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The Stroganov Palace (Russian: Строгановский дворец) is a Late Baroque palace at the intersection of the Moika River and Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The palace was built to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's designs for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov in 1753-1754. The interiors were remodeled by Andrey Voronikhin in the 1790s and 1800s. Later, it was partly redecorated in historical style by Harald von Bosse and another masters until end of the 19th century. Today, the palace is part of the Russian Museum. Piano nobile go to memorial exposition step by step and slowly. River part of ground floor is used as an exhibition hall.
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History
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The first house for the Stroganovs was built on the site probably in 1720s. It was building of one storey. Аrchitect Mikhail Zemtsov in 1740s erected second two-storeys house.
In 1752 baron Sergey Stroganov commissioned the palace design from Italian architect Francesco Rastrelli, then at work extending the Catherine Palace and building the Smolny Convent for Empress Elisabeth. Since the Stroganovs were the richest family in Russia and were related to the Empress by marriage, Rastrelli could not turn down the commission and hastily prepared a design for the townhouse.[1]
Like the Vorontsov Palace (also designed by Rastrelli for Stroganov's in-law Mikhail Vorontsov), the Stroganov Palace was built not rapidly. The Main Staircase decorated with marble sculptures led to the elegant Grand Hall, which featured a huge painting by Giuseppe Valeriani, a Venetian artist. After Sergey Stroganov's death in 1756, the decoration was completed by his son Alexander in 1760. Within several years, the new empress, Catherine II, introduced the Neoclassical taste. The style was also championed by Alexander Stroganov, who became President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1800.
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In the 1790s and 1800s, architect Andrey Voronikhin was charged with refurbishing the interiors in the Neoclassical style. Voronikhin's mother was the Stroganovs' serf, and it was rumored that his father was Alexander Stroganov. [2] First suites by Voronikhin are Cabinet of Minerals, Picture Gallery, Library and Physical Cabinet for Alexander Stroganov. Another two anfilades in west building was prepared for Pavel Stroganov. Survival is Small drawing room.
After Alexander Stroganov died in 1811, the palace passed to his son Pavel. Pavel Stroganov had four daughters, but his only son was killed in the Battle of Craonne. He then established the Stroganov entail, i.e., a non dividable estate which would pass to the oldest family member. This chain of ownership was kept until 1919 when last count Sergey Stroganov sold his rights on entail. The new apartment was decorated for Aglaida Pavlovna Stroganov by Carlo Rossi in 1820 (later disappeare almost totally) and for Elzabet Pavlovna Stroganov by Garald Bosse in 1850. Big drawing room it possible to see in this moment. After the October Revolution in 1917, the remaining Stroganovs emigrated from Russia, and the palace was nationalized.[1] The family is now extinct.
The Soviets declared the palace a national museum chronicling the lifestyle of Russian nobility. In 1929, the museum was shut down, and much of its contents (including some priceless paintings and objets d'art) were taken to the Hermitage Museum. The palace was given over to a botanical institute. The Ministry of Shipbuilding occupied the premises for half a century, starting in 1939.
In 1988 the palace was handed over to Russian Museum and became its branch in order to house some of the exhibitions. [3] The dilapidated building underwent a thorough and painstaking restoration process between 1991 and this moment. In keeping with Rastrelli's original design, its walls are now painted light pink (rather than dark green, as they were in the mid-20th century). It is one of the few Baroque structures on Nevsky Prospekt that has preserved its original aspect.[1]
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Architecture
The facade of the building gives on to Nevsky Prospekt. It carries an entrance arch supported by two Corinthian columns. The arch is crowned with a pediment bearing the Stroganov's coat of arms.[3] The space between windows in the facade of Stroganov Palace features a man's profile. There is two close to anecdote attempts to identity of this man. According to one version, the man is the first owner of the palace - Baron Sergey Stroganov, whom Rastrelli wanted to surprise. However many historians claim that the famous architect in fact left his own profile on the palace walls. According to second version, Rastrelli decided to put this as an unusual signature to commemorate his work.[4]
Literature
- Noveishii putevoditel po Stroganovskomu dvorcu. Ed. S. Kuznetsov. SPb.: B. S. K., 1995. - 77 p. - ISBN 5-88925-001-9
- Kuznetsov S. Dvorcy Stroganovych. SPb., Almaz, 1998. - 160 p.
- Kuznetsov S. Pust Francia pouchit nas "tancovat". Sozdanie Strogonovskogo dvorca v Peterburge i svoeobrazie pridvornoi kultury Rossii v pervoi polovine XVIII veka. SPb., 2003. - 512 p. - ISBN 5 - 3-3-0010901
- Kuznetsov S. Ne chuze Tomona. Gosudarstvennaya, mecenatskay< sobiratelskaya deaitelnost roda Strogonovych v 1771-1817 gg. i formirovanie imperskogo oblika S.-Peterburga. Spb.: Nestor, 2006. - 447 p. ISBN 5-303-00293-4
- Kuznetsov S. Dvorcy i doma Strogonovych. Tri veka istorii. SPb.: 2008. - 318 p. - ISBN 978-5-9524-3471-4
See also
- Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace was built in the 19th century on the opposite side of Nevsky Avenue as an architectural mirror of Stroganov Palace
 Moika River façade |
.jpg) View on the palace from green bridge |
 Stroganov coat of arms |
.jpg) The so-called New Vestibule |
 A Rembrandt painting that used to hang in the Stroganov Palace |
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stroganov Palace |
- ^ a b c "Строгановский дворец" (in Russian). http://walkspb.ru/zd/nevskiy17.html.
- ^ "The Stroganoff Palace in St. Petersburg". THE STROGANOFF FOUNDATION. http://www.stroganoff.org/petersburg.html.
- ^ a b "Stroganov Palace". Saint Peterburg Encyclopiedia. http://www.encspb.ru/en/article.php?kod=2804004237.
- ^ "СТРОГАНОВСКИЙ ДВОРЕЦ" (in Russian). http://www.spbin.ru/encyclopedia/palaces/stroganovsky.htm.
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Coordinates: 59°56′09″N 30°19′15″E / 59.935742°N 30.320774°E
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