Kuskovo
Kuskovo | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | Neoclassical |
Town or city | Moscow |
Country | Russia |
Completed | 18th century |
Client | Pyotr Sheremetev |
Kuskovo (Russian: Куско́во) was the summer country house and estate of the Sheremetev family. Built in the mid-18th century, it was originally situated several miles to the east of Moscow but now is part of the East District of the city. It was one of the first great summer country estates of the Russian nobility, and one of the few near Moscow still preserved. Today the estate is the home of the Russian State Museum of Ceramics, and the park is a favourite place of recreation for Muscovites.[1]
History
In the 17th century, Kuskovo became the property of
The palace was constructed by his son
The Dutch House was constructed between 1749 and 1751 by architect Y.I. Kologrivov, who then enlarged the pond into a lake and laid out the park and canals.[5] After the death of Kologrivov in 1754, the construction of the palace was begun by the young architect Fiodor I. Argunov, who had designed the grotto and the belvedere by the canal in the eastern part of the park. When Fiodor Argunov became occupied with the construction of the Sheremetev house on the Fontanka in St. Petersburg, the task of designing the palace was given to the famous Moscow architect Karl Blank.[6]
The twenty-six rooms of the palace were designed for entertaining and impressing guests on state occasions. Count Sheremetev entertained in a grand style; his outdoor entertainments in the park attracted as many twenty-five thousand guests. Entertainments included his a famous theater and orchestra with serf actors.[7] The estate[8] was visited by Empress Catherine II in 1775; an obelisk in the park marks the event.
By the end of the 18th century, the estate went into a decline. It was badly damaged during the French invasion in 1812. In the 1830s, the serf theater was torn down. After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, parcels of land were divided up and rented out.
After the 1917 Revolution, the estate was nationalized. In 1919 the palace was turned into a small museum of natural history. Ten years later it became the home of the state museum of porcelain, which had been founded in 1918–20 on Podossensky Street in Moscow. It housed the nationalized collections of Russian art collectors A. Morozov, L. Zoubalov, and Botkine. In 1932 it was renamed the State Museum of Ceramics.[9]
The Palace of Kuskovo
The palace was designed in the new
The Park of Kuskovo
The park of Kuskovo was created between 1750 and 1780 as a formal
The Grotto
The grotto was constructed between 1755 and 1761 by the architect F. Argunov, and was intended to represent the palace of the King of the Seas.
The Dutch House
A traditional brick Dutch house was constructed in the 1750s on a small pond near the Palace. the house has kitchen on the ground floor decorated from floor to ceiling with tiles from Delft.
The Orangerie
The orangerie (1761–1764) was designed by F. Argounov.
In 1919 the palace was nationalized, and it was declared the State Museum of
The State Museum of Ceramics
The museum in the Orangerie contains collections of fine porcelain assembled by Russian merchants and Empress
- German porcelain of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly from the royal porcelain works at Meissen
- English porcelain from Chelsea and Josiah Wedgwood.
- French porcelain from the 18th century from manufacture royale of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 to commemorate his Egyptian campaign, and presented by Napoleon to Czar Alexander I at the Tilsit Conferencein 1807.
- Danish porcelain of the 18th and 19th century.
- Russian and Soviet porcelain of the 18th, 19th and 20th century. The collection of porcelain on revolutionary themes from the early Soviet period is particularly notable.[12]
Gallery
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View of Kuskovo in 1839
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General view
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Grotto
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View of the Orangerie
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Hermitage
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Aerial view of Kuskovo in 2008
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Park
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View of Kuskovo in 1999
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Sheremetev Palace in Kuskovo.
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View of Kuskovo
References
- ^ Kuskovo is also the name of the village that grew up round the estate.
- ^ Pamyatniki Arkhitekturiy Moskviy, pg. 49
- ^ Elena Eritsyan, Guide to the State Museum of Ceramics and the 18th Century Kuskovo Estate,1996.
- ^ Pamyatniki Akhitekturiy Moskviy, pg. 49
- ^ Pamyatniki Arkhitecturiy Moskviy, pg. 49
- ^ See Pamyatniki Arkhitecturiy Moskviy and Elena Eritsyan, Guide to the State Museum of Ceramics and the 18th Century Kuskovo Estate,1996.
- ^ Boris Brodsky, "Les Trésors artistiques de Moscou", pg. 136.
- ^ "Architecture and Interesting Facts about Kuskovo Estate [In English]". Archived from the original on 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
- ^ Brodsky, pg. 111.
- ^ Brodsky, 142
- ^ a b Brodsky, pg. 137
- ^ Brodsky, pg. 148-167
Bibliography
- Elena Eritsyan, Guide to the State Museum of Ceramics and the 18th Century Kuskovo Estate, 1996.
- Boris Brodsky, "Les Trésors Artistiques de Moscou", Izibrazitelnoye Iskustvo, 1991.
- A.L Batalov, E.I. Kirichenko, M.M. Posokhin, A.V. Kuzmin, E.G. Schoboleva, Pamyatniki Arkhitecturi Moskviy, Okrestnosti Staroy Moskviy, Moscow, Iskusstvo-XXI Vek, 2207.