July 18: Fabergé, Kshesinskaya's Mansion, Ballet
Dear Friends and Relatives,
Too much food, so I had practically nothing but hot tea and yogurt and honey this morning. Didn't feel all that well, but things improved as the day went by. We started out with a lecture connected to the theme of the day: Perestroika and Russian Capitalism. We learned about the way that Gorbachev's perestroika, literally meaning restructuring or reform, encouraged the deconstruction of the Soviet way of life and intended to install capitalism on the fly.
After the lecture, we visited the newly opened Fabergé Museum, which displays the largest collection of Fabergé eggs in the world. This is a private collection of Russian treasures assembled by one of the richest men in Russia, Viktor Vekselberg. In 2004 he purchased a collection of Fabergé works which had been collected by Malcolm Forbes. Since then, the museum has been collecting Russian works of decorative and fine art, and has amassed more than 4000 items today. It is located in the former Shuvalov Palace.
The most valuable items in the Museum's collection are the nine Imperial Easter eggs created by Fabergé for the last two Russian emperors. Each of them is a masterpiece, as well as a unique historical monument to the reign and personal life of Alexander III and Nicholas II. The strength of the collection stems from the fact that it represents all of the areas the House of Fabergé specialized in: objects of fantasy, jewelry, small goods, silverware, and interior and religious objects.
The Great Hall features the peak of Fabergés creative work, the Imperial Easter eggs. These eggs are evidence of the talent and skill of Russian jewelers, stonecutters, enamel masters, and artists. These objects are especially valuable because they capture the important events of the 19th and 20th centuries: the last coronation of the Russian Empire, the 15th anniversary of the reign of Nicholas II, and the war with Germany. Besides commemorating events, there are also rare "objets de fantaisie," like pansies in a small vase of rock crystal, as if filled with water, or a gold chicken containing a little easel and the picture of Alexei. A stunning collection--my favorite was an egg covered in lilies-of-the-valley, presented to Tsarina Alexandra on her birthday, as that type of flower was her favorite. What a treat!
From there, my roommate, Ivan, and I walked to an important Art Nouveau site: the Yeliseeyev food emporium, evidence of the skill of Gavril Baranovsky, who made excellent use of industrial techniques in the creation of large window spaces in the store. The rich exterior detailing is matched by elegant shop fittings and chandeliers inside. It was designed in 1901-3, and is adorned with bronzes, heroic sculptures and huge windows. The pastry cases looked especially scrumptious, but we went to the basement for lunch. I had a fine bowl of chicken soup and some tea, both agreeable to my stomach. Afterwards, we walked back to our hotel in a driving rain, but we did not have the time to go back to the room before leaving for our next event.
Our next stop was a Museum of Russian Political History, located in the Kshesinskaya Mansion. The house is another great example of Style Moderne architecture, commissioned for prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya (she was Nicholas II's mistress before he married Alexandra), and designed in 1904. In 1917, the mansion was commandeered by the Bolsheviks and became their headquarters, and on Lenin's return to Russia, he addressed the crowds from the balcony facing the square. Kshesinskaya emigrated to Paris in 1920.
The mansion, previously home to a museum glorifying the October Revolution, now houses a Museum of Russian Political History--memorabilia from the revolutionary era, exhibits covering recent political history, taking in the theory and consequences of perestroika and the policies of contemporary parties.
From there we quickly returned to the hotel for a quick change, as we went to a ballet performance at the Michaelovsky Theatre this evening. An Armenian restaurant was first on the agenda, but I did not eat much. We had a salad, meat wrapped in grape leaves, pork shish kabobs and potatoes, and a small pastry for dessert.
Then we walked to the Michaelovsky Theatre to see a full length production of "le Corsaire," brilliantly danced by the tremendously muscular and virile Ivan Vasiliev and the gracious Svetlana Bednenko. We were on the floor, in about row 10, and had superb seats. We must have given them about 10 curtain calls at the end of the night! New effects stagewise included moving clouds and a moving sea and sailing ship--looking very realistic, and a first for me. What a day! Only one more day in St. Petersburg--a really grand city in every sense of the word. I hate to go!! As ever, Sylvia
Too much food, so I had practically nothing but hot tea and yogurt and honey this morning. Didn't feel all that well, but things improved as the day went by. We started out with a lecture connected to the theme of the day: Perestroika and Russian Capitalism. We learned about the way that Gorbachev's perestroika, literally meaning restructuring or reform, encouraged the deconstruction of the Soviet way of life and intended to install capitalism on the fly.
After the lecture, we visited the newly opened Fabergé Museum, which displays the largest collection of Fabergé eggs in the world. This is a private collection of Russian treasures assembled by one of the richest men in Russia, Viktor Vekselberg. In 2004 he purchased a collection of Fabergé works which had been collected by Malcolm Forbes. Since then, the museum has been collecting Russian works of decorative and fine art, and has amassed more than 4000 items today. It is located in the former Shuvalov Palace.
The most valuable items in the Museum's collection are the nine Imperial Easter eggs created by Fabergé for the last two Russian emperors. Each of them is a masterpiece, as well as a unique historical monument to the reign and personal life of Alexander III and Nicholas II. The strength of the collection stems from the fact that it represents all of the areas the House of Fabergé specialized in: objects of fantasy, jewelry, small goods, silverware, and interior and religious objects.
The Great Hall features the peak of Fabergés creative work, the Imperial Easter eggs. These eggs are evidence of the talent and skill of Russian jewelers, stonecutters, enamel masters, and artists. These objects are especially valuable because they capture the important events of the 19th and 20th centuries: the last coronation of the Russian Empire, the 15th anniversary of the reign of Nicholas II, and the war with Germany. Besides commemorating events, there are also rare "objets de fantaisie," like pansies in a small vase of rock crystal, as if filled with water, or a gold chicken containing a little easel and the picture of Alexei. A stunning collection--my favorite was an egg covered in lilies-of-the-valley, presented to Tsarina Alexandra on her birthday, as that type of flower was her favorite. What a treat!
From there, my roommate, Ivan, and I walked to an important Art Nouveau site: the Yeliseeyev food emporium, evidence of the skill of Gavril Baranovsky, who made excellent use of industrial techniques in the creation of large window spaces in the store. The rich exterior detailing is matched by elegant shop fittings and chandeliers inside. It was designed in 1901-3, and is adorned with bronzes, heroic sculptures and huge windows. The pastry cases looked especially scrumptious, but we went to the basement for lunch. I had a fine bowl of chicken soup and some tea, both agreeable to my stomach. Afterwards, we walked back to our hotel in a driving rain, but we did not have the time to go back to the room before leaving for our next event.
Our next stop was a Museum of Russian Political History, located in the Kshesinskaya Mansion. The house is another great example of Style Moderne architecture, commissioned for prima ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya (she was Nicholas II's mistress before he married Alexandra), and designed in 1904. In 1917, the mansion was commandeered by the Bolsheviks and became their headquarters, and on Lenin's return to Russia, he addressed the crowds from the balcony facing the square. Kshesinskaya emigrated to Paris in 1920.
The mansion, previously home to a museum glorifying the October Revolution, now houses a Museum of Russian Political History--memorabilia from the revolutionary era, exhibits covering recent political history, taking in the theory and consequences of perestroika and the policies of contemporary parties.
From there we quickly returned to the hotel for a quick change, as we went to a ballet performance at the Michaelovsky Theatre this evening. An Armenian restaurant was first on the agenda, but I did not eat much. We had a salad, meat wrapped in grape leaves, pork shish kabobs and potatoes, and a small pastry for dessert.
Then we walked to the Michaelovsky Theatre to see a full length production of "le Corsaire," brilliantly danced by the tremendously muscular and virile Ivan Vasiliev and the gracious Svetlana Bednenko. We were on the floor, in about row 10, and had superb seats. We must have given them about 10 curtain calls at the end of the night! New effects stagewise included moving clouds and a moving sea and sailing ship--looking very realistic, and a first for me. What a day! Only one more day in St. Petersburg--a really grand city in every sense of the word. I hate to go!! As ever, Sylvia
What a day! Svetlana and Fabrrge in the same day! I'm breathless!
ReplyDeleteMaureen here-- hope you are feeling much better and able to enjoy the rest of your time in St. Petersburg. All of your activities of the day sound wonderful!
ReplyDelete