Biography

Was born in the family of French sculptor Dominique Rachette. In 1760 while studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts participated in various art exhibitions. His works were marked by medals in 1763 and 1764. Jean Dominique Rachette gave lessons in Berlin Academy of Arts In 1771-1779, since 1772 — at Professor's rank.

He was invited to the Imperial porcelain factory in St. Petersburg as a Master model-maker by the General-Prosecutor Prince A. A. Viazemsky in 1779. Yaakov Ivanovich Rochet (such was the name he got in Russia) became famous for the series of figurines "Peoples Inhabiting the Russian state". This work was of great historical, ethnographic and artistic value. The Arabesque set (1784) and other examples of Russian porcelain industry (e.g. 27-inch bust of Catherine II) were created according to his models. He worked at the plant until 1804.

I. J. Rochet contributed greatly to the Russian sculpture of the XVIII century. Five gilded bronze statues of the Peterhoff Grand cascade of fountains belong to his authorship. Namely, the figures of Juno, Jupiter, Galatea, two groups of Naiads with Triton (1806-1809). Another sculpture of Jupiter the Thunder is stored in the Academy of Arts.

Не created a gallery of portrait busts and statues of the prominent persons of Russian history and culture: academician L. Euler (marble bust was made for the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences), philanthropist P.A. Demidov, Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (the bronze monument was erected by count Vorontsov S. V. in the church of Glukhov town in the Ukraine), the tomb monument to Prince A. A. Bezborodko in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The master immortalized Catherine II in the similitude of ancient Cybele (the copper statue was mounted in Tsarskoye Selo in 1788).

More than 20 works of the sculptor are exhibited in the State Hermitage, the State Russian Museum, the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, the Tretyakov gallery in Moscow. The sculptural decoration of the Governing Senate building (1779) the Taurida Palace, the Cold Thermae with the Agate pavilion, bas-reliefs in the Cameron gallery in Catherine’s Park in Tsarskoye Selo (1785-1787) are among his works. I. J. Rochet was the author of multimeter bas-reliefs on the porches and attics of the Kazan Cathedral.

The sculptor was titled the academician of the Russian Academy of Arts for his merits in elaboration of the Russian art porcelain in 1785. Rochet was ranked a collegiate assessor by the Personal decree of Empress Catherine II "for service eagerness and commitment" in 1786.

Was co-optated as the adjunct professor in 1785, received the title of the Professor in 1800. James I. Rochet was administered an oath "to the eternal Russian partiality "in 1806. Awarded with the order of St. Anne of the second degree. At the end of his life was ennobled and granted a heraldic emblem. Died in 1809 in St. Petersburg.

Interesting facts:

Jacob Rochet married Esther Christinas van Dokum in Copenhagen on October 25, 1765. The couple had nine children. Yaakov Ivanovich was the patriarch of the Russian ramage of the Rochets family. Many representatives of the family became well-known and prominent people and as well as Rochet made a great contribution to the Russian history.

He created marble busts of G. R. Derzhavin and his wife. On this occasion the poet composed the verses, with the stanza:

Ready idol, I coveted,
Rochette made him out to be,
He is cunning with his hand
Me in rock revived