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The palaces of Nevskiy Prospect: A translation about their architectural foundation Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Savage, David S. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 28/09/2021 08:47:26 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/291832 NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI THE PALACES OF NEVSKIY PROSPECT A TRANSLATION ABOUT THEIR ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION by David Samuel Savage Copyright © David Samuel Savage 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF RUSSIAN AND SLAVIC STUDIES MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN RUSSIAN In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2003 UMI Number: 1418603 Copyright 2003 by Savage, David Samuel All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1418603 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: *1"J\ 5 Teresa L, Polowy ^ Date Professor of Russian & Slavic Studies 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 4 2. ABSTRACT 7 3. PREFACE; The Palaces of the Nevskiy Prospect 8 Difficulties in Translation 11 A Note on the Major Architects of the Eighteenth Century 14 4. PALACES OF THE NEVSKIY PROSPECT ANICHKOV PALACE Architects and Builders of the Palace 16 5. PALACES OF THE NEVSKIY PROSPECT PALACE OF BELOSELSKIY-BELOZERSKIY Construction of the Palace 44 6. APPENDIX: Floor plans of the Anichkov and Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palaces?1 7. REFERENCES 74 4 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS All photos are the property of the translator. Anichkov Palace, View from Nevskiy Prospect 17 Anichkov Palace, View from State Courtyard 19 Anichkov Palace, View of Church Dome 19 Anichkov Palace, View form State Courtyard 21 Anichkov Palace, Close-up view from State Courtyard 21 Anichkov Palace, Public Library view from Theatre Square 24 Anichkov Palace, Public Library view from Nevskiy Prospect 24 Anichkov Palace, Office Complex view from Fontanka canal 26 Anichkov Palace, Office Complex view from Nevskiy Prospect 26 Anichkov Palace, State Courtyard Gate 29 Anichkov Palace, State Garden Gate 29 Anichkov Palace, Garden Pavilion view from Theatre Square 31 Anichkov Palace, Garden Pavilion view from garden 31 Anichkov Palace, Garden Pavilion view from Nevskiy Prospect 32 Anichkov Palace, Garden Pavilion view from garden 32 Anichkov Palace, Alexandrine Theatre view from Theatre Square 33 Anichkov Palace, Alexandrine Theatre view from garden 33 Anichkov Palace, View from garden 35 Anichkov Palace, View from garden 35 Anichkov Palace, Winter Garden 37 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS-continued Anichkov Palace, Dining Room 37 Anichkov Palace, Gold Room 39 Anichkov Palace, Blue Room 39 Anichkov Palace, Theatre and Sports complex "Carnival" 42 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, View from Fontanka Canal 45 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, View from Anichkov Bridge 45 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Fontanka Fa9ade 47 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Fontanka Facade close-up 47 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Full figure Atlas 49 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Close-up Atlas 49 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Grand Staircase 52 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Grand Staircase 52 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Crimson Drawing Room 54 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Crimson Drawing Room 54 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Green Drawing Room 57 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Reception Room 57 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Dining Room 60 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Dining Room 60 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Picture Gallery 62 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, Molding aroimd Theatre entrance 62 Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace Theatre 64 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS-continued Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace Library 7 ABSTRACT The thesis consists of a translation of chapters pertaining to the construction and reconstruction of the famous St. Petersburg Anichkov and Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy palaces, detailing the founders, owners, and architects who designed and built them. These translations contain extraordinary and insightfiil information regarding the development of architectural St. Petersburg. The translated chapters also document the many changes that took place over time with each new resident of the palaces and outline the artistic architectural features of each palace. A preface to the thesis details the research and problems encountered in the process of translation. This annotated and photo-illustrated translation describes the architectural innovation inherent in the construction of each palace and illustrates the current state of restoration and repairs being made in order to return these splendid residences to their former glory. The significance of the translated chapters lies in the fact that they contribute important cultural and historic information to English-language readers about the architectural history of St Petersburg in its three-hundredth year. 8 PREFACE "The Palaces of the Nevskiy Prospect" The Nevskiy Prospect, St. Petersburg's main thoroughfare, is a road that embraces the past, the present, and the future. It was laid out in two sections, the first leading away from the Alexander Nevskiy Lavra [Monastery] where it intersects at Insurrection Square with the road to Novgorod; the second section makes a short turn or "dog leg" and continues to the Admiralty where it meets the Neva River. According to a Russian saying: "If you have not seen a friend for a while, you should take a walk down the Nevskiy Prospect and you will surely meet him." This quaint aphorism coincides with the mystical qualities that Russians attach to things of which they are fond. The history, beauty, and architecture of the Nevskiy Prospect and its palaces produce a euphoric perception of this street, which has attracted my attention and held my interest since the very first time I walked its length. The book Palaces of the Nevskiy Prospect edited by A.V. Laks (St Petersburg: Izdatel'stvo. "Beloe and Chemoe," 2002) is a history of three of the palaces on Nevskiy Prospect built in the eighteenth century: Anichkov, Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy, and Stroganov. The Anichkov Palace is the topic of four chapters each written by different authors, while a single author wrote all five chapters on the Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace. The first chapter translated, "Architects and Builders of the Palace," written by V.I. Axelrod and N.N. Demicheva, is about Anichkov Palace which was built and altered many times by numerous architects, the most notable being F.B. Rastrelli and K. Rossi. 9 The second chapter translated "Construction of the Palace," written by M.P. Tselyadt, is about the Palace Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy, built predominately by A.I. Shtakenshneider. I decided against translating chapters on the Stroganov Palace due to its current restoration and limited accessibility. I chose particular chapters to translate because the subject matter was important to my long-term studies. These chapters unite history, art, architecture, and culture together in describing the foundation of the palaces. The Anichkov and Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy palaces are set on opposite embankments of the Fontanka Canal where it intersects Nevskiy Prospect. Anichkov has gone through the most changes and there is little extant of the historical parts of the palace, although a few rooms have been restored. The most relevant information conveyed in the Anichkov chapter, "Architects and Builders," recounts in detail the development of the architectural ensemble located in the center of St Petersburg through a succession of architects who, while changing the face of downtown, endowed the palace with the latest technical advancements of the day. Beloselskiy-Belozerskiy Palace, on the other hand, was not inhabited by a lineage of owners and because so many of the grand rooms of the palace were maintained, it continues to appropriately reflect the elaborate detail of the grand reception rooms of the eighteenth century aristocracy. World War II did not destroy the palaces on Nevskiy Prospect