39. Пристань со Сфинксами – египетские мотивы в архитектуре Санкт-Петербурга/The Pier with Sphinxes – the Egyptian motifs in the architecture of Saint-Petersburg, 1832-1834

Authors: architect – K.A. Thon (1832 - 5834), sphinxes o fAmenopfiis III, Egypt. XV B.С.Address: Universitetskaya naberezhnaya, in front of the Academy of Arts In 1832 the construction of a uide landing stage began on the University embankment in front of the Academy of Arts. The project was designed by K. Thon who planned to decorate it with copper figures of horses with tamers. However the cast of the sculpture exceeded the estimate and the project was not realized.On that site two Sphinxes were placed on granite pedestals at ihe stairway in 1834. The Sphinxes were found at the diggings in Phives in 1820 from where they were sent to Alexandria for selling. The French government planned to buy the figures but they were sold to a Russian traveler A. Munuyov who paid 64 000 roubles for them. The Sphinxes were bought on the approval of the Academy of Arts and by order of Nicholas I who decided to purchase curious sculptures to decorate the city. In summer 1834 they were placed on the University embankment.

A.Montferrand planned the erection of a huge statue of Osiris to intensity the Egyptian motif. The idea was declined, and ihe landing-stage was ornamented with bronze luminaires and griffins. The statues of horses with tamers were later on placed on the Anichkov Bridge.

36. Михайловский Дворец – Русский Музей/The Michael Palace – the Russian Museum, 1819-1825

Authors: architect – C.I. Rossi (1819 - 1825), sculptors – S.S. Pimenov and Demuth-Malinovskiy (1819 - 1825)

Address: ploshchad’ Iskusstv

The Michael Palace was built by С Rossi in 1819 - 1825 lo Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich"¹". the younger brother of Emperor Alexander I. The plot for the construction was chosen on the spot of Lhe former half decayed garden pavilions founded by Peter I. The laying of the foundation stone look place on 17 April 1819. The exterior and interior decor was accomplished by 1825. The courtyard of the Palace was surrounded with one of the most gorgeous railings in lhe city and consisted of spears with gilded spikes and casi-iron columns with the pillar with the salvage.The Palace had four floors, The stale apartments were located on the first floor forming the enfilade of a huge edifice. The ball rooms housed up to 1000 guests. On the gallery there was the Archangel Michael Church buill in 1824 -1825 lo the design by C. Rossi. The famous architect was responsible for the interior decoration of the Palace as well, so as a result the Michael Palace became one of the most elegant palaces of ils lime that could vie in clarity and harmony wiih few architectural ensembles. Only the Main Vestibule, the Slate Staircase and the While Hall on the second floor with the pannos depicting episodes of the War of Troy, have survived up to nowadays as the examples of Rossi's original design.The Palace's hostess, wife of Grand Duke Mikhail - Yclcna Pavlovna. one of the mosi intelligent and highk educated women of that time, used u> invite there outstanding personalities whom she granted in their work: V. Sintve. A. Rubinstein. N. Pirogov. etc. The Grand Duchess was also in friendship with A. Pushkin and A. Zhukovskiy.On 13 April 1895 the Palace was purchased by the Treasury - Kmperor Alexander 111 planned to locate there the first public Museum of Russian An where all the best works of art would be concentrated. The idea was realized by Alexander Ill's son - Nicholas II who signed the decree ordering the establishing of the Russian Museum of Alexander III on 13 April 1895. The Hmpcror invited architect V. Svinyin who was commissioned with the rebuilding of the former Palace and its adaptation for the museum of ihe Russian Art.On 19 March ] 898 the ceremonial opening of the Russian Museum of Kmperor Alexander Ml took place. The exposition occupied 37 halls (21 hall on the first floor and 16 on the second one). The overall collection included about 1880 items and comprised three sections: the collection devoted to lhe memory of Alexander III, the ethnographical department (in 1934 it became independent having formed the State Hthnographical Museum), and ihc section of art.In ihc first year 100 000 visitors came lo the Museum to admire Bryullnv's The Last Day of Pompeii. Repin's The Zaporozhye Cossacks Writing a Mocking Letter lo the Turkish Sultan, Surikov's The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak. portraits by Levhskiy. Borovikovskiy. Kiprenskiy. Kramskoy and many others. The museum keepers and the organizers of the first exposition in the Russian Museum were: M. Botkin (academician of painting, brother of a famous physist). P. Bryullov (artist, son of the architect), A. Benois (academician of painting). In 1912 - 1917 ihe adjacent building facing the Catherine Canal Embankment was erected to the design by L. Benois and S. Ovsyannikov. Nowadays the Russian Museum is a real treasure-house of various objects of art exhibited in 50 departments wiih about 400000 items illustrating the 1000 history of the Russian Art. The Department of the Old Russian An(9^lh- 17^th cent.) is devoted to works by the masters of the Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov schools of palming. The sections displaying the art of 18' - early l^L)^lb cent, demonstrate canvases by F. Rokolov, D. Levitskiy. V. Borovikovskiy, K. Bryullov, O. Kiprenskiy. A. Vcnetsianov, S. Schedrin. etc. The exhibition of the late 19^lhcent. an represents masterpieces by I. Repin. V. Surikov, V. Perov. 1. Kramskoy, A. Savrasov. I. Shishkin. V, Polenov and V, Vasnetsov. The department of the early 20^lh cent, art is rich in paintings by V. Serov, K. Korovin. B. Kustodiycv and N. Roerich. There is also a separate exhibition of the works of Soviet painters such as K. Petrov-Vodkin, M. Ncstcrov, S. Gcrasimov, A. Deyncka, etc. The Russian Museum supervising the work of 260 art museums in Russia, also comprises the Marble and the Siroganov Palace, ihe Michael Castle, the Summer Gardens with the Summer Palace of Peter I and the Michael Garden ⁴' Originally on the spot of modern Summer Gardens, the Michael and the Engineers' Gardens [here had been peasant settlements and ihe estate of a Swedish eapiain of ca\alry Kanau. Later on when .I.-B. le Blond made ihe design of ihe Three Summer Gardens the territory of" the Mk-huel Garden had been occupied by the third Summer Gardens and was called the Swedish Gun/en. С Rossi designed ihe Michael Garden in the English landscape style of 1715 - 1760. Before ihe October Revolution Ihe Garden was closed for the citizens.