The statuette "Bear Hunting"

Step into the world of Russian art and experience the passion and prowess of Nikolai Ivanovich Liberich, the astonishing artist behind the phenomenal piece 'Bear Hunting', or 'How the Cossacks restrained the bear...'. This revered sculpture emanates the essence of Russian heritage, skillfully merged with an admiration for the natural world.

Born in 1828, N.I. Liberich was more than just an artist. His military service and self-taught talent for modeling and drawing provided a diverse foundation for his artistic endeavors. Liberich's journey to becoming an esteemed academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts is truly an admirable one. His unique narrative of transition from military colonel to an acclaimed artist makes each piece he creates doubly intriguing.

The 'Bear Hunting' sculpture was influenced by the overwhelming success of a previous creation - 'String of the Wolf'. True to his instinctive business acumen, Liberich recreated the widely acclaimed composition merely by replacing the wolf with a bear, thus making a commercially successful and critically acclaimed artwork.

1865 was a milestone in Liberich's career. A personal invitation from Emperor Alexander II led to the creation of a series of bronze sculptures of hunting trophies, intertwining his military past with his artistic present. The bronze animals were intended to be gifted to high-ranking officials, military personnel, and celebrated artists. This made Liberich's works a significant fixture in the artistic landscape of the XIX century.

Liberich's influence extended broadly, shaping a whole generation of Russian sculptors, and ultimately, defining the trajectory of Russian sculpture during the last third of the XIX century. His work traces back a legacy influencing artists like E.A. Lancer, A.P. Safonov, and A.O. Ober, infusing the genres of battle, ethnographic, and animalistic sculptures with his unique vision and style.