Terebenev, Ivan Ivanovich

Born May 10 (21), 1780, in St. Petersburg; died there Jan. 16 (28), 1815. Russian monumental sculptor and engraver. Father of A. I. Terebenev.

Terebenev studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts from 1785 to 1800 under M. I. Kozlovskii. His works embody patriotic ideals through allegorical and mythological images typical of classicism. Characteristic traits of his style are a narrative approach to the development of themes, organic harmonization with architecture, clarity of composition, and a precise, forceful, slightly crude manner of conveying natural forms. The most notable examples of Terebenev’s work are the plaster friezes and statues he executed at the Admiralty in St. Petersburg in 1812 and 1813. These include the relief The Restoration of the Navy in Russia and statues of Hercules, Athena, Hermes, and Apollo on the stairway in the eastern vestibule.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, Terebenev executed a series of colored lubki (cheap popular prints) consisting of caricatures of Napoleon and his army and pictures glorifying the courage of the Russian people.