Peter Clodt

Peter Clodt was a Russian sculptor and art professor who was a favorite of Nicholas I of Russia. He belonged to a noble family of Baltic Germans, the Clodt von Jürgensburgs. He started his career as an artillery officer and an amateur sculptor. He attended classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, where he became famous for his skill in depicting horses. He created many equestrian statues, such as the Horse Tamers on the Anichkov Bridge, the Monument to Nicholas I on Saint Isaac's Square, and the quadriga on the Bolshoi Theatre. He also made portraits and historical sculptures, such as the statue of Ivan Krylov in the Summer Garden, the statue of Saint Vladimir in Kiev, and the statuary for the Narva Triumphal Gate. He was a professor and a rector of the Imperial Academy of Arts, and he taught many prominent Russian sculptors, such as Mark Antokolsky, Alexander Opekushin, and Nikolai Lieberich. He died in his estate in the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1867. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg.