Biography

Vasily Ivanovich Demuth-Malinovsky - Russian painter and sculptor, was born  on 2 (13) Mar 1779, in St. Petersburg. Vasiliy Demuth-Malinovsky was the son of a carving master Ivan Demuth. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1785-1800) in the sculpture class under M. I. Kozlovsky. Was awarded with several silver medals, received small gold medal in 1799 for the bas-relief "The Angel Takes Apostle Peter from Prison". Being the academist was invited by M. Kozlovsky to clear wax statues for casing the Peterhof cascade in 1799. In 1800, he received the Grand gold medal and the first-degree diploma confirming the title of a painter for a bas-relief "Frigates’ Capture at the Gangut Battle". The bas-relief was designed for the pedestal of the monument to Peter  I by B. K. Rastrelli. It was mounted in front of the Mikhaylovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.

Upon completion of schooling, the artist was retained as a pensioner of the Academy for three years . In 1802, he was awarded by the Grand gold medal for the sketch of the tombstone to M. Kozlovsky, which he created for the contest announced among students by A. S. Stroganov, the President of the Academy. In 1803, he was sent to Italy for three years as the Academy pensioner. On his the way there, he visited Dresden, Vienna and Venice. Worked in Rome under the supervision of sculptor A. Canova, draw from nature, copied antiques and studied the technique of marble cutting. Returned to St. Petersburg in 1807. The same year received the title of academician for the sketch of the statue "The Elijah the Prophet" (cast) for the Kazan Cathedral. In 1808 was commissioned to the rank of the associate Professor and received the adjunct professorship in the Academy sculpture class. In 1813 received a title of the Professor of sculpture for the statue “The Russian Scaevola" (plaster, the State Russian museum). From 1833 became the Emeritus Professor. Since 1835 was serving as the Sculpture Dean and was approved in this position in 1836. A. V. Loganovsky and A. I. Terebenev were among his students.

From 1818 on behalf of the Imperial Academy of Arts, he supervised the sculptures in the Imperial palaces and parks and restored them. Worked in the field of monumental-decorative sculpture. In 1808, he created two figures of caryatids for "Cabinet Flashlight" in Pavlovsk Palace. Participated in the sculptural decoration of the Kazan Cathedral (architect A. N. Voronikhin), the Mining Cadet Corps (architect A. N. Voronikhin), the Admiralty (architect A. D. Zakharov)¹. In 1819, executed the haut-relief "Architecture" for cast-iron stairs in the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1821-1822, he started working with architect K. I. Rossi. Participated in the design of the Yelagin Palace (1821-1822), Mikhailovskiy Palace (1823-1825), Coffee house of Letniy Sad (The Summer Garden) (1826), the General Headquarters arch (1827-1829; 1833), Alexandrinsky theatre (1831), Senate and Synod (1883).

In 1830, Demuth participated in the sculptural decoration of the Public library and Narva Triumphal Gate (architect V.P. Stasov), St. Catherine’s church under the Academy guidance. In various years, he decorated buildings and interiors in St-Petersburg and its suburbs, among them are the bas-reliefs for the Stable church and St. Catherine church near Tuchkov bridge (1823), statues of bulls for the cattle yard (1827, bronze). In 1836 created bas-reliefs (bronze) for St. Оlaya (Oleviste) church in Tallinn. Demuth executed the monuments to Catherine II in the estate Troitskoe-Kainardgi, which belonged to earl S.P. Rumyantsev (1834, bronze, now the Donskoi monastery, Moscow), monument to M.A. Barclay de Tolly in Tartu (1846, bronze, granite, opened in 1849), model of monument to Ivan Susanin for Kostroma (1838-1846, bronze, granite, opened in 1851, not preserved). Participated in the contests for monuments to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow (1808), to the Prince Vladimir for Kiev (1833), to the empress Maria Fedorovna for St Petersburg (1833). Author of tombstones to sculptor M.I. Koslovsky (1803, marble), architect А.N. Voronikhin (1814, marble, granite), Academy vice-president P.P. Chekalevsky (1817, bronze, granite), the Alexander Nevsky Larva Necropolis of the XVIII th century, to Field marshal Barclay de Tolly (1823, bronze, marble, granite) in Iygevesta, Estonia. Created several portraits, among them is a portrait of A.V. Suvorov (1814).

Died on 16 (28) July 1846, in St. Petersburg.

¹ The major part of the sculpture in the Admiralty was destroyed in1860 under authority of Alexander II.