Romuald Wladyslaw GIEDROYC (1842-1899)

Portrait of Tsar Alexander II wearing the coat and cap of the Imperial Guard Knights Regiment.
Original terracotta, signed on the edge of the bust on the right.
H. 41 cm.
Related works
The model for the sculpture is a portrait depicting Tsar Alexander II made by an unknown artist around 1888 and now in the Hermitage Museum (inv. ���-633) (illustration 1).
Along with ours, only one other terracotta is known; it was shown at Bonham's in London on June 5, 2019, lot #156 (auctioned for ?15,062) and came from the collection of India Early Minshall (1885-1965).
History
Prince Romuald Giedroyc was the son of Prince Konstantin Giedroyc, a state councillor and chamberlain to the Tsar. After studying literature in France and publishing works mainly devoted to the history of Russia, he published in 1881 "The Death of Alexander II - extracts from the memoirs of Romuald Giedroyc", a copy of which was sent to Queen Victoria. Very close to Tsar Alexander II and his morganatic wife, Princess Yuryevskaya, Romuald Giedroyc most likely made these sculptural works as a sign of deep admiration for his sovereign. To date, only two terracotta creations by this artist are known, and one alabaster sculpture of Tsar Alexander II and his dog Milord (circa 1880) housed in the Peterhof Museum-Reserve (inv. PDMP 1153-sk), whose sculptural quality suggests that Prince Romuald Giedroyc excelled in the mastery of the round bump. During the participation of Russia in the World Exhibition of 1899 in Paris, he was awarded the honorable mention for his works presented in the works in the category "Sculpture and Art Medal".