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Restoration of the costume on the wax figure of Peter the Great The wax figure of Peter the Great is a unique artifact of the Petrine era. It was created by the well-known sculptor Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli after the Tsar's death in 1725. The sculpture was made out of wood and wax and then dressed in clothing made to order for Peter in 1724. As we know from the writings of contemporaries, the costume of the wax figure was sewn in time for the solemn coronation of Catherine I. The camisole, caftan, trousers and waist-belt were sewn from blue silk fabric and richly decorated with embroidery in silver thread. A blue ribbon bearing the Order of St Andrew the First Called is passed over the shoulder and on the chest is an embroidered star of the same order. The costume was dressed on the wax figure for nearly three hundred years. It became soiled, the fabric and embroidery parted and there was serious discolouration of the material which repeatedly required restoration work. In 1964 and again in 1975 the clothing was sent to the Restoration Workshops of the State Hermitage to be dusted off, for the threads of embroidery and fabric to be strengthened, and for the linen and lace to be cleaned of spots. In 1996 the condition of the costume again required that a whole complex of restoration work be carried out and this was done in the State Hermitage's Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Textiles (M.V. Denisova, director) by 2003. All the articles of clothing were heavily soiled and had lost their shape. Many seams had opened; there were tears and losses of both fabric and embroidery; and the numerous repairs and patches had left evident traces. When the camisole was cleaned with water, a piece of embroidery on the bottom part became visible through the wet and transparent fabric of the lining. After part of the seam on the bottom of the garment was removed, an embroidery in coloured blue threads was found inside on the woollen fabric between the lining and the material of the camisole. It looks like a crown surrounded by two letters "R" on either side. It is possible that this embroidery is confirmation of the legend that Catherine I herself participated in the preparation of Peter's costume. In the stories which contemporaries told about Peter the Great that were recorded by the famous Emperor's mechanic and personal turner Andrei Nartov, we find that "the Empress worked with her maids to embroider the blue caftan in silver thread and when it was finished presented it to His Majesty." Considering the type and technique of work in the embroidery, we have reason to suppose that the embroidery in silver threads was no doubt done by professional embroideresses, though the imperial crown may have been sewn by the Empress. The restoration of the eight-pointed star of the order embroidered in silver thread and wire is especially interesting. When the star was removed from the caftan, the inscription "Ene Pally Brodeur" was found on the reverse. In this manner it became known that the embroiderer of the order was a certain EnÕ Pally. The fact that the star was made by a foreigner is suggested by the use of the Latin letters Z, N, and S in combination with the Cyrillic letters in the motto "ZA BÊPÃ I BEPNOSTÌ" (For the Faith and Loyalty). As a result of the restoration work it was possible to stop further deterioration and to preserve all the elements of the costume of the wax figure which were returned to their original appearance |
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Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
