Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
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Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian: Франче́ско Бартоломе́о Растре́лли) (1700 - 29 April 1771) was a Russian architect of Italian origin. He developed an easily recognizable style of late baroque, both sumptuous and majestic. His major works, including the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg and the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, are famed for extravagant luxury and opulence of decoration.
Bartolomeo went to Russia in 1715 with his father, Italian sculptor Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1675-1744). His ambition was to combine the latest Italian architectural fashion with traditions of the Muscovite baroque style. The first important commission came in 1721 when he was asked to build a palace for Prince Demetre Cantemir, former ruler of Moldavia. He was known in Russia as Varfolomei Varfolomeyevich Rastrelli.
Rastrelli was appointed to the post of senior court architect in 1730. His works found favour with female monarchs of his time, so he retained this post throughout the reigns of Empresses Anna (1730-1740) and Elizabeth (1741-1762). His major works include:
- 1730 - The Annenhof Palace in Lefortovo, Moscow demolished in the 19th century
- 1733 - The first Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, subsequently demolished
- 1736 - The Rundāle Palace for Ernst Biron, Duke of Courland and intimate friend of Empress Anna
- 1738 - The Mitava Palace in Jelgava, Courland, also for Biron
- 1741 - The Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, demolished in 1797
- 1747 - Expansion and renovation of the Grand Peterhof Palace
- 1747 - Winter Palace in the Moscow Kremlin, replaced by the Grand Kremlin Palace in the 19th century
- 1749 - The Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg
- 1749 - The Church of Saint Andrew in Kiev
- 1749 - The Vorontsov Palace in St. Petersburg
- 1752 - 1756 - Demolitionthe and replacement of the old Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo by a new one.
- 1752 - The Mariyinsky Palace in Kiev (now the ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine)
- 1753 - The Stroganov Palace on the Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg
- 1753 - The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Rastrelli's last and most ambitious project was the Smolny convent in St. Petersburg where Empress Elizabeth was to spend the rest of her life. The projected bell-tower was to become the tallest building in St Petersburg and all of Russia. Elizabeth's death in 1762 prevented Rastrelli from completing this grand design.
The new empress, Catherine II, dismissed baroque architecture as an old-fashioned "whipped cream", and the aged architect had to retire to Courland where he supervised decoration of the ducal palaces.
His last years were spent in obscure commerce with Italian art-dealers. He was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts several months before his death. A square before the Smolny convent bears Rastrelli's name since 1923.
[edit] See also
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rastrelli, Francesco Bartolomeo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Растрелли, Франческо Бартоломео |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Architect |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1700 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Italy |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1771 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
