Elizabethan Baroque …

Mohammed Hazaa

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Elizabethan Baroque

 

Initially, the Baroque carried an offensive connotation, implying absurdity, but in time it became one of the fundamental currents, forming an entire era. By its nature, the Baroque style adopted a lot from the Renaissance and the previous Mannerist era, little known in St. Petersburg; also, the Baroque laid the foundation for the flirtatious Rococo style.

The era of baroque in St. Petersburg

The Baroque era in St. Petersburg comes under the reign of Empress Elizabeth, and this period is therefore often referred to as Elizabethan Baroque. Elizabethan Baroque is a unique style of architecture that appeared in the Russian Empire during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great. The heyday of this trend was in the 18th century and one of the brightest creators who created projects and built objects in this style was the famous Italian architect Rastrelli.

Features of Elizabethan Baroque architecture

Elizabeth’s reign is known for the many positive changes that took place in the life of the young Russian Empire, including in the architecture of the capital, which gradually became a vivid symbol of the power of the state.

The main characteristic features of Elizabethan Baroque include:
a huge number of decorative details
plastic
decorations
the use of contrasting colors
three-quarter columns
pilasters
large-scale interior decoration
certain features and elements of traditional Russian architecture.

The buildings of Elizabethan Baroque are extremely diverse and interesting for anyone who is fond of architecture; it is possible to spend hours enjoying the works of art that have come down to our times through the centuries.

Elizabethan or Rastrellian Baroque?

The main master of the new Russian style in architecture was Rastrelli, who, before starting work for Elizabeth, used to work hard for Anna Ioanovna. When visiting visited Moscow, Rastrelli carefully studied the traditions of Russian architecture, the elements of which he used in his new projects.

Rastrelli’s first building in the Elizabethan Baroque style was the Summer Palace, but this magnificent building has sadly not survived, as it was built of wood.

Subsequently, the master worked on a great many other projects that are no less interesting.

Bartolomeo Rastrelli became the main creator at Court, the Empress’s favorite. He skillfully used columns on the façades, decorating windows and openings with semicircular tops with rich decor. The interior space at Rastrelli is full of windows and mirrors, which give the room an even larger scale.

Rastrelli also turned out to be an outstanding engineer, using stone platforms in most of his buildings – grillages on piles. They went deep into the ground and evenly distributed the load, which made it possible to erect all these huge buildings on the marshy soils of St. Petersburg.
Baroque reflects solemnity, fundamentality and splendor. Buildings and objects of art gave the impression of wealth, and therefore demanded huge expenses. Recognizable elements of this era were gilded decor items, furniture on lion’s paws, heavy drapery, expensive fabrics and drama in art. Many buildings of this era have survived in St. Petersburg.

Majestic palaces, golden domes, huge mirrors, sculptures, vases and columns – these date back to the years of Elizabeth Petrovna’s reign.

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