Provenance
Property from a deceased's estate.

Born into a family of wealthy Hasidic Jewish merchants, with a long rabbinical tradition, Asknasij's early talent for drawing was noticed and encouraged by his parents. At the age of fourteen he began attending classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg where his work was seen by the sculptor, Mark Antokolsky, who became and remained his mentor through these early years. Always devout, Asknasij petitioned the Academy to allow him to work on Sunday, rather than on the Sabbath. Whilst still at the Academy he was awarded several silver medals and two gold medals for his depiction of Abraham banishing Hagar and her son Ishmael (1878) and for The Whore Before Christ (1879).

In 1880, Asknasij was awarded a scholarship which gave him the opportunity to travel and study abroad for four years. He visited Italy, Germany, and Austria, where he worked with Hans Makart in Vienna. And whilst in Italy, he studied the Old Masters, producing a large canvas of Moses in the desert which earned him the title of 'Academician' from the Imperial Academy.

On his return to Saint Petersburg in 1885, he continued to focus on Jewish themes, with much of his subject matter being derived from the Old Testament. However, his work did not prove popular with Russian Jews which led to some financial hardship; despite this, he never accepted commissions that ran counter to his beliefs and he enjoyed some success selling his work abroad, particularly in the United States.

Additional information

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- 19th Century & Orientalist Paintings