Allegory of the Victories of the Russian Fleet in the War with Turkey
Artist: Heinrich Buchholz (German, 1735-1780)
Date: 1777
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Description
The painting allegorically presents Catherine II as the successor to Peter the Great, depicted seated on clouds on the left side of the composition. Chronos, the god of time, points to a medallion with a portrait of Catherine II, supported by a flying Glory, holding a map of the Black Sea and Crimea. Below is St. Isaac's Square with a monument to Peter the Great, to which Turkish banners are being presented. Russian troops and captured Turks march across the bridge.












