Maikov Nikolai Apollonovich

Historical painter. Son of the director of the Imperial Theaters. He studied in the cadet corps, participated in the Patriotic War of 1812, and was wounded in the Battle of Borodino. While recovering from his injury, he began to draw on his own. He went to Paris, where he tried to paint in oils, dreamed of traveling to Italy, but was forced to return to Moscow. In Moscow, he copied paintings by famous artists and painted sketches from life. After moving to St. Petersburg, he was noted by Emperor Nicholas I. By imperial order, he painted a number of images for the church of St. Trinity in the Izmailovsky regiment, for which in 1835 he was awarded the title of academician. He created sketches of images for the iconostasis of St. Isaac's Cathedral, wrote for other churches in Moscow, St. Petersburg and provincial cities. One of the most important works by N.A. Maykov became the lampshades and medallions in the house of Princess Yusupova on Liteiny Prospekt. Author of numerous portraits. Maikov's favorite theme in his work was women's heads and nudes. Works by N.A. Maikov's works are in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, in museums of Yaroslavl, Ryazan and other large art collections.