Mihály Zichy (Hungarian, 1827-1906) A Preobrazhensky Regimental Commemoration, 1868 Watercolor on paper 33-3/4 x 27-1/2 inches (85.7 x 69.8 cm) (work) 37 x 30-1/8 inches (93.9 x 76.5 cm) (framed) Signed and dated Mihaly Zichy (known in Russia as Mikhail Alexandrovich von Zichy) was a Hungarian painter who earned extraordinary fame in his own lifetime. After early training, he left Hungary for Russia just before the Revolution of 1848 and made a major career in service to the emperors Nicholas I and his son, Alexander II. Between 1849 and 1874, Zichy was the illustrator of choice for the Romanovs, and his charming and highly detailed montage illustrations of balls, receptions, coronations, and military maneuvers were treasured by the family, and also reproduced for the public. The offered lot was commissioned to celebrate the reception of the Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich's son, the infant Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich (later Nicholas II) into the prestigious Preobrazhensky Regiment at his birth in 1868. The unusually large watercolor depicts a variety of regimental scenes and moments from the life and career of the Tsesarevich with the dates that he and his son joined. Zichy left the country in 1874 for political reasons. Théophile Gautier, who discovered him in Russia in 1858, praised him in the following terms: "An exceptional genius, comparable to Gustave Doré, a volcano neverendingly erupting with his talent." In his surviving works, we note his exceptional watercolor technique, denoting one of the greatest masters of the genre in the 19th century. (For more information, see Bénézit XIV, 895.) Property from the Nelkin Collection HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved