As the Andrault de Langeron family, who had in Louis Alexandre an exponent of great standing, so the Olenines had in Alexis Olenine an element beyond the common and it will thus be necessary to linger over him because he his an eclectic and interesting figure representing through the arts, the sciences, and through his culture in general, that which his countryman had demonstrated in his career in the army, both meriting a preeminent place in the history and culture of Russia.
Alexis was the son of Nicola and of the Princess Wolkonsky: they married around 1760 and of their 17 children born, only three survived: two daughters and one son Alexis. He had an extremely strict and at times cruel education. His mother was an authoritative woman, with many manias, of a fiery and violent character. So it was for all the others of her blood, insomuch as what can be seen among her descendants in certain manifestations of violence and certain despotic predispositions, that which they called “the Demon of the Wolkonskys.” The harassment against her son culminated when she, at her death, left nothing to her son and rather gave all of his goods to his two brothers.
Alexis’s cousins, however (the sons of the Wolkonsky brothers who had inherited), when they came into possession of their substance, restored to him that which he had expected.
Alexis Olenine (1763-1843) at the age of 10 was invited to St. Petersburg and entrusted to his Aunt Princess Daskov. Here are the stages of his life.
He attended the Military School “Corps of Paiges” and left in 1780.
He attended a school of Artillery in Dresden; in 1785 he was promoted to Captain.
He took part in the war against Sweden and against Poland; he was named Colonel and in 1705 ceased to belong to the army.
He entered into the Bank of the State, in the office that dealt with the acquisition of metals. The activity he preferred the most was that of the artist; he in fact composed 92 illustrations for the poem of the poet Darshavine and illustrated various fairy tales written by Khemnitzer.
In 1799 he is Head of the third Department of the Senate.
In 1801, Secretary of State.
In 1803, Undersecretary of the Department of Prerogatives.
In 1804 he was elected honorary member of the Academy of the Arts.
In 1806, his first publication appeared: “Letter to Count Moussine-Poushkine” regarding the poem “Timoutarakan Stone.”
Still in 1806, he returned to the army and directed the office of the Commander in Chief of the 1st Territorial Militia.
In 1808, he returned to civilian life and was named Vice Director of the Imperial Public Library.
In 1811, he was named director of the same Library. He invited the best writers of that era (Krylov, Gnyedich, Delvig, Batyoushkov) to be a part of the library staff.
In 1817, he was named President of the Imperial Academy of the Arts.
To this dedicated his efforts to re-order it, to develop it, while he took special care of the students of the Beaux Artes at the Academy, favoring their activity.
Alexis Olenine was a versatile artist, an expert in the classical and Russian antiquities, an archeologist, a writer of history and of the sciences.
Not only did he know perfectly and deeply the Russian language (not an easy feat in those times), but he also knew Latin and ancient Hebrew. It was said of him: “He is a multiform and magical artist, who would have every right to take his place in the history of Russia and in the global culture.” It is, however, also said of him: “that he was an adulator of influential persons, that he had the cunning of a diplomat, and that he was very prudent in expressing his judgments and in dealing with people.”
Alexis Olenine married Elisabetta Markovna Poltoratzky (1778-1838) and had 5 children. The youngest was Anna (1808-1888), considered during her youth one of the beauties of the society of St. Petersburg. Her name is tied to the history of Russian literature given the great poet Pushkin dedicated poems to her and sought in vain to marry her. In 1829, when he had lost every hope of being able to marry her, Pushkin wrote in his album of Anna:
I loved you and perhaps love
Is still violent in my heart,
But I desire to no longer disturb you
And do not want to afflict you in any way.
I loved you in silence and without hope
Tormented by hesitation and jealousy
I loved you sincerely and tenderly…
I wish to God that another man could love you so.
Elisabetta Markovna Poltoratzky, belonging to a noble family of artists (see the reference to their family and their coat of arms) and was not only intelligent and virtuous, but also, according to the poet Uvarov, “a model of sweetness, a tender mother, an exemplary wife, a tranquil mind predisposed to kindness.”
Her husband seconded that she was an enchanting conversationalist and mistress of the house. Their salon was the center of the cultural, poetic, and artistic world of that era; in her house in St. Petersburg the most select representatives of the Arts and Sciences met one another.
Of Anna, their daughter, it is said; notwithstanding her physical and intellectual gifts, she married late at the age of 32 effecting with Theodoro Andrault de Langeron a marriage of planning more than of love. They had four children: Alessandra, from whom descend the Garbinsky and Cecanowsky relatives (see family tree); Sophia, who married Nicola stael de Holstein from whom descend the Zweguintzof, Shirkov, Schidlowsky relatives; and Antonietta.
The Ruggeri-Laderchi Family 