Nicholas Lokhoff or Nikolai Nikolaevich Lokhoff (russian: Николай Николаевич Лохов; it, Nicola Lochoff; October 20, 1872 – July 7, 1948) was a Russian painter-copyist and restorer.

Biography

Lokhoff was born into a merchant family. His father, Nikolai Nikolaevich Lokhov (russian: Николай Николаевич Лохов; ? — 1902.02.25,

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

, Mironositskoe cemetery), was a hereditary

honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of the city of Pskov who traded in iron. In 1882 he entered the preparatory class of the Pskov Provincial Gymnasium, where, with interruptions due to illness, he studied until 1891. Then he transferred to the 8th Gymnasium of the Imperial Philanthropic Society in

St. 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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1893. In the same year he entered the Law Faculty of

St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...

. In subsequent years, for various reasons, he was dismissed several times and was reinstated at the university. In March 1899 he was finally dismissed for participating in student unrest. After expulsion from the university, Lokhov lived in Pskov, where he met

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

who was exiled there in 1900 (Lenin had no right to return to the capital after exile in

Shushenskoye Shushenskoye ( rus, Шу́шенское, p=ˈʂuʂɨnskəjɛ) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Shushensky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Yenisei and Big Sh ...

). October 13, 1900, Lokhoff was sentenced to expulsion to the

Astrakhan Governorate The Astrakhan Governorate () was an Imperial, Republican, and Soviet Russian administrative division (), which existed from 1717 – 1929. Created from separating the southwestern part of the Kazan Governorate, by Peter I's Reform in 1717. And ...

under public police supervision for four years, but fled abroad. He lived in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, where he met again with

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

. From 1899 to 1905 he was a member of the

RSDLP The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP; in , ''Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochaya partiya (RSDRP)''), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or the Russian Social Democratic Party, was a Socialism , s ...

, adjoined the wing of the

Economists An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

, and headed the foreign editorial office of the newspaper ''

Rabochaya Mysl ''Rabochaya Mysl'' ( rus, Рабочая Mысль, ''Workers' Thought'') was a Russian social-democrat newspaper and bearer of the Economist current. Sixteen numbers were published in total. The first two numbers were released in Saint Petersbu ...

'', which argued with Lenin's ''

Iskra ''Iskra'' ( rus, Искра, , ''the Spark'') was a political newspaper of Russian socialist emigrants established as the official organ of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). History Due to political repression under Tsar Nicho ...

''. In the newspaper he wrote articles under the pseudonym "Olkhin" (russian: Ольхин). In 1901, he painted the famous drawing ''Social Pyramid''. This image was repeated several times in print and became the basis for creating numerous images under the general title ''

Pyramid of Capitalist System The Pyramid of Capitalist System is a common name of a 1911 American cartoon caricature critical of capitalism, copied from a Russian flyer of 1901. The graphic focus is on stratification by social class and economic inequality. The work has ...

''.

After the

2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party The 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was held during July 30–August 23 (July 17–August 10, O.S.) 1903, starting in Brussels, Belgium (until August 6) and ending in London. Probably as a result of diplomatic pressure ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

(1903), together with other Russian revolutionaries, he was expelled from Belgium, moved to London, and from there to Paris. He earned his living selling his paintings. In 1906 he returned to Russia. By that time, he became disillusioned with revolutionary ideas, withdrew from political activities and devoted himself to art. The main goal of life was the creation for Russia of a gallery of copies of

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es and paintings by masters of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

. The idea was supported by the director of the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts named after Alexander III, Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev (the father of

Marina Tsvetaeva Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (russian: Марина Ивановна Цветаева, p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈtaɪvə; 31 August 1941) was a Russian poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russia ...

). The financial support was provided by Vladimir Vasilievich Yakunchikov (the son of Vasily Ivanovich Yakunchikov) and the Society of Friends of the Idea of Lokhoff. The artist was given an advance payment for writing 70 copies and a manual for living abroad. In 1907, he left for Italy with his family and settled in Florence. By this time he was married to Maria Mitrofanovna Sizareva (russian: Мария Митрофановна Сизарева). The future spouses met in St. Petersburg as students, and became inseparable for their whole long life together. In the Florentine Russian colony, Maria Lokhoff took a prominent place, she was a

churchwarden A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...

. In 1905, their son Boris was born in Paris; in 1915, their daughter Lydia was born in Florence. Lydia Nikolaevna Lokhoff, in her marriage as Cruciani, was engaged in translations from Russian into Italian. According to her texts, for example, the Florentine Opera and Ballet Theater ''Comunale'' staged the operas ''Mazeppa'' by

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

and ''War and Peace'' by

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer ...

. Having no artistic education, Lokhoff was self-taught, intuitively learning the secrets of art and personally experiencing them. His copies were notable for perfect accuracy, absolute fidelity to the original. He himself made the

primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a t ...

and paint according to old recipes, repeated the texture of the works, the nature of the stroke, the sequence of the layer and glazes, the personal techniques of the

old masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was cut off from Russia, stopped receiving benefits, was in poverty, but continued to work, not forsaking the dream to send home a collection of his "works". In the 1920s, he began to work on restoration professionally and received orders from the Italian government. In particular, he restored the frescoes of

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

in the courtyard of the monastery of San Marco. In 1924–1925, as an expert on old Italian painting, he visited Paris several times. In 1927–1928 he sold several reproductions to museums and private collectors, but the paintings sold were necessarily repeated, taking care of the integrity of the collection. In the 1930s he painted landscapes of central Italy (about ten remained). LochoffFrickFineArts2

In the early 1920s Lokhoff established a relationship with the staff of the

Fogg Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In several stages, the museum acquired three Florentine scenes from the maestro:

Expulsion from the Garden of Eden ''The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden'' ( it, Cacciata dei progenitori dall'Eden) is a fresco by the Italian Early Renaissance artist Masaccio. The fresco is a single scene from the cycle painted around 1425 by Masaccio, Masolino and others on ...

Masaccio Masaccio (, , ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, ...

, from the church del Carmine; ''Procession of the Magi'' (

Benozzo Gozzoli Benozzo Gozzoli (4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, depicting festive, vibrant processions wi ...

), from the

Palazzo Medici Riccardi The Palazzo Medici, also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after the later family that acquired and expanded it, is a Renaissance palace located in Florence, Italy. It is the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence and a museum. Overview T ...

; and

Concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

Giorgione Giorgione (, , ; born Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; 1477–78 or 1473–74 – 17 September 1510) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic qualit ...

, from the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

. Other American institutions that acquired works of Lokhoff included the

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum becam ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

(portraits of

the Duke and Duchess of Urbino The Diptych of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza are two oil paintings by Italian artist Piero della Francesca, dated to 1473–1475. This famed double portrait is often mistitled ''The Duke and Duchess of Urbino''—as it appears on the ...

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...

, from the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

); St. Mark's School in Southborough (

Triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...

, from the Venetian dei Frari church); St. Paul's School in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

( Madonna and Two Saints by

Pietro Lorenzetti Pietro Lorenzetti (; – 1348) or Pietro Laurati was an Italian painter, active between c. 1306 and 1345. Together with his younger brother Ambrogio, he introduced naturalism into Sienese art. In their artistry and experiments with three-dimens ...

, from the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi), and others. Nicholas Lokhoff died on July 7, 1948, and was buried in the so-called non-Catholic cemetery ''Allori''. The heirs of the artist through the embassy in Rome offered the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

to purchase a collection of copies, but the Soviets refused. Then, with the assistance of art historian

Bernard Berenson Bernard Berenson (June 26, 1865 – October 6, 1959) was an American art historian specializing in the Renaissance. His book ''The Drawings of the Florentine Painters'' was an international success. His wife Mary is thought to have had a large h ...

, 22 copies were purchased by Helen Frick, daughter of American collector

Henry Clay Frick Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major ...

, who eventually donated them to the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

where they are currently displayed in the Nicholas Lochoff Cloister of the university's

Frick Fine Arts Building The Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Building is a landmark Renaissance villa and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms-Oakland Civic Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Th ...

. December 21, 2017, a memorial plaque in his honor was erected on the building of the Pskov gymnasium, where the artist had studied.В Пскове торжественно открыли памятную доску художнику и копиисту-реставратору Николаю Лохову
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Gallery

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Crucifixion with St Dominic by Fra Angelico.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Crucifixion with

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Apparition of Christ and Angels in St. Martin's Dream Simone Martini by Simone Martini.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Apparition of Christ and Angels in Saint Martin's Dream by

Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a pupil ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Saint Clare by Simone Martini.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Saint

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

by Simone Martini File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Queen Esther by Andrea del Castagno.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Queen

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

Andrea del Castagno Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian painter from Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone. His works include frescoes in Sant'Apollonia in Florence and the painte ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Peter Martyr Enjoins Silence by Fra Angelico.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Peter Martyr Enjoins Silence by Fra Angelico File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Christ as Pilgrim is Received by Two Dominicans by Fra Angelico.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Christ as Pilgrim is Received by Two Dominicans by Fra Angelico File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Madonna and Two Saints by Pietro Lorenzetti.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Madonna and Two Saints by

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. The Annunciation by Simone Martini.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: The Annunciation by

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture, Saint Clare by Simone Martini 1.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Saint Clare by Simone Martini File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Madonna of the Pomegranate by Sandro Botticelli.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: Madonna of the Pomegranate by

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture, The Resurrection of Christ by Piero della Francesca.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: The Resurrection of Christ by

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. The Road to Emmaus by Duccio di Buoninsegna.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture: The Road to Emmaus by

Duccio di Buoninsegna Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ) was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Ducc ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture:

The Birth of Venus ''The Birth of Venus'' ( it, Nascita di Venere ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Saint Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds by Giotto di Bondone.jpg, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Saint Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds by

Giotto di Bondone Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giot ...

File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Frederico Da Montefeltro by Piero della Francesca.png, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture:

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fr ...

by Piero della Francesca File:Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture. Battista Sforza by Piero della Francesca.png, Nicolas Lokhoff. Copy of the picture:

Battista Sforza Battista Sforza (14466 or 7 July 1472) was the second wife of Federico da Montefeltro, and Countess of Urbino. Biography Battista was the first legitimate child born to Alessandro Sforza, lord of Pesaro, and Costanza da Varano (14281447), the ...

by Piero della Francesca

References

External links

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

Реконструктор великого прошлого

Люди и судьбы / (Материалы к «Псковскому биографическому словарю) М.Талалай. Человек Возрождения

Вересова Т.В., Талалай М.Г. Человек Ренессанса. Художник Николай Лохов и его окружение/ М., 2017. - 376 с.: ил.
*

Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow (russian: links=no, Эхо Москвы, translit=Ekho Moskvy) was a 24/7 commercial Russian radio station based in Moscow. It broadcast in many Russian cities, some of the former Soviet republics (through partnerships with local ra ...

Человек Ренессанса из Пскова уже в Америке, Англии и Италии...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lokhoff, Nicolas 1872 births 1948 deaths Russian male painters 20th-century Russian painters Russian Social Democratic Labour Party members Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Italy