6: Russian Furniture of the Late 18th - First Half of the 19th Centuries

The brightest period in the history of Russian furniture-making was the late 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th. The many great achievements in the realm of interior decoration associated with the work of the architects Andrei Voronikhin, Carlo Rossi and Vasily Stasov had a considerable influence on the development of furniture manufacturing in the capital. That period produced the finest examples of the Russian Empire style - tub chairs, armchairs and chairs with a "side frame", a variety of tables, large and small, including ladies' tables incorporating silk work baskets. The majority of furniture was veneered with mahogany, poplar or Karelian birch and had clear, easily recognized lines. Quite often the smooth polished surface of a precious variety of wood would be set off by mounts of gilded wood and bronze borrowing motifs from ancient art. A special charm is imparted to pieces by details in the form of sphinxes, lions, eagles and swans that were created by Russian carvers as little sculptural miniatures.
In the second quarter of the 19th century the logical, simple and convenient forms of Classicism gave way to romantic fascinations with earlier styles. Imitating various periods in the past, the master craftsmen, directed by leading architects, produced pieces in the style of the Rococo, the Gothic, the Renaissance and so on.