Biography

Imperial peasant by the origin. He was apprenticed to the court embossment artisan Andreev in St. Petersburg, where he spent six years. Later he worked at the silversmiths Verkhovtsev, Safronov and Sazikov. He was a self-taught sculptor. Performed wax models for well-known manufacturers Smirnov, Werfel, Ovchinnikov, Khlebnikov. The majority of his works, casted in silver or bronze are known under the brand name of those factories. Those works were awarded at various artistic-industrial exhibitions. In 1885, Grachev opened his own workshop-studio and presented his individual works at the St. Petersburg artisan show. Received a silver medal from St. Petersburg for the sculpture "At The Watering Place"² presented at the exhibition. Known as a master small statuary and applied art.

¹Year of birth is given according to the St. Petersburg Necropolis. SPb, 1912, vol. 1, p. 669: "Grachev, Vasiliy Yakovlevich, sculptor☨26 May 1905, 74 years old. (St. George cemetery in Big Okhta)"

² The composition was repeated Grachev in 1886 by order of New York.