Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (Russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́нев; IPA: [ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲeɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf]; November 9 [O.S. October 28] 1818 – September 3, 1883) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches (1852), was a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons (1862) is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction.

The statue was made by the sculptors Yan Neiman and Valentin Sveshnikov, who used Turgenev's death mask when sculpting the writer's face. Turgenev is depicted seated on a bench and leaning on a staff in a pose like that of Jupiter from classical mythology. Neiman said of the sculpture that they hoped to show Turgenev not just as a great writer, but also as a permanent wanderer who flitted back and forward between Russia and France.

The statue seems to be of Olympian grandeur, and indeed Turgenev's height was often remarked on by his contemporaries. The philosopher Vasily Rozanov wrote that, "Turgenev is so great in stature that he seems to be more solid furniture than a living person."

St. Petersburg was home to several journals in which Turgenev published, as well as to several of his friends. It was also the place where he began his stormy love affair with the singer Polina Viardo, which lasted for 40 years. Although he died in France, Turgenev was also buried in the city, as he had requested.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)