Adolf Iosifovich Charlemagne, or Sharleman (Russian: Адольф Иосифович Шарлемань; 8 December 1826,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

- 31 January 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian painter of historical,

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

and battle scenes. He was also the creator of a popular design for playing cards known as the " Satin Deck".Brief biography
@ House of Cards.

Biography

His father was the architect,

Iosif Ivanovich Charlemagne Iosif Ivanovich Charlemagne, or Sharleman (Russian:Иосиф Иванович Шарлемань, 5 November 1782, Saint Petersburg - 8 December 1861, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian architect of French ancestry. He also served as a State Counc ...

. His grandfather, the sculptor and decorative artist, Jean Baptiste Charlemagne-Baudet, was originally from Rouen and had come to Russia to work for Catherine the Great.Brief biography
@ Russian Paintings. His brother, Iosif, also became an artist and architect. He received his primary education at Saint Peter's School, then enrolled at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the T ...

, where he studied history painting with

Fyodor Bruni Fyodor (Fidelio) Antonovich Bruni (Russian: Фёдор Антонович Бруни; 10 June 1799, in Milan – 30 August 1875, in Saint Petersburg) was a Russian artist of Italian descent who worked in the Academic style. Biography His ...

and battle painting with

Bogdan Willewalde Bogdan Pavlovich Willewalde (russian: Богдан Павлович Виллевальде, german: link=no, Gottfried Willewalde; January 12, 1819, Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg – March 24, 1903, Dresden) was a Russian Imperial artist, academic, ...

. While there, he was awarded several silver and gold medals. The last of these awards, in 1855, carried with it a stipend to study abroad. He went to Munich, where he studied with

Alexander Kotzebue Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm Franz von Kotzebue (russian: Алекса́ндр Евста́фиевич Коцебу́, tr. ; 9 June 1815 – 24 August 1889) was a German Romantic painter of historical scenes and battle scenes. Life Alexander ...

, another battle painter. In 1859, he was named an "Academician" for his portrayals of

Alexander Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...

in the Swiss Alps. He then went to Paris and studied the paintings at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. He returned to Saint Petersburg by way of Germany in 1861. His first paintings after returning were for the

Page Corps The Page Corps (russian: Пажеский корпус; french: Corps des Pages) was a military academy in Imperial Russia, which prepared sons of the nobility and of senior officers for military service. Similarly, the Imperial School of Jurispr ...

, followed by ceiling murals at the Meshchersky family mansion in Moscow. In 1867, his portrayal of Catherine the Great in the workshop of

Étienne Maurice Falconet Étienne Maurice Falconet (1 December 1716 – 24 January 1791) was a French baroque, rococo and neoclassical sculptor, best-known for his equestrian statue of Peter the Great, the ''Bronze Horseman'' (1782), in St. Petersburg, Russia, and for ...

earned him the title of Professor. It was acquired by Empress Maria Alexandrovna. For the next twenty years, he worked prolifically to supply the demand for his images; many of which became illustrations in magazines. From 1871, he worked for the

Federal State Unitary Enterprise A unitary enterprise (russian: унитарное предприятие) is a government-owned corporation in Russia and some other post-Soviet states. Unitary enterprises are business entities that have no ownership rights to the assets that th ...

, designing securities, bonds and other negotiables.

Selected paintings

File:Suvorov Gotthard.jpg, Field Marshal Suvorov in

Gotthard Pass german: Gotthardpass , photo = File:Gotthardpass 2008.jpg , photo_caption = The area of the Gotthard Pass from the west , elevation_m = 2106 , elevation_ref = , traversed = National Road 2 Old paved road ( Tremola) Gotthard Rail Tunnel Go ...

File:Suvorov in Milan.jpg, Marshal Suvorov in Milan File:Атласная_колода_Шарлеманя._Эскизы.jpeg, Russian playing card deck designed by Adolf Charlemagne File:Greater coat of arms of the Russian empire.png, Greater coat of arms of the Russian empire File:Constantin Nikolaevich's children skating.JPG, Children skating File:Charlemagne Lackeys.jpg, Lackeys

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlemagne, Adolf 1826 births 1901 deaths 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters Military art Painters from Saint Petersburg Russian illustrators Currency designers Saint Peter's School (Saint Petersburg) alumni Playing card manufacturers Russian people of French descent 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire