November 17 — the Academy of Arts was founded in Saint Petersburg. The initiator was Count I. I. Shuvalov, one of the figures of the Russian Enlightenment, who later also became the academy’s trustee. One of the Academy’s main functions was professional training and the education of highly skilled artists. Classes with students began in 1758. The course of study lasted 9 years and included the study of engraving, portraiture, sculpture, and architecture.
1 Kopeck 1757.
