Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу Возврат на главную страницу
The subject index / Marble Palace

Marble Palace


Categories / Architecture/Architectural Monuments/Palaces

MARBLE PALACE (1/5 Millionnaya Street), an architectural monument of early Neoclassicism. It was constructed in 1768-1785 (architect A. Rinaldi) for Count G.G. Orlov, a favourite of Empress Catherine II. The main facade of the monumental building overlooks the courtyard, is faced as is the other facade with various types of marble (hence the name) and features complicated decor. It is joined to the outbuilding (1780-88, architect P.E. Egorov) by a wrought-iron lattice fence. The interior decor was created by the modeller A. Bernasconi, sculptors FI. Shubin and M.I. Kozlovsky, interior designers were S. Torelli, F.D. Danilov and F.L. Foсht, joiner H. Meyer. The original decor of the front staircase and the double tiers of windows, lighting the Marble hall has survived. In 1795, the Marble Palace was bestowed to Grand Princess Konstantin Pavlovich. In 1797-1798, in the Marble Palace the former king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth S. Poniatowski lived. In 1803-1811, the interior decor was created under the supervision of the architect A.N. Voronikhin. In 1843-1851, the interiors were redesigned and decorated in the style of Eclecticism for Grand Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich (architect A.P. Bryullov, modellers T. and P. Dylev, artist F. Wunderlich, sculptor P. Catozzi), the palace's church was renovated and new icons were painted by artists T. Neff, K. Dusi, M.I. Skotti and P.M. Shamshin. In 1844-1847, architect A.R. Bryullov reconstructed the outbuilding; the frieze of the facade was executed by sculptor P.K. Klodt. Since 1849, the Marble Palace was named Konstantinovsky. Under the following owner, Grand Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, the Marble Palace became a centre of St. Peterburg literary and musical life. The house was visited by poets K.K. Sluchevsky and A.A. Fet, composer P.I. Tchaikovsky, artist V.M. Vasnetsov; there the owner's plays were staged. The apartments were redecorated and refurbished by architect A.K. Giorguli. After October 1917 the Marble Palace housed the Peoples’ Commissariat of Labour; in 1919-1936, the State Academy of the History of Material Culture; in 1937-1991 - Museum of V.I. Lenin. During the siege of 1941-1944 the facades of the Marble Palace suffered greatly (in 1951-1955 they were restored). In 1974-1975, the Marble hall was restored; in 1979-1980 - the front staircase. Since 1992, the Marble Palace has been a branch of the Russian Museum (step-by-step restoration is being carried out). In 1997, the monument to Emperor Alexander III by sculptor P P. Trubetskoy was placed the Marble Palace's courtyard, earlier it had been in the courtyard of the Russian Museum (the armoured car Enemy of Capital stood there until 1991 when it was given to the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Troops).

References: Успенский А. И. Материалы для описания художественных сокровищ Мраморного дворца // Худож. сокровища России. 1905. № 10-12; Павлова С. В., Матвеев Б. М. Мраморный дворец. СПб., 1996; Ухналев А. Е. Мраморный дворец в Санкт-Петербурге: Век восемнадцатый. СПб., 2002.

V. V. Antonov.

Persons
Alexander III, Emperor
Bernasconi Federico
Bryullov Boris Pavlovich
Catherine II, Empress
Catozzi Pavel (Paolo)
Danilov Fedor Danilovich
Dusi Cosroe
Dylev Peter Petrovich
Dylev Timofey Petrovich
Egorov Peter Egorovich
Fet Afanasy Afanasievich
Focht F.L.
Giorguli Anton Kiriakovich
Klodt von Jurgensburg Peter Karlovich
Konstantin Konstantinovich, Grand Prince
Konstantin Nikolaevich, Grand Prince
Konstantin Pavlovich, Grand Prince
Kostiushko Tadeush
Kozlovsky Mikhail Ivanovich
Lenin (real name Ulyanov) Vladimir Ilyich
Meyer Christian Filippovich
Neff Timofey Andreevich
Orlov Grigory Grigorievich, Count
Poniatowski Stanislaw August, King
Rinaldi Antonio
Scotti Mikhail Ivanovich
Shamshin Peter Mikhailovich
Shubin Fedot Ivanovich
Sluchevsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich
Torelli Stefano
Trubetskoy Pavel (Paolo) Petrovich, Duke
Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich
Voronikhin Andrey Nikiforovich
Wunderlich Fedor Ivanovich

Addresses
Millionnaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 5/1

Bibliographies
Успенский А. И. Материалы для описания художественных сокровищ Мраморного дворца // Худож. сокровища России, 1905
Павлова С. В., Матвеев Б. М. Мраморный дворец. СПб., 1996
Ухналев А.Е. Мраморный дворец в Санкт-Петербурге: Век восемнадцатый. СПб., 2002

The subject Index
Siege of 1941-44
Russian Museum, State
Military Historical Museum of the Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps

Chronograph
1768
1785
1937
1992
1994


Admiralteyskaya Side

ADMIRALTEYSKAYA SIDE, a historical name of the central part of St. Petersburg bound on the north by the Neva river and on the south by the Moika River. Formed in the early 18th century when the General Admiralty

Catherine II (1729-1796), Empress

Catherine II (1729-1796, St. Petersburg), Empress (from 1761), wife of Emperor Peter III (1745). Nee Sophie Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst. Lived in St. Petersburg from 1744, coming to power by dethroning her husband (1762)

Dvortsovaya Embankment

DVORTSOVAYA EMBANKMENT (Palace Embankment), called Verkhnaya Naberezhnaya Street or First Verkhnaya Embankment beginning in 1738; in the 1740s-90s, it was known as Millionnaya Embankment; from 1923 to 1944 it was called Devyatogo Yanvarya Embankment

Field of Mars (Marsovo Pole), ensemble

FIELD OF MARS (in the 18th century Bolshoy Meadow, Poteshnoe Field, Tsaritsyn Meadow, in 1918 -40 – Zhertv Revolyutsii Square), the square in the centre of St. Petersburg. It was named so in honour of Mars, the Roman god of war

Grand Princes' Palaces and Mansions (entry)

GRAND PRINCES' PALACES AND MANSIONS, St. Petersburg buildings, specially built or acquired for members of the Imperial family - children and grandchildren of the Emperor (except for the eldest son, the successor to a throne

Grilles (entry)

GRILLES. St. Petersburg boasts a number of unique metal grilles, created in the course of three centuries. Wrought grilles of bars with (sometimes gilded) decorative figures made from flat iron bars (the grille of the Ekaterininsky (Catherine)

Hessen A.E. (1917- 2001 ), architect-restorer

Hessen Alexander Ernestovich (1917, Petrograd - 2001, St. Petersburg), architect, restorer, one of the founders of the school of scientific architectural restoration in Leningrad. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts (1939)

Klodt P.K., (1805-1867), sculptor

KLODT (Klodt von Jurgensburg) Peter Karlovich (1805, St. Petersburg - 1867), Baron, sculptor, caster. Visited the Academy of Arts in 1829, achieved membership and professorship in 1838, then directorship of the casting workshop

Konstantin Konstantinovich, (1858-1915), Grand Prince

KONSTANTIN KONSTANTINOVICH (1858, Strelna - 1915, Pavlovsk), Grand Prince, Infantry General (1907), Adjutant General (1901), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1900). Son of Grand Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich

Konstantin Nikolaevich (1827-1892), Grand Prince

KONSTANTIN NIKOLAEVICH (1827, St. Petersburg - 1892, Pavlovsk), Grand Prince, General Admiral (1831), Adjutant General (1852), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1844), member of the State Assembly (1850)

Konstantin Pavlovich (1779-1831),Grand Prince

KONSTANTIN PAVLOVICH (1779, Tsarskoe Selo - 1831), Grand Prince, Tsesarevich (Crown Prince) (from 1799). Second son of Emperor Pavel I. From 1797, Inspector General of the whole Cavalry, from June 1798 also Chief Commander of the Cadet Corps

Kozlovsky M.I., (1753-1802), sculptor

KOZLOVSKY Mikhail Ivanovich (1753 - 1802, St. Petersburg), sculptor, representative of Classicism. Studied at the Academy of Arts from 1764 until 1773 under N.F. Gillet and A.P. Losenko, and became a member in 1794

Lenin Museum

LENIN MUSEUM, operated in 1937-92 (until 1990 the museum was the Leningrad branch of the Central Lenin Museum in Moscow) in the Marble Palace, where by the early 1990s 34 halls showed over 10,000 various exhibits

Millionnaya Street

MILLIONNAYA STREET [until 1738 - German settlement, until the middle of the 18th century - Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street, in the 1740-1800s - Bolshaya Millionnaya Street, in 1918-91 - Khalturina Street, after worker-revolutionary S.N

Natural stone

NATURAL STONE. Since the early 18th century, Putilovo slab limestone has been used in construction (quarried by Putilovskaya Mountain near the mouth of the Volkhov River)

Orlov Family

ORLOV FAMILY, nobles, counts and princes, known since the 17th century. Brothers Grigory, Vladimir, Alexey and Fedor Orlov took an active part in the take-over of 28 June 1762

Pavements

PAVEMENTS have been built in St. Petersburg since the early 18th century. The first pavements were made of boards, later various paving materials were applied, including planks, cobblestones, asphalt, woodblocks, granite, metal, road metal (pebbles)

Rinaldi А. (1709-1794), architect

RINALDI Antonio (around 1709-1794), architect of Italian descent. Studied in Naples under L. Vanvitelli. From 1752 served under Hetman K.G. Razumovsky in Malorussia (Little Russia, otherwise known as Ukraine). Since 1754 resided in St

Russian Museum, State

RUSSIAN MUSEUM, State was founded on 13 April 1895 by the decree of Emperor Nicholas II as the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III with the purpose of gathering the collections of Russian art

Shubin F. I. (1740-1805), sculptor

SHUBIN (Shubnoy till 1761) Fedot Ivanovich (1740-1805, St. Petersburg), a sculptor. He lived in St. Petersburg from 1759. He was a student in the Academy of Arts in 1761-67, a retainer thereof in Paris in 1767-70 and Rome in 1770-72

Sokolov E.T. (1750-1824), architect.

SOKOLOV Egor Timofeevich (1750, Peterhof 1824, St. Petersburg), architect, constructor, representative of Neoclassicism. Took courses taught by the Chancellery for Urban Planning, worked on the construction site of the palace in Peterhof

Tsentralny (Central) District

TSENTRALNY (CENTRAL) DISTRICT, an administrative-territorial entity within St. Petersburg, with the territorial administration situated at 176 Nevsky Prospect. The district was set up in 1994, when Smolninsky District

Water Supply Services

WATER SUPPLY SERVICES. Since the very foundation of St. Petersburg the majority of the city population had provided their water supply on their own from the nearest water bodies; the residents of places located far from rivers and canals used the