PERSONIFICATION OF THE RUSSIAN STATE IN THE MEDALLIC ART OF THE 18th CENTURY
The article deals with the history and evolution of the personification of the Russian state in the Russian medallic art of the 18th century. Russian medals of the 18th century were struck by European medallists and according to the European tradition. European medallists, which worked in Russia in the first quarter of the 18 century, used classical European symbols and allegories for invention of the medals and Russian inventors studied this symbolical language in the process of their work. First personification of the Russian Empire was shown on the medal dedicated to death of Peter the Great in 1725. Anton Schulz (Danish medallist) was the author of this piece. Medal dedicated to death of the admiral Samuel Greig in 1788 was the last medal with the personification in the 18th century. Karl Leberecht (German artist) was the inventor of this medal. All of European and Russian allegories of State in the 18th century were similar: a woman wearing ancient robe, with mural or imperial crown and various attributes. State coats of arms were the main difference of these personifications. Seventeen medals with personifications of the Russian state were struck during the 18th century in Russian Empire.