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Another Frenchman who sparked interest
among the Russians was Etien-Maurice Falconet, 1716-1791.Invited by Catherine
the Great, he arrived in Saint Petersburg in 1766 to make another equestrian
monument to Peter I. On an enormous granite block, brought from Karelia, a
Caesar-like Peter, crowned with laurels, looks at the Neva river and with his
right hand points out the area that he conquered and which opened to Russia a
window to Europe. He rides on a fiery horse who stands on his hind legs, as if
climbing rocks. The monument is about twenty feet high, impressive and very
popular among Russians. Peter looks composed and determined; the absence of
decorations adds to the purity of the forms, making the entire composition of
the monument moving and very successful. Several Russian authors wrote
enthusiastically about the monument including Pushkin, who described it in his
poem "The Copper Horseman." It appears that Peter's head was designed
by Falconet's daughter-in-law, Marie Callot. To make the horse stand erect,
over five tons of steel were poured into his two hind legs and his tail. The
monument was dedicated in 1782 and has an inscription in Russian on one side
and Latin on the other which reads: "Petro Primo Catharina Secunda,
1782." Several other French sculptors worked in Russia in the 18th
century, establishing strong French influence and taste in that branch of art.
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