МАЭ № 7630-3

Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (1745-1817)

before 1969

plaster

Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov (1745-1817) was the most illustrious Russian naval commander of the 18th century. He commanded the Black Sea Navy in 1790-92 and the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean in 1798-1800. Promoted to full admiral in 1799, he was known as the “Russian sailors’ father.” He lost none of his 43 naval battles and did not lose a single ship. None of his subordinates was taken prisoner. In 1944, the Order of Ushakov was established for navy officers who showed outstanding achievement leading to victory over a numerically superior enemy. Simultaneously, the Ushakov Medal was established for servicemen who had risked their lives in naval theatres. In 2001, the Russian Orthodox Church glorified the admiral as a patron saint of the Russian Navy. Born to a modest family of the minor nobility and trained at the Naval Cadet Corps, Ushakov served in the Russo-Turkish War (1768-74). During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-91 he won several battles in the Black Sea, smashing the Turkish Navy at Fidonisi, Tendra, and Cape Kaliakra, thwarting Turkey’s plans to capture Crimea. During Russia’s clashes with France (1798-1800), Ushakov took part in the liberation of Italy not only as a commander but also as a diplomat. Having resigned command in 1807, he withdrew to his estate in Tambov Province, where he died. Ushakov was buried in the Sanaksar Abbey in modern-day Mordovia. His grave, eventually abandoned, was rediscovered in 1944 and opened up. The remains were identified by the admiral’s epaulet. The cranial features do not match Ushakov’s famous portrait at the Naval Museum in Saint-Petersburg—while painting from life, the artist adhered to the classicist canon and intentionally distorted the proportions. Gerasimov’s documentary sculpture evidences Ushakov’s physical strength, intellect, and will.

Anthropological plastic reconstructions, lifetime masks. 19th - 20th centuries