The museum houses a 1.6 by 2.2 meters piece of cardboard for the panorama “Assault on June 6, 1855”. It was made in 1902 by the panorama artist Franz Roubaud, the head of the battle workshop of the Academy of Arts. He was born in Odessa in 1856. He was the son of the French bookseller Honoré Roubaud, who had moved to Russia from Marseilles with his wife Madeleine Roubaud.
As a basis for the panorama, the artist chose one of the most striking episodes of the Crimean War — the Battle of Malakoff, which took place on June 6, 1855. On this day, the Russian army of 75,000 repulsed the attack of the Anglo-French army of 173,000.
Franz Roubaud started painting the panorama in 1901. The artist viewed ordinary people as the main heroes of this battle, so he tried to emphasize their courage. Before making a sketch, Roubaud studied historical documents in the archives of the Museum of Defense of Sevastopol, visited the sites of the battle, talked to eyewitnesses of the battle and created about 50 different preparatory studies. Roubaud went to Munich to work on the sketch. The process took a month: the drawing was applied in pen and black ink to a strip of paper about one meter wide and 11.5 meters long. The composition was divided into numbered squares.
In early January 1902, Roubaud presented the finished sketch in St. Petersburg at the Winter Palace for viewing and approval. The artist depicted Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov on the tower of the Malakoff Kurgan. According to Roubaud, the naval commander was involved in repelling the attack. However, in reality, Nakhimov was on a flat roof of the naval library, watching the battle together with Prince Alexander Gorchakov and General Dmitry Osten-Sacken. Emperor Nicholas II pointed out this detail to the artist and suggested that Nakhimov not be depicted on the tower of the Malakoff Kurgan, to which Roubaud agreed.
After the discussion, the sketch was approved and a contract was signed with the artist. He had to paint a 15 by 115 meters canvas painting and prepare an arrangement plan. According to the contract, Roubaud received 68,000 rubles for this project. According to the factory inspection data of 1903, the average annual salary of workers in European Russia was a little over 217 rubles.
In the summer of 1904, the panorama was brought to Sevastopol. And in 1905, it was presented to the public in honor of the 50th anniversary of the heroic defense of the city. The first to see the “Assault on June 6, 1855” were the veterans of the battles for Sevastopol. They confessed that the work touched them because Roubaud managed to accurately depict the details of the battle.
As a basis for the panorama, the artist chose one of the most striking episodes of the Crimean War — the Battle of Malakoff, which took place on June 6, 1855. On this day, the Russian army of 75,000 repulsed the attack of the Anglo-French army of 173,000.
Franz Roubaud started painting the panorama in 1901. The artist viewed ordinary people as the main heroes of this battle, so he tried to emphasize their courage. Before making a sketch, Roubaud studied historical documents in the archives of the Museum of Defense of Sevastopol, visited the sites of the battle, talked to eyewitnesses of the battle and created about 50 different preparatory studies. Roubaud went to Munich to work on the sketch. The process took a month: the drawing was applied in pen and black ink to a strip of paper about one meter wide and 11.5 meters long. The composition was divided into numbered squares.
In early January 1902, Roubaud presented the finished sketch in St. Petersburg at the Winter Palace for viewing and approval. The artist depicted Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov on the tower of the Malakoff Kurgan. According to Roubaud, the naval commander was involved in repelling the attack. However, in reality, Nakhimov was on a flat roof of the naval library, watching the battle together with Prince Alexander Gorchakov and General Dmitry Osten-Sacken. Emperor Nicholas II pointed out this detail to the artist and suggested that Nakhimov not be depicted on the tower of the Malakoff Kurgan, to which Roubaud agreed.
After the discussion, the sketch was approved and a contract was signed with the artist. He had to paint a 15 by 115 meters canvas painting and prepare an arrangement plan. According to the contract, Roubaud received 68,000 rubles for this project. According to the factory inspection data of 1903, the average annual salary of workers in European Russia was a little over 217 rubles.
In the summer of 1904, the panorama was brought to Sevastopol. And in 1905, it was presented to the public in honor of the 50th anniversary of the heroic defense of the city. The first to see the “Assault on June 6, 1855” were the veterans of the battles for Sevastopol. They confessed that the work touched them because Roubaud managed to accurately depict the details of the battle.
