Frants Roubaud (1856-1928)

In 1910, following the success of The Defence of Sebastopol (1901-1904, The Panorama Museum, Sevastopol), Colonel V. A. Afanassiev suggested to Roubaud that he should paint a large panorama of the battlefield of Borodino. The Battlefield of Borodino (1910-1912, The Battle of Borodino Panorama-Museum, Moscow) depicts one of the most important battles of the 1812 Patriotic War with the French. The immense canvas (14 x 115.5 m.) recreates the pivitol moment when the French stormed the village of Semyonovskoe. The officers depicted in the present lot appear to be studies for this monumental work.