Monument to Peter I (Taganrog)
The monument to Peter I is a monument to the Russian Tsar Peter I (1672–1725, known as the Great ), which was erected in 1903 in Taganrog on the Azov Sea .
monument
The bronze sculpture was created by the Russian sculptor Mark Antokolski (1843–1902). The pedestal was designed by Boris Eduards (1860–1924), a sculptor from Odessa . The statue of the tsar is 3.44 meters high and weighs 1,232 kilograms. The pedestal is made of granite , is 5.4 meters high and weighs about 13 tons. On the front of the pedestal is the inscription Dem Kaiser / Peter I / Taganrog / 1698–1898 ( Russian Императору Петру I му Таганрогъ 1698–1898 г. , according to the spelling valid until 1918).
Tsar Peter is shown in the officers' uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment , striding forward and leaning on a stick with his right hand. He is holding a telescope in his left hand. The monument is considered to be one of the most remarkable monuments in Rostov Oblast .
history
Antokolski had the idea of designing a statue of Peter I in Russia before he traveled to Western Europe for a long period in 1871. He was working on the statue in Rome . In 1872, work on the statue was finished and it was transferred in plaster. This sample was 2.5 meters high and was presented in Moscow at the First Polytechnic Exhibition held on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Peter the Great. After that, Antokolsky sent the work to Saint Petersburg . It is now in the Scientific Research Museum of the Russian Art Academy . The portrayal of Peter's integrity, energy and zest for action that is characteristic of the work was particularly emphasized by the contemporaries. He embodies the character of the great reformer and the epoch of Russia's upswing, which "matured with the genius of Peter". The work of academician Antokolsky, which was received with great enthusiasm, was initially just a museum piece, which was shown in the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg and in Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery , but was not used as a memorial. In 1884 a memorial was cast and erected in Peterhof's Lower Park .
Shortly before the 200th anniversary of the founding of Taganrog in 1698, the people of Taganrog decided to immortalize the memory of the city's founder in bronze. The drafts submitted for the memorial were examined in a committee of the city administration, and the city council (the Duma ) called for donations. The question of the erection of the monument was constantly discussed by the Taganrog-born writer Anton Chekhov in an exchange of letters with the member of the city administration P. Iordanov. In a letter to Chekhov he mentioned the already designed statue of Peter the Great by Antokolsky, adding: “I think no competition would produce such a wonderful figure of Peter… If we succeed in this, it seems to me that we will get the best Monument to Peter… ”. Chekhov met two sculptors, Leopold Bernstamm and Mark Antokolski , in Paris , negotiated with them and then sent the pictures of their sculptures to the Taganrog city council. Chekhov himself donated personally and also called on personalities from Taganrog, such as the journalist and writer Ivan Pavlovsky and the writer Pyotr Sergejenko. He wrote to Iordanov for details:
“Even a global competition couldn't give Taganrog anything better than this monument; one cannot even dream of better. Right by the sea it will look picturesque, majestic and solemn. The statue represents the real Peter and the great one who is brilliant, strong and full of great thoughts. I also point out:
- This statue was made by Alexander III. bought and is currently in Peterhof.
- Antokolski says 20,000 is enough. The granite pedestal will cost around 5,000 to 6,000, the bronze from 12,000 to 15,000. Ant [okolski] hopes it will cost less than 20,000.
- How much does Antokolski take himself? Obviously nothing.
- The statue measures 3 arsins [note: about 2.13 m]. As Ant [okolski] says, it has to be enlarged to 4 arsins [about 2.84 m] for Taganrog, firstly so as not to repeat the Peterhof statue and secondly to make the monument more solid. The enlargement makes it 3000 more expensive (but in total it does not cost more than 12000 to 15000).
- A photo will be sent to you in a few days.
Duty may be charged on the statue, around 1500 rubles. It will therefore be necessary to speak to Witte . "
The bronze statue of the tsar was cast in Paris by the Gruyet company . The first casting failed and was rejected by Antokolski. The second, however, made him enthusiastic, and he wrote about it in a letter to Iordanov: “The statue is excellent. In an enlarged form it is better than the original, at least that's how it looks in the workshop. It is also very well cast. ”In 1901 the statue was brought by train from Paris to the seaport of Marseille and from there it was transported by ship Despina to Feodosia in the Crimea , where it was reloaded. On July 21, 1901, the ship Marietta belonging to Iwan Diamantidi and the statue arrived in Taganrog harbor. The shipowner transported the Tsar's monument free of charge. The importation of the monument to Russia was also duty-free by order of Finance Minister Witte.
“... when choosing a location for the monument, you also have to take the artist's opinion into account. <…> Peter stands with his face to the sea with Antokolski, the wind blows around him from the sea - you can see it in his hair and his frock coat; if Antokolski were asked for advice, he would probably choose a place by the sea, the fortress. "
The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place on May 14, 1903. Chekhov was unable to attend the ceremony because of his advanced tuberculosis disease. The historian Pawel Filewski said in the same year: “The main merit belongs to Fr. Iordanov, who put such a difficult cause into practice on his own because he created a monument with almost no money, and not a miserable one, but one of the best in Russia . The loyal citizen of Taganrog A. Chekhov, through whom Fr. Iordanov got in touch with the sculptor Antokolski, also provided great assistance.
During the Soviet era , the statue of Peter the Great was removed from the pedestal in January 1924 and placed in the vestibule of the Chekhov City Library, and from 1933 in the museum building. In 1940 it got a new place at the tip of the cape opposite the port. During the German occupation of the city in World War II , the Peter monument was moved by the German authorities to the main entrance of the city park and was ceremoniously unveiled on July 18, 1943 with a large crowd. After the war it was given a place by the sea again, on the Istoritscheski bulwar (Historic Boulevard) .
Monument shortly after it was erected
Monument shortly after it was erected
Unveiling of the relocated monument by the German occupation authorities (1943)
The monument today (2010)
Known similar monuments
- Peterhof, 1884 (1957): The monument to Peter I by Mark Antokolski in the Lower Park of Peterhof was erected at the intersection of Monplaisir-Allee and Marlinskaja-Perspektive. The bronze sculpture stands on a 3.1 meter high pedestal, which was created by Eduard Hahn (1817–1891) from polished red granite from the stone quarries of Pyterlahti ( Finland ). During the German-Soviet War, the statue was removed by the German occupiers and was lost. In 1957 it was re-cast in the Monumentskulptura factory based on the author's model that had been preserved.
- Shlisselburg, 1903 (1957): The monument in Shlisselburg was originally erected in 1903. After it was lost during the German occupation in World War II, it was rebuilt in 1957 on the 250th anniversary of the founding of Saint Petersburg. The monument is in poor condition: most of the tsar's cane and pallasches are missing.
- Saint Petersburg, 1909 (2003): The monument similar to Peterhofer stands in Saint Petersburg next to the Sampson Cathedral (Sampsonijewski sobor). The monument was erected in 1909 when the Russian Empire celebrated the 200th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Poltava . The festivities ended with the unveiling of the monument to Peter the Great, designed by Mark Antokolski, opposite the bell tower of Sampson Cathedral. The sculpture stood on its pedestal until 1929, when it was dismantled under the pretext of reconstructing and widening the carriageway of what is now the Karl Marx Prospect. It is said to be in the funds of the Tretyakov Gallery today. On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, the monument was rebuilt in 2003 at the instigation of the museum in St. Isaac's Cathedral (Sampson's Cathedral is a branch of the museum).
- Saint Petersburg, 1910: The bronze copy of the Antokolsky sculpture was erected on May 13, 1910 on Kirochnaya Street in Saint Petersburg in the green area in front of the building of the Preobrazhensky Regiment hospital. On the front of the pedestal is the inscription: “To the lordly founder of the Preobrazzo”, on the sides: “I made you out of the sweat of my works” and “In the Poltava battle I fought in my regiment and was personally in great numbers Fire". Like the monument next to Sampson Cathedral, this copy was destroyed in the early 1930s.
- Arkhangelsk, 1914: The most famous copy of the monument today was erected in the Petrovsky Park in Arkhangelsk . The monument is a scaled-down copy of the monument to Peter the Great in Taganrog. The sculpture is 2.5 meters high. This monument is depicted on the Bank of Russia's 500 ruble banknote of the current 1995 edition and its later patterns and modifications up to 2004.
See also
Web links
- Monument to Peter I on the AP Chekhov website
- Monument to Peter I on the taganrog.su website
- Monument to Peter I on the website таганрог.su
Coordinates: 47 ° 12 ′ 18 ″ N , 38 ° 56 ′ 46.8 ″ E