Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy

Dancing Girl. Bronze (cire perdue). Sculpture by Prince Paul Troubetzkoy (1866–1938), Russian self-taught artist
Dancing Girl. Bronze (cire perdue). Sculpture by Prince Paul Troubetzkoy (1866–1938), Russian self-taught artist

Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy was born in Italy on February 15, 1866. The illegitimate son of a Russian emigre, Prince Peter Petrovich Trubetskoy (1822-1892). Prince, who had two wives at once – one in Russia and the other abroad. Emperor Alexander II forbade him to return home, as has been said, “not to allow a spirit of debauchery to fatherland”. Paolo’s mother – a U.S. citizen, the pianist Ada Winans (1835-1917), who came to Florence to study singing. Receiving no system education, no common or artistic, still a boy, Paolo Troubetzkoy became independently engaged in Sculpture and painting. During this initial period of his life he created portrait busts, of small plastic, participated in competitions for the creation of large sculptures. The first exhibition of Paolo Troubetzkoy was held in the U.S. in 1886. In 1899, Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy came to Russia.

Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy
Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy

Paolo’s cousins. Peter N. Troubetzkoy (1858-1911) for many years held senior elected office. During the first Russian revolution was one of the founders of the ‘Russian people’ – then almost the only organization in the Russian Black Hundreds, and – Sergei Troubetzkoy (1862-1905) – the rector of Moscow University, supported his Italian cousin, during his stay in Russia, and at first showed him patronage, which soon became unnecessary.

Ilya Repin, sculptor Paolo Troubetzkoy with his wife at the croquet ground
Ilya Repin, sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy with his wife at the croquet ground

In St. Petersburg, Paolo Troubetzkoy participated in exhibitions of artistic association “World of Art“. Soon after his arrival in Russia Troubetzkoy takes part in the competition to build the monument to Alexander III, where all of a sudden gets first prize. Many members of the imperial family were against the monument, called it ‘caricature’. Sculptor himself joked: “My goal – to represent one animal to another”. Only thanks to the unexpected pleasure of the Empress, pricked portrait likeness, work was allowed to finish.

P.P.Trubetskoy sculpts portrait of George Bernard Shaw. 1926 Photo Archive of Museum of landscape, Verbania Pallanza
P.P.Trubetskoy sculpts portrait of George Bernard Shaw. 1926 Photo Archive of Museum of landscape, Verbania Pallanza

In 1906, the sculptor leaves Russia. Casting in bronze monument lasted more than two years. Opening of the monument took place May 23, 1909. At the opening of the monument the sculptor was not even invited.

Opening of the monument to Alexander III in St. Petersburg, May 23, 1909
Opening of the monument to Alexander III in St. Petersburg, May 23, 1909

In 1914, sculptor goes to the United States. Troubetzkoy was going to spend a few months in America, but because of the war he remained until 1921. Artist arranged solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco. In the U.S., Troubetzkoy lived in Hollywood, where he built a studio builds and bought a small house.

Portrait of Pavel Petrovich Trubetskoy by Valentin Serov
Portrait of Pavel Petrovich Trubetskoy by Valentin Serov

In 1919, on the project of Troubetzkoy was established a monument to Dante in San Francisco, and in 1920 – a monument to General Harrison Gray Otis in Los Angeles. From 1921 to 1932 the artist lives in Paris. Here in 1927, his Swede wife Elin Sundstrom died. In 1932 Troubetzkoy returned to Italy. February 12, 1938, Troubetzkoy died at the Villa Kabianka.

Portrait of sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy, etching, by Anders Zorn, 1909
Portrait of Troubetzkoy, etching, by Anders Zorn, 1909

His works are in the Russian Museum (bronze figure of Witte), the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow (the bust of Leo Tolstoy) , the Roman Academy of Arts (Italy) (“Indian on horseback”), in the Venice Academy (“cabby” and “portrait of a Woman”), at the Berlin National gallery, in the Dresden Gallery, and in other places.

sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy sculpts portrait of LN Tolstoy, Gorbunov reads aloud
Prince Troubetzkoy sculpts portrait of LN Tolstoy, Gorbunov reads aloud

Troubetzkoy was a vegetarian. His vegetarian friend Bernard Shaw remarked: “Troubetzkoy is a gigantic and terrifying humanitarian who can do anything with an animal except eat it”.

sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938). Lev Tolstoy (ca. 1898). Verbania-Pallanza, Italy
Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938). Lev Tolstoy (ca. 1898). Verbania-Pallanza, Italy

Alexandra Tolstoy, daughter of the great novelist Leo Tolstoy wrote in her father’s biography: “From time to time he posed – a tiring obligation – for painters and sculptors: for Repin, Pasternak who did a study of the family, Aronson, and Paolo Trubetskoy. Trubetskoy, a Russian educated in Italy, did some splendid little statues of Tolstoy – one of him on horseback. Father was very fond of him. A sweet and childlike person in addition to his great gifts, he read practically nothing, spoke little, all his life was wrapped up in sculpture. As a convinced vegetarian he would not eat meat but cried: “Je ne mange pas de cadavre!” if anyone offered him some. In his studio in St. Petersburg there was a whole zoo: a bear, a fox, a horse, and a vegetarian wolf.”

sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938). Lev Tolstoy on a horse, 1899, Italy
Paolo Troubetzkoy (1866-1938). Lev Tolstoy on a horse, 1899, Italy

Paolo Troubetzkoy: “As I cannot kill, I cannot authorize others to kill. Do you see? If you are buying from a butcher you are authorizing him to kill – to kill helpless creatures which neither you nor I could kill ourselves”.

Leo Tolstoy and sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy, horse riding
Leo Tolstoy and Troubetzkoy, horse riding

Large friendship bound Russian sculptor Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy with Leo Tolstoy. Tall, large, extraordinary people with physical force, tenderly loving animals. According to the Secretary of Leo Tolstoy – V. Bulgakov, “sculptor Paolo Troubetzkoy … belonged to the favorites of Leo Tolstoy … He loved his simple open soul, truthfulness, hatred of secular conventions, love for animals, vegetarianism”. Leo willingly posed to him and talked with him in the studio of the sculptor and at Yasnaya Polyana.

Leo Tolstoy, 1989, bronze
Leo Tolstoy, 1989, bronze

From 15 to 23 April 1898, he sculpts the bust of the writer: “In the evening we had Prince Troubetzkoy, a sculptor who lives, born and raised in Italy. Amazing people: prodigiously talented, but quite primitive. Read nothing, naive, rude and entirely absorbed in his art. Tomorrow will sculpt Leo Tolstoy and will dine with us”. A little more than a decade, beginning in March 1909, Troubetzkoy has created two sculptures of writer Tolstoy. From 29 to 31 August Troubetzkoy models bust of Tolstoy.

Children (N.S and V.S Troubetzkoys), 1900
Children (N.S and V.S Troubetzkoys), 1900
Friends, 1901
Friends, 1901
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, 1899
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, 1899
Isaac Levitan, 1899
Isaac Levitan, 1899
Lady Standing, 1927, Bass-Dwyer Collection
Lady Standing, 1927, Bass-Dwyer Collection
Moscow cabby. 1906
Moscow cabby. 1906
Princess M.N. Gagarina with her daughter, Marina, 1898
Princess M.N. Gagarina with her daughter, Marina, 1898
Sergei Witte with his setter, 1901
Sergei Witte with his setter, 1901
Sitting lady. 1909 (princess Orlova)
Sitting lady. 1909 (princess Orlova)
Mme. Anaheimer. Prince Paul Troubetzkoy (Russian (born Italy), Intra 1866–1938 Suna di Novara). Date - 1897
Mme. Anaheimer. Prince Paul Troubetzkoy (Russian (born Italy), Intra 1866–1938 Suna di Novara). Date – 1897

Sculpture