European engraved originals in the works of Anton Losenko

Abstract

The article examines which European engraved sources were used by Russian artists in the 18th century. An especially thorough examination, from this position, is given to the work of Anton Losenko, one of the most significant Russian painters of the 18th century. The author adds new sources of creative inspiration for Losenko to the recognized ones, such as compositions by Jean Restout,. Among them the author counts engravings from the paintings of Antoine Coypel. Not only the closeness of individual motifs of painting of the French academician and the founder of Russian historical painting is noted, but also the facts of Losenko’s biography and the evolution of the artistic development of the epoch are considered.