VITALI, Ivan Petrovich

Russian sculptor. He came from a family of Italian craftsmen who had worked in Russia for many years. He trained in the workshop of Agostino Triscorni (1761-1824) in St Petersburg and from 1818 he was head of the Moscow branch of this workshop. Among Vitali’s works from this period in Moscow are the decorative sculpture (stone, 1820-25) for the Council of Guardians (Opekunsky Soviet) building (part in situ), a sculpture group (stone, 1829-30) on the pediment of the Technical Academy (now Bauman Higher Technical Academy) and another (stone, 1830-35; Moscow, Shchusev Museum) on the pediment of the Sirotsky Institute, the fountain (bronze, 1835) on Teatral’naya Square, and the funerary monuments to P. A. Beketov (bronze, 1823) and I. I. Baryshnikov (marble, 1834; both Moscow, Shchusev Museum). In 1840 Vitali received the title of academician.