The splendid masterpiece by Russian architect Matvei Kazakov: the suburban Petrovsky Palace and its surrounding park. Once a stopping ground for royals on their way to the Kremlin, the palace now falls within the city limits, situated on Leningradsky Prospekt north of the Dynamo metro station.In 1775, when the war with the Turks concluded in victory for Russia, Catherine the Great summoned her court architect, Vasily Bazhenov, and reportedly said, "Dear Bazhenov, three versts from Moscow is the Khodynsky meadow. Imagine that that meadow is the Black Sea. Out of the sand, create the Crimean Peninsula. Place Kerch and Yenikale there, to function as dance halls. Thus, the road from St. Petersburg to Moscow will be as if transformed into the Dnepr River, and the pavilions — the Turkish fortresses Kerch, Taganrog, Yenikale, Kinburn, Azov, now a part of Russia." Soon the great Bazhenov fell out of favor for flaws that began to appear in the Blagoveshchensky and Arkhangelsky Kremlin cathedrals. Thus, the burden of the Khodynsky meadow project fell on Kazakov, the architect responsible for, among other projects, the former senate building within the Kremlin. He was directed to draft the plans for the new Petrovsky Palace, envisioned by the empress as a place to rest and freshen up before her entrance into Moscow. In 1783, the interior of the palace was completed, but further work on the palace resumed only after the War of 1812. Alas, Catherine never got to freshen up in the palace she envisioned. It was not completed until after her death and well into the reign of Alexander I. Among the many occupants of the palace was Napoleon, who took shelter there from Sept. 4 to 9, 1812. Unlike many other buildings in Moscow destroyed by Napoleon, the palace was unharmed. However, after the retreat of the French army, the palace was ransacked and looted by local peasants. In 1826, Tsar Nicholas I decided to put his signature on the project, calling for the grounds around the palace to be landscaped. The resulting Petrovsky Park, with its dachas for rent, went on to be associated with the pride of Russian literature. Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Leo Tolstoy, Vissarion Belinsky and Nikolai Nekrasov were among Russia’s great writers to spend time and find inspiration here. Indeed, some of Nekrasov’s finest poetry was written while he took a dacha here in 1855.

PUBLISHED DATE	1884 PARIS
ARTIST	ALEXANDRE DE BAR
ENGRAVED BY	SARGEANT
PUBLISHER	THOMAS DE LAMOTTE SAINTE-MARTIN
PAGE SIZE: approx	14 1/2 INCHES x 10 1/2 INCHES
IMAGE SIZE: approx	8 1/2 X 6 3/4 INCHES
CONDITION	CROPPED LARGE FOLIO INTEXT ENGRAVING with TEXT on the back . Excellent condition. Heavier paper.Suitable ageing. The image is clean, clear and sharp with beautiful depth and detail.