The artist is Olive
Leonty (Louis Jules) Benois, his wife, children are depicted.
The name of the author is determined by memories a. N. Benois: „The whole family of the grandfather is depicted entirely in the picture written by some friend of the house by last name, if I’m not mistaken, Olivier" (Benois a. N. My memories. M., 1989. Prince. one. With. 34).
Depicted: Leonty (Louis Jules) Benois (1770-1822)-was born near Paris, in the town of St. Uen of the Province of Bree. His father, Nicola Benois (1729-1813) – Teacher. In 1783, Louis Jules Benoit entered the training of the confectioner’s craft in the house of the Duke de Montmoraxi, who at that time served his older brother. At the beginning of the revolution, both brothers Benoit followed the Duke first in Brussels, then to Liege. In 1793, Louis Jules switched to service as a cook for the messenger of Prussia in Russia and in 1794 arrived in St. Petersburg. Served as a co-confectioning man with the Golitsyn, Naryshkin. 1808 – court sub -interior of the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna. Died from „black" smallpox, buried in a wolf cemetery.
His wife Anna Ekaterina Benois (nee. Gloppe; 1777-1852) – daughter of the owner of a copper workshop.
Had 18 children, of which seven died in infancy.
Children:
Zhannet (1798-1881) – in marriage: Robert;
Mikhail (1799-1861) – graduated from the Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg, Colonel, teacher in the Page Corps; Leonty (1801-1883) – famous architect; Alexandrina (1803-1901) – in marriage to Branderburg;
Elizabeth (1806-1876) – in the marriage of Petersen;
Elena (1807-1866) – in the marriage of Keller;
Nikolai (1813-1898) – architect;
Francois (1814-1858).
Dates back on the grounds that the picture depicts Alexander, Maria and Julius, born respectively in 1817, in 1819 and in 1820.
Home portraits were created and little -known or not at all professional artists. But they also became family relics, and the cute imperfections of the fulfillment and diligence of the author in the transfer of the appearance of the portraited add charm to them. So, Alexander Benois recalls the portrait of the family of his grandfather, created by “some“ friend of the house ”, by the name, if I am not mistaken, Olivier”: “This is a completely amateur work that it was customary to make fun of us at the past time. For his too obvious errors in the figure, I was inherited by me. But just the amateur nature of this picture in subsequent years (when the cult of all primitivism in art began, and strict academic covenants began to be gradually forgotten) – excited the enthusiasm of all my guests ”. Lyubov Shakirova. Family album of the Russian Museum // Portrait of Family. SPb, 2014. With. eight.
