Svyatoslav on the Way to Tsargrad: a bronze figural group, after Evgeny Lanceray, cast by Shtange foundry, 1886

Considered to be one of Lanceray’s most accomplished models, Svyatoslav on his Way to Tsargrad was also one of his last. Created in 1886, the year of Lanceray’s premature death, the equestrian statue depicts the Grand Prince of Kiev as a valiant warrior assembling his troops before marching towards Tsargrad (the Slavic name for Constantinople) in the second half of the tenth century.

Remembered for his military accomplishments and exceptional bravery, Svyatoslav’s reign witnessed the impressive territorial expansion of the Kievan Rus’ towards the Balkans, transforming it into the largest state in Europe at the time.

A nation caught between the East and the West, past and present, 19^th century Russia saw a revival of its history and past heroes. A thousand years after Svyatovslav’s campaign in Bulgaria, it was Alexander III who fought the Ottoman Empire over the Balkans during the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War.

Immensely popular and included in many of the artist’s exhibitions, it has been said that bronze casts of Svyatoslav were gifted to military leaders for particular distinction.

Similar bronze models can be found in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the State Historical Museum in Moscow and the State Russian Museum amongst others.