ANTOKOLSKII, Mark Matvyeevich, Russian sculptor: b. Vilna 1842. He received his elementary education and his first notions of sculptural art in an engraving factory in Vilna. In 1863 he entered the Academy of Fine Arts and within two years received a prize for his wood carving (Evening Toil of an Old Jew' and another for the carving in ivory, 'The Parsimonious Jew.' As early as 1865 he attracted general attention and the Emperor sent him abroad at his own expense to con tinue his studies. In 1871 appeared his remark able work, the Terrible,' which induced the Academy to elect him a permanent member. By order of Alexander H the statue was founded in bronze and a plaster molding of it was sent to the Kensington Museum in London. At that time Antokolskii made the sketches 'The Controversy about the Talmud' and the (Attack of the Inquisition on the Jews); in 1872 the colossal statue of 'Peter also the historic figures of (Yaroslav the (Dimitrius of the Don' and (Ivan Three years later his 'Christ before the People) was accepted by Alexander II and a marble copy of it wa., sent to the Paris Exposition of
1878. His other works executed at that time ((Death of Socrates,' 'The Last Breath,' Head of John the Baptist,' etc.) lished his fame and the French Academy stowed on him the cross of the Legion d'Honneur. In 1880 the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg organized a general exposition of his works (sculptures and sketches) and stowed on him title of professor of sculp ture. Soon afterward he went to Paris where he produced 'Spinosa,' 'Nestor,' 'Not of the World' and a great number of bust-portraits of notable personalities in France and Russia. Antokolskii's work represents an epoch in the Russian history of sculpture by its originality and individuality; he refrained from imitating the ancients whose aim was beauty of form, but adopted and observed as his key-note beauty of thought and conception. He has lived to the height of his task and has suc ceeded to a high degree in supplanting the beauty of form by beauty of thought.