Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov
Encyclopedia
Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov (1733–1811) was a Russian baron and a member of the Stroganovs
family. He was a member of the Private Committee
(Негласный комитет) of Alexander I
and assistant to the Minister of the Interior, a long time President of the Imperial Academy of Arts
, director of the Russian Imperial Library and a member of the Russian Academy.
, a son of baron Sergey Grigoryevich Stroganow. During 1752–1757 he studied at the universities of Geneva
, Bologna
(art treasures), and Paris
(chemistry, physic, and metallurgy). In Paris he was a Freemason
and visited Voltaire
.
After the death of his father in 1756, he completed the decoration of the Stroganov Palace
in 1760. In 1780 he became a senator. In 1783 he became member of Russian Academy
, and one of the editors of the Academic Dictionary.
Stroganov was a member of the commission on elaborating the new code of laws during the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–1796). From 1800 until his death he was a president of the Imperial Academy of Arts
and director of the Imperial Public Library (1800–1811). He was the second director of the library (after Choiseul-Gouffier
). He was also a member of the State Council
.
From 1801 as chairman of a board of trustees, he was a supervisor of the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg.
In 1805 he proposed to Alexander I
the establishment of a special Manuscript Depository («депо манускриптов») at the Imperial Library. Manuscripts taken from the collection of Peter P. Dubrovsky
formed the basis of this depository.
Stroganov was also a collector of pictures of famous artists.
He died on September 27, 1811 in Saint Petersburg
.
Stroganovs
The Stroganovs or Strogonovs , also spelled in French manner as Stroganoffs, were a family of highly successful Russian merchants, industrialists, landowners, and statesmen of the 16th – 20th centuries who eventually earned nobility.-Origins:...
family. He was a member of the Private Committee
Private Committee
Privy Committee was an unofficial consultative body during the reign of Alexander I in Russia.The Private Committee was operational from June 1801 until late 1803...
(Негласный комитет) of Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
and assistant to the Minister of the Interior, a long time President of the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
, director of the Russian Imperial Library and a member of the Russian Academy.
Life
Stroganov was born on January 3, 1733 in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, a son of baron Sergey Grigoryevich Stroganow. During 1752–1757 he studied at the universities of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
(art treasures), and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(chemistry, physic, and metallurgy). In Paris he was a Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and visited Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
.
After the death of his father in 1756, he completed the decoration of the Stroganov Palace
Stroganov Palace
The Stroganov Palace is a Late Baroque palace at the intersection of the Moika River and Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The palace was built to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's designs for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov in 1753-1754...
in 1760. In 1780 he became a senator. In 1783 he became member of Russian Academy
Russian Academy
The Russian Academy or Imperial Russian Academy was established in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1783 by Empress Catherine II of Russia and princess Dashkova as a research center for Russian language and Russian literature, following the example of the Académie française...
, and one of the editors of the Academic Dictionary.
Stroganov was a member of the commission on elaborating the new code of laws during the reign of Catherine the Great (1762–1796). From 1800 until his death he was a president of the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
and director of the Imperial Public Library (1800–1811). He was the second director of the library (after Choiseul-Gouffier
Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier
Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier was a member of the Académie Française and the Choiseul-Gouffier family, French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1784 until the fall of the French monarchy and a scholar of ancient Greece.-Life:Right from his studies at the collège...
). He was also a member of the State Council
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
.
From 1801 as chairman of a board of trustees, he was a supervisor of the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg.
In 1805 he proposed to Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
the establishment of a special Manuscript Depository («депо манускриптов») at the Imperial Library. Manuscripts taken from the collection of Peter P. Dubrovsky
Peter P. Dubrovsky
Peter Petrovich Dubrovsky , was a Russian bibliophile, diplomat, paleographer, secretary of the Russian Embassy in France, collector of manuscripts and books. Throughout his life he collected about 2000 manuscripts...
formed the basis of this depository.
Stroganov was also a collector of pictures of famous artists.
He died on September 27, 1811 in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
Further reading
- Кузнецов С. О.Sergei Olegovich KuznetsovSergei Olegovich Kuznetsov is a Russian historian and art historian, specialising in Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov.-Life:...
Пусть Франция поучит нас "танцовать". Создание Строгоновского дворца в Петербурге и соеобразие придворной культуры России в первой половине XVIII века. СПб., 2003. — 512 c. — ISBN 5-303-001090-1 - Кузнецов С. О. Не хуже Томона. Государственная, меценатская, собирательская деятельность рода Строгоновых в 1771—1817 гг. и формирование имперского облика С.-Петербурга. СПБ.: Нестор, 2006—447 с — ISBN 5-303-00293-4
- Кузнецов С. О. Дворцы и дома Строгоновых. Три века истории.. — М-СПб: Центрполиграф, МиМ-Дельта, 2008. — 319 с. — ISBN 978-5-9524-3471-4
- Susanne Jaeger, Alexander S. Stroganov (1733-1811): Sammler und Mäzen im Russland der Aufklärung, Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar, 2007