VASILY GRACHEV (1831 – 1905) Cossack and Young Girl on the horse

signed in Cyrillic ‘LEP. GRACHEV’, foundry mark C.F. WOERFFEL/ ST PETERSBURG’ bronze with brown patina H. circa 35 cm Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev was born into a family of peasants. As a boy, he was sent to study under the court engraver, Andreev, in Saint Petersburg for six years. Later in life, he worked alongside silversmiths, including I. S. Sazikov. Grachev was self-taught in sculpture. He created wax models for renowned manufacturers such as C. F. Woerffel, P. A. Ovchinnikov and I. P. Khlebnikov, and most of his works, which were cast in silver and bronze, are known under their brand names. In 1885, Vasily Grachev opened his own workshop and studio. He exhibited at the 1885 Art and Industry Exhibition in Saint Petersburg, receiving a silver medal for his composition ‘At the Watering Hole’. Grachev is widely regarded as one of the finest small-scale sculptors of the 19th century. The main themes of his work are genre scenes depicting people and horses, as well as historical and military scenes. Carl Fedorovich Woerffel (1846–after 1918) was a merchant of the 1st Guild and owner of the firm ‘C. F. Woerffel’ since 1873. A Prussian national who became a Russian subject in 1893, he graduated from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg in 1868, specialising in the processing of Siberian stones. After graduating, he joined his father’s business. Following his father’s death in 1873, Woerffel founded his own company, which became renowned. In 1912, he founded the Russian Gems Society.