clodt created the famous quadriga of Apollo, the symbol of the Bolshoi Theatre.  In St. Petersburg, he created a sculptural composition of horses on the Anichkov Bridge. The sculptor spent about 20 years creating these sculptures. This is the master's most famous work. Clodt named his sculptures ‘Horse with a Charioteer.’ It is the horse that stands in first place for him. The success of the equestrian groups on the Anichkov Bridge was phenomenal. They were enthusiastically received by both the public and art critics. The author was elected an honorary member of the Berlin and Rome Academies of Arts. The enormous popularity of sculptures by Pyotr Clodt led to copies of these works being installed in other places.

Pyotr Clodt sculpted and cast monuments to Ivan Krylov in the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg, Peter the Great in Kronstadt, chieftain Platov in Novocherkassk, and Martin Luther in Keila southwest of Tallinn. He participated in the work on the high reliefs in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the decoration of Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Marble Palace. The last work of Clodt work was the equestrian monument to Emperor Nicholas I, which stands on St. Isaac's Square. The sculpture is remarkable not only from an artistic point of view, but also from a technical one: the statue has only two points of support, without any auxiliary support, which is really impressive. For creating the equestrian portrait of Nicholas I, Clodt was awarded the title of Active State Councillor.

Fate was kind to the great master. He passed away at home, doing what he loved most – carving horse figurines for his beloved granddaughter. Pyotr Karlovich Clodt was buried at the Smolensk Cemetery. Later, his remains were transferred to the Necropolis of Masters of Arts at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

A photo album featuring the vibrant works of Pyotr Clodt is posted in the museum Photo Gallery.

On the cover: a watercolour by the famous master of chamber portraiture P.F. Sokolov, depicting the sculptor P.K. Clodt.
Contemporaries of Clodt wrote that his creations “constitute the glory of our arts,” and that he himself “won artistic honours and worldwide fame.” The artist P.P. Sokolov noted: “Pyotr Clodt was an example of the morality of an ideal family man, and there is no need to mention his talent – he was a genius who left behind an immortal memory with his works.”