Summary
Carl Timoleon von Neff, also russified from 1844 as Timofey Andreyevich Neff (Russian: Тимофей Андреевич Нефф, 14 October [O.S. 2 October] 1804 – 5 January [O.S. 24 December 1876] 1877) was a Russian Imperial artist of Baltic German descent.
Carl Timoleon von Neff | |
|---|---|
 Carl Timoleon von Neff | |
| Born | 14 October 1804 |
| Died | 5 January 1877 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Resting place | St. Simon & St. Jude's Churchyard, Simuna, Estonia |
| Nationality | Baltic German (born in present-day Estonia) |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | Dresden Academy of Fine Arts |
| Movement | Academism |
| Spouse(s) |
Louise Auguste Dorothea, Baroness von Kaulbars
(m. 1838) |
| Elected | Member Academy of Arts (1839) Professor by rank (1849) |
| Patron(s) | |
Biography edit
Carl Timoleon von Neff was born at a manor house in Neu-Isenhof (Püssi), Kreis Wierland in the Governorate of Estonia of the Russian Empire (present-day Estonia) in 1804. His mother was a French governess at the estate; he was an illegitimate child. He began studying art in Estonia under the tutelage of Karl von Kügelgen and continued at the Academy of Arts in Dresden, present-day Germany. He graduated from there in 1825. Following his graduation, he travelled and divided his time between his native Estonia, Italy and Saint Petersburg, the Imperial capital. In St. Petersburg he received a commission to paint the daughters of the emperor Nicholas I.[1]
The portrait was apparently well received as he from this time onward became tied to the court, and made a career as an artist working for the higher echelons of society. He received prestigious commissions in both St. Petersburg and abroad. In recognition for his work, especially for contributing to the artistic embellishment of several churches, he was generously awarded with different forms of official recognition, such as orders and titles. In addition, he became one of the emperor's closest advisers in questions related to art.[2] In 1846, he was made an honorary member of the Academy of Florence and after finishing the decoration of parts of the iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, was nominated to become a member of the Russian Imperial Academy of Arts.[1] Following his many successes he built an Italianate manor house to house his personal art collection in Muuga, Estonia.[2][3]
Works edit
As a court artist, von Neff was appreciated as a portraitist and painter of typically academical subjects which were then popular, notably odalisque-like nude bathers and nymphs. As mentioned, he contributed to the artistic decoration of Saint Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, and Helsinki Cathedral, in present-day Finland, as well as churches outside the Russian empire - e.g. in Nice, France and Wiesbaden, present-day Germany.[2] Several of his works are displayed in the Art Museum of Estonia today.[4]
Gallery edit
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Portrait of Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia -
Young Mother -
The Bather -
The Angel -
Italian street children -
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Ross, Jaan. "Neff's Bildnis der Gattin". Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology (CIM07). Archived from the original on 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
- ^ a b c Abel, Tiina (2004). "Art Collection as a Manifesto". Estonian Institute. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
- ^ Praust, Valdo. "Muuga Manor". Estonian Manors Portal. www.mois.ee. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
- ^ "Art Museum of Estonia". Retrieved 2013-02-15.
Further reading edit
- Grünewaldt, Mary von (1887). Skizzen und Bilder aus dem Leben Carl Timoleons von Neff (in German). Darmstadt: C. S. Winter. OCLC 254055852.
- Gudymenko, Yury Y. (2016). Придворный живописец Тимолеон Нефф [Timoleon Neff, A Court Painter] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: The State Hermitage Publishers. ISBN 978-5-93572-646-1. OCLC 970374754.
- Neumann, Wilhelm (1902). Baltische Maler und Bildhauer des XIX. Jahrhunderts (in German). Riga: A. Grosset. pp. 56–59. OCLC 25471919. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021.
- Ross, Heino (2004). Maalikunstnik Carl Timoleon Neff, Püssi, 2. oktoober 1804 - Peterburgi, 24. detsember 1876. Carl Timoleon Neff : 200 (in Estonian). Vol. 1. Tõrva: Väike-Viru. ISBN 9985-78-954-7. OCLC 756293035.
External links edit
Media related to Carl Timoleon von Neff at Wikimedia Commons- Works by von Neff at the Art Museum of Estonia
