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Restoration after the fire of 1837 In December 1837, a devastating fire, lasting more than a day, almost entirely destroyed the interior decorations of the Winter Palace. The interiors by F.B. Rastrelli, G. Quarenghi, O. Montferrand, and K.I. Rossi were lost, as was the staircase. According to an order by Nikolai I, the entry area of the palace was to be restored "to its previous condition". The restoration work, which lasted a little over a year, was managed by the architects V.P. Stasov and A.P. Brullov. Stasov generally preserved Rastrelli's original concept for the staircase and repeated its basic composition, though he did make several changes. The original wall decorations were restored, in some places, new ornaments that reflected the baroque style were added. The light pink columns on the upper landing were replaced with solid columns made from grey Serdobol granite, and the cut gilded banister were replaced with a marble balustrade, the colour composition of the space of the staircase consisted of a harmonious composition of gold and white tones. Selecting an 18th century ceiling lamp with an image of Olympus from the Hermitage treasure vaults, Stasov included it in the composition of the ceiling. The new ceiling lamp turned out to be somewhat smaller than the old one, and the remaining space was decorated by the artist Solovyev, based on Stasov's designs "in the spirit of the original style in which the staircase was made". The marble statues of Antinous and Diana, decorating a niche, were taken from the Winter Palace, among those sculptures brought from Italy under Peter I, and the statue of "Power" made by an unknown 18th century master for the central niche is from the Tavrichesky Palace. Allegorical figures, reflecting the ideology of the empire at that time, representing Wisdom and Justice (sculptor A.I. Terebenev) and Greatness and Abundance (sculptor N.A. Ustinov). Quinquets, oil lamps named after the Parisian chemist Antoine Quinquet, were used for the dedication after the fire. In the second half of the 18th century, he invented the so-called glass-stones, which were hung on the wall. The light source did not cast a shadow from its container, thanks to which the illumination it provided was quite bright. It is quite possible that Quinquet's invention was also used to illuminate the staircase before the fire, but there is not credible evidence to that effect. So once again the majestic staircase shone with the splendour characteristic of the regal 18th century. |
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