Resumen de A propos des consignes données aux sculpteurs russes lauréats de l'académie à Rome
In 1760 Catherine the Great endowed the Imperial Academy in Saint-Petersburg, founded in 1757 during the reign of Elisabeth, with a set of statutes inspired by the French Academy. The gold medal was the highest honour bestowed in the system of awards. It entitled the winner to spend six years perfecting his art in Italy at the expense of the government. The detailed description of the journey and the advice on behaviour in the kind of instructions issued to departing winners from 1837 to 1864 are full of flavour and let one imagine the eventful life experienced by the winners left to lend for themselves, though required to send a biannual report on their activities to the Imperial Academy
