Fedot Ivanovich Shubin (1740-1805), né Shubnoi, the sculptor of this bust of Catherine the Great, was the son of a fisherman from the White Sea coast, Russia. Having produced carvings in bone and mother-of-pearl as a child, he went to St. Petersburg in 1759 and studied there at the Imperial Academy 1761-67 under Nicholas-François Gillet (1712-91). He then moved to Paris where, thanks to a recommendation from Diderot, a friend of Dmitry Golitsyn, Russian Ambassador, he studied under the famous sculptor Pigalle, 1767-70. He worked in Rome 1770-72, and briefly with Nollekens in London in 1773.

Shubin was the pre-eminent Russian Neoclassical sculptor and this portrait bust is similar in style to Neoclassical portrait busts created elsewhere, and particularly in France. He executed free-standing sculptures, architectural decoration, and most notably portrait busts of Russia's aristocracy including members of the Golitzyn family who are reputed to have owned this bust. Shubin also carved a celebrated full-length marble of Catherine the Legislator, 1789, now in the Russian Museum, St Petersburg.

This highly finished bust, of 1771, with its combination of formality with a lively smile, has been copied in bronze and biscuit porcelain. It remains an iconic image of Catherine the Great, who embraced the style of Neoclassicism in major building projects as well as collecting.

Gallery location:
Europe 1600-1815, Room 1, case PL1

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)

Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London