Seryakov Yakov
Yakov Pamfilovich Seryakov was a Russian portrait sculptor of the mid-19th century. Born in March 1818, in the village of Kholopovo, Kostroma Governorate, to a family of serfs. From 1814, the future sculptor's father, Pamfil Seryakov, along with his two brothers, traded axes and knives in St. Petersburg. By the 1820s, their combined fortune amounted to approximately 20,000 rubles, a significant sum for that period. The Seryakovs' landlord was a man of harsh temper, known among the people as a tyrant and a despot. A few years before the manumission, he sent the youngest brother, Avksentiy Seryakov, into military service as a punishment for some offense. Later, the younger Seryakov became a soldier in the 3rd Carabineer Regiment. In January 1824, in his family in Kaluga Governorate, Lavrentiy Avksentyevich Seryakov was born. The future Academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts, an engraver, and a prominent St. Petersburg woodcutter of the post-reform era, as well as a cousin of the ivory carver Yakov Seryakov. The museum Collection features an engraving by Lavrentiy Seryakov, based on the original work "Mila and Nolly" by Mihály Zichy.
While living in Kostroma Governorate, Yakov Seryakov absorbed the artistic traditions of the Russian North. He was surrounded by wooden architecture with intricate carved details, as well as sculptures made of wood and even ivory. To the north of Kostroma lay Arkhangelsk Governorate with the Kholmogory district – the primary center of bone-carving skill. Major trade routes to key markets passed through Kostroma. It is likely that his early experience in the Russian North and the folk art of his childhood sparked Yakov Seryakov’s interest in sculpture and his lifelong passion for ivory.
In 1826, the Seryakovs bought their freedom from serfdom and became members of the lower middle class in St. Petersburg. The family owned a shop and workshop in Apraksin Dvor, where young Yakov actively assisted; they lived on Kabinetskaya Street. Apraksin Dvor was one of the largest commercial and industrial hubs of St. Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas I. One could hardly imagine a better place for young Yakov to observe such a diversity of people and study their characters and types. Seryakov was a regular at the Alexandrinsky Theatre, which at that time staged tragedies by Shakespeare and Schiller, plays on Russian history, and French vaudevilles.
In the spring of 1836, the premiere of Nikolai Gogol's "The Government Inspector" took place on the theatre's stage. Subsequently, many actors of the Alexandrinsky Theatre became the protagonists of his sculpted portraits. Through constant interaction with representatives of all social classes, Yakov Seryakov learned to capture the character and distinctive nature of an individual – a skill that would become one of the unique hallmarks of his art. His attempt to become an auditor at the Academy of Arts coincided with the death of the family patriarch, Pamfil Seryakov. Yakov became the new head of the family; no time or resources remained for formal education. However, this did not stop him from pursuing self-education. Everything Seryakov knew, he taught himself: how to read, write, and carve ivory. In 1842, the Academy of Arts presented Yakov Seryakov’s works at an exhibition within its walls. This was a true recognition of the master's innate talent.
The essence of Yakov Seryakov's work lies in the portrayal of character. He created each portrait in just four sittings with the model. According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, Seryakov allowed his sitters to talk, laugh, write, read, or even smoke a cigar while posing. The more a person moved, the better their temperament and character were revealed to Seryakov; the model's lack of stillness did not hinder the master from capturing essential portrait features. The sculptor carved directly into the ivory, without any preparatory sketches.
Unfortunately, little is known about the sculptor's life. Apparently, he lived a secluded life, leaving few traces in the memoirs or correspondence of his contemporaries. Even his exact date of death and place of burial are difficult to determine, despite the fact that Seryakov was well-known during his lifetime and even received commissions from the Imperial Court.
Today, works by Yakov P. Seryakov are stored in the collections of the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, the All-Russian Pushkin Museum, St. Isaac's Cathedral State Museum-Memorial, Peterhof State Museum-Reserve, the State Tretyakov Gallery, and the Karisalov family collection; they are also featured in various exhibitions.
Author: Uliana Sanitovich, Art Historian at the museum Collection.
Re.: Romm, M.D. Sculptor Yakov Seryakov / Mikhail Romm. — St. Petersburg, 1998.
https://www.rusartnet.com/biographies/russian-artists/19th-century/mid-19th-century/sculptor/yakov-s...
