Today let’s take off from the old album about Elagin Island and see the interiors of the Elagin Palace.
The name of the Elagin Palace originated from the name of Ivan Elagin, who was given this island by the Crown in 1777. The house built for Mr. Elagin in 1785 was very similar to the today’s palace. In the mid-1820 the palace was redesigned by the famous Neo-Classical architect Carlo Rossi.
The original Rotunda looked somewhat differently and the building itself was more modest: the side porticos and most of the third floor adjacent to the Rotunda were added in the 1820s .
For your comparison this next image shows the Stables Wing (Konyushenny Korpus) designed by the same Carlo Rossi and located across the Buttery Meadow from the main palace. Please note a remarkable unity of style between the two buildings.
But let us return to the Elagin Palace and check-out some of the interiors..
The original Bedroom
(Since no original bed had survived the room is furnished as a sitting room).
First of all let me apologize for the quality of some photos. The light conditions were less than acceptable (that was a rather diplomatic way of putting it: upon our arrival electric light was shut off - the museum staff was not happy with our demand to turn it on. They grumbled at us but had to comply. All that was despite the fact that we paid a fee for taking photos.
Terpsichore - the muse of Dancing.
In the 1870s, half a century after this clock was made, the Elagin Palace was a silent witness to Alexander II’s romantic love affair with Duchess Yuryevskaya.
The Blue Living Room.
The fireplace was made of black Italian marble by S. Moderni.
Paintings by Giovanni Scotti.
The Corner Study or the Porcelain Study.
Paintings by Antonio Vigi and Giovanni Scotti.
The Oval Hall
The lower tier windows are mirror panels meant to visually extend the size of the hall.
The chandelier was made by J. Bauman and S. Pimenov after to a drawing by Carlo Rossi.
The bas reliefs were made by V. Demut-Malinovsky.
A view out of the palace window towards the ice-clad river
The Crimson Living Room.
The marble fireplace is by F. Triscorni.
One of the palace doors richly paneled with mahogany.
The Dining Room was meant for festive meals.
Without a lavish dinner table it looks somewhat dull, more like a spacious corridor.
It has to be said that during World War II the palace was heavily damaged by fire. The interiors were recreated from photographs while a lot of the period furniture came from the some other palace collections.
The winged characters are the cupids.
All sculptural decor of the room was masterminded by V. Demut-Malinovsky.
Paintings were made by Giovanni Scotti.
An elegant vase depicting the richness of summer flowers is in sharp contrast with the stark landscape outside the window.
The Vestibule (the door on the right leads a visitor to the moist prominent interiors).
The upper parts of the walls are decorated with painting on mythological topics - mostly about Hercules and Clio. Such style of painting, replicating a three-dimensional bas relief is called “grisaille” (from the French word “gris” meaning “grey”).
In the niches you will find the Ancient Greek girls “Kora” by sculptor S. Pimenov.
Their fairly mysterious Russian name - "Kora" - has its roots in the Greek word "Kore", which incidentally means a "young lady" :)
Ceiling decorations and elaborate chandeliers in the Vestibule
We will conclude this album with another view of the Yelagin Palace, this time as seen from the Buttery Meadow (Masliany Lug), on the park side.
A new addition to the “Life of the City” Section, theAlbum for October 2005 tells a story of a visit to Argo aeroclub in Gostilitsy outside St. Petersburg
