Lions of the Palace Marina

Palace pier is a wide granite staircase descent to the Big Neva . At the top of the stairs, towering above the level of the shore are granite pedestals of lions. The monotony of the vertical parallelepiped of the pedestal is divided by narrow protrusions. The staircase descent from the sides is limited by the parapet of the embankments, which gradually turns into a pedestal.

Lions stand on cast-iron pedestals, turning heavy foreheads to each other. The formidable faces of animals are peculiar and expressive - lions are depicted with a half-open bared mouth and terrible fangs. The strength and dexterity of the predator are indicated by the wide chest, powerful legs and a slender muscular body with a tucked up stomach. Lions rest on a ball with their front paw with curved claws released.

The idea of ​​installing lions on the Palace Marina appeared in the first draft of Luigi Ruska ( 1817 ) and went through the red thread through all the design options. In the fall of 1828, an attempt was made to clarify the issue of decorative statues of lions for the marina. All historical documents indicate that installation of an exact copy of Florentine lions was considered . ^[2]

Lion models

The trilateral correspondence between Karl Rossi , director of the St. Petersburg Alexandrovsky iron foundry M.E. Clark and the minister of the imperial court P.M. Volkonsky has been preserved. ^[2]

At first, Rossi asked Clark about the possibility of making such statues, and then, apparently receiving an answer, wrote to P. M. Volkonsky on October 20 : ^[2]

Report to the Minister of the Imperial Court :

(there are no good masters at the factory, but) ... perfection of figures will depend on the art of making such models ... it would be much better to order to make these models to famous artists

- October 20, 1828 ^[2]

In response, the minister invited the sculptor to inspect and measure the marble lions of Tricorni , which are located at the entrance of the Ministry of War , with the goal of ^[2]

... regulations on pedestals at the slopes to the Neva ^[2]

The architect complied with the minister’s instructions: he examined and even sketched marble lions, but as a result of his work he expressed his categorically negative attitude to the variant imposed on him: ^[2]

Saying Carl Rossi :

... these lions, by their smallness, for this purpose will show disgrace ^[2]

After that, a rather long break came in the design of the Palace Pier, the reasons for which remained unknown to historians. ^[2]

Creating Sculptures

From 1828 to 1832 there was a break in the work on the pier, and when in 1832 the emperor returned to decorating the pier, initially the lions were excluded from the decorations of the pier, but at the end of May it was decided to return to the version with lions. ^[2]

P.M. Volkonsky writes to the Aleksandrovsky Plant M.E. Clark :

... the emperor wants to know how much it will cost to cast two lions according to the model available in the factory ... ^[2]

On May 31, 1832, Clark replied that the cost of making figures of lions according to the drawings of Rossi sent to the plant and the dimensions indicated by him was too expensive, since new gypsum models had to be made. There are pre-made models of these lions, but they are not much smaller. Casting from these models will cost 2500 rubles for each lion. Clark found a way to make statues using new technologies, which will be faster and much cheaper - by blowing or stamping from sheet copper . Not only will the cost be 1,800 rubles per lion, but the statues will be much easier, and therefore, their transportation and installation will also be cheaper. ^[2]

These Clark’s arguments got the ball rolling: brass lions for Palace Wharf were created. They were made by master I. Prang according to the model of the sculptor I. P. Prokofiev . Cast-iron pedestals with volutes are cast for lions in the same factory according to the drawing of architect L. Charlemagne ^[3] .

P.M. Volkonsky reports to the Alexander Plant :

The sovereign commanded to make two lions chased and four pedestals made of cast iron for lions and vases

- June 5, 1832 ^[2]

Lions are installed on the Palace pier as a decoration in September 1832 ^[4] .

The first information about the removal of lions from pedestals dates back to 1913 - 1914 and is associated with the construction of the Palace Bridge . Historians logically suggest that the removed lions have been restored. ^[2]

It is known that during the war the figures of lions were not closed, they “kept watch” on the Palace pier. During artillery shelling and bombing of Leningrad, copper lions received "severe wounds." Despite the damage, the lions relatively tolerably survived the blockade and remained in their places. ^[5]

The safety of the lions allowed them to continue decorating the Palace marina while the most damaged monuments set off for restoration.

The sculptures were sent to restoration workshops in the early 1950s : first, one, and after him, the other were sent for restoration and soon again decorated the Palace Marina. ^[2]

The first sculpture restoration in the 21st century was carried out in 2001 with the support of the Will of Petersburg organization . At the same time, a care contract was signed: “Will of Petersburg” took upon itself the obligation to protect the monument, and also pledged to help maintain cleanliness. ^[6]

Unplanned Restoration

In June 2006, damage to sculptures of lions was discovered. Experts suggested that tourists climbed the guard lion sculpture closest to the Palace Bridge and broke his back. The hollow sculpture, made of a thin sheet of copper, could not bear the human weight and broke in the back. Cracks became visible to the naked eye. Experts proposed to install a solid frame inside the sculpture. ^[7]

The copper lion was sent for emergency repairs to restoration workshops. The necessary funds were provided by the Russian Party of Life , the project was supervised by the chairman of the Federation Council , party leader Sergei Mironov ^[8] .

The removal of the lion for restoration was framed as a theatrical performance . Doctors-restorers in white coats examined a sick lion, bandaged it and loaded it onto a KAMAZ truck draped under an ambulance. On the empty pedestal, the lion was replaced by people dressed as lions. ^[5]

The restoration lasted about 3 months and cost about 300 thousand rubles.

For the period of restoration, the first place was taken by a plastic copy - the “sunny” lion Boniface , painted by the participants of the “Youth Eight”. Subsequently, this lion was sold at an auction for 1.5 million rubles, the money was transferred to the accounts of the Scientific and Practical Center for Assisting HIV-infected Children and Pregnant Women.

Later on the pedestal was a figure of a lion, assembled from balloons. ^{[5] [8]}

In 2007, as part of the same initiative, a second sculpture was repaired. The restoration cost 262 thousand rubles and was completed by September 2007. ^[9] A flat copy of a lion was placed on a pedestal. ^[5]

Restoration Work

According to the conclusion of the restorers , the pedestal of the sculpture is very durable - it is made of cast iron and confidently resists mechanical influences. The lions themselves are copper , hollow - made of sheet copper by punching . The sculptures that fell into the restoration workshops were sagged. Most likely, the deformation of the lions occurred because the townspeople climbed on them, like horses. For this reason, one of the "patients" had to be pulled out. ^[5]

The technology for restoration of the coating includes cleaning, priming and the restoration itself. A feature of restoration work in St. Petersburg is that it is very important to process sculptures in a high-quality manner, since the paintwork in our environment lasts no more than three to four years. in the course of the work, traces of previous restoration work were revealed - many layers of paint were found on the sculptures. In addition, after clearing the figures of lions, there were many holes and dents. ^[5]

In addition to the complex of restoration work, the structure was reinforced with an internal tubular frame. Holes were cut in the shells of the hollow sculptures and brass tubes were installed. ^[5]

Restorers are convinced of the strength of the created structure :

Now the sculptures will be difficult to break, of course, if you do not beat them with a 10-pound sledgehammer!

- Vladimir Sibilev, Director of RPSC Specialist CJSC ^[5]

The team of restorers consisted of four people, the same number participated in the dismantling. The term of work was about a month. ^[5]

The very location of the lions, on the main Palace pier , surrounded by the buildings of the Admiralty and the Winter Palace , facing the Neva , caused attention to it by artists.

In the XIX century, the pier and lions were depicted on their canvases by such masters of fine art as Vasily Sadovnikov (“Palace Pier”, 1840 ) and A.K. Beggov (“View of the Neva from the Winter Palace”, 1881 ).

In 1901, the artist A. P. Ostroumova-Lebedeva created illustrations for the poem by A. S. Pushkin The Bronze Horseman . On one of them (Lion and fortress ), a lion from the palace pier was depicted. At the same time, two factual errors were made:

• She depicted lions and the Peter and Paul Cathedral in a non-existent perspective;
• The poem says about lions near the house of Lobanov-Rostovsky .

In addition, the statues are depicted on coins issued in 2003 in a series dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg . Artist: A.V. Baklanov, sculptor: A.D. Shchablykin. ^[10]