Smirnov's mansion on Tverskoy: “masks of sinners”, defeated knights and the escape of the owners. Mansion P.P

Mansion P.P. Smirnova on Tverskoy Boulevard is one of the most striking works of Fyodor Shekhtel, the famous architect of the Art Nouveau era, the author of a number of beautiful buildings that largely determine the appearance of old Moscow.

The history of the ownership in which the “P.P. Mansion” is located. Smirnov" can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. The house changed hands and was rebuilt many times.
In 1900, it was acquired by Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov, a hereditary honorary citizen and a famous entrepreneur. He decided to carry out a significant reconstruction of the house, entrusting Fyodor Shekhtel with the work of remodeling, decorating interiors and remodeling facades. The result of this work was a magnificent mansion in the Art Nouveau style, unmistakably Shekhtelian in detail.
Behind a rather modest façade hides one of the best interiors by Fyodor Shekhtel. The mansion has 8 ceremonial rooms, each of which is made in its own “historical” style - a real architectural parade: “Romanesque Hall”, “Classical Hall”, “Egyptian Hall”, “Greek Hall”, “Rocaille Room”, “Annex”, "Boudoir", "Office".
All the ceremonial interiors - with the exception of the "Egyptian Hall" - are stretched along the facade facing Tverskoy Boulevard and are connected by enfilade doors.
Throughout almost the entire 19th century, the Tver “boulevard” remained the only boulevard in Moscow, so it was here that nobles came to the “prominat”, crowds of idle residents flocked, it was always crowded and fun, all this predetermined the unique fate of the mansion.
In 1906, Pyotr Smirnov gave the mansion to the Moscow Russian Assembly club. Its doors opened to noble ladies and gentlemen - there was a restaurant in the house, concerts and charity auctions were held.
Before the revolution, the luxurious building always remained the center of attention of Russian public life. Then the situation changed. After the revolution, the mansion housed such serious “mailboxes” that it was hardly mentioned even in specialized literature. The offices that occupied the building during Soviet times miraculously did not cause structural damage to it.
Currently, the “Mansion of P.P. Smirnova on Tverskoy" has found a new life. The restoration of the facade and interiors has been completed. It was possible to almost completely preserve the historical structure of the building.

Romanesque hall

Classic hall

Egyptian Hall

Boudoir

The city mansion at 18 Tverskoy Boulevard in Moscow received its current appearance at the very beginning of the 20th century. The project was completed for Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov, a representative of the merchant family of vodka “kings”, by the architect.

Back in the early 60s of the eighteenth century, the property of Vasily Vasilyevich Istlentyev, the captain of the Horse Guards Regiment, was located here, but already in 1763 the plot with the house was bought by Alexander Grigorievich Petrovo-Solovov, the lieutenant general.

In post-fire Moscow, the place was already registered with Count Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov, and then, in the nineteenth century, the house repeatedly changed hands and was rebuilt. As a result of this, an “empire mansion” appeared here, the internal volumes of which created a kind of conglomerate of buildings from different eras, which was reflected even in the plans of rooms and halls: multi-level floors, numerous labyrinths of rooms and service spaces.

Finally, in 1900, on November 28, Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov bought the mansion from the then owner Nikolai Petrovich Malyutin - a hereditary honorary citizen - for his family, paying almost 300 thousand rubles for it.

Photo 1. Tverskoy Boulevard, 18 in Moscow

By that time, Pyotr Petrovich was happily married to Evgenia Ilyinichna Morozova, with whom he raised three children: Tatyana and brothers Arseny and Alexei. Olga was born in 1900.

Before moving to Moscow from St. Petersburg, the merchant was engaged in the tea trade until 1893, when, at the insistence of his father and creator of the vodka empire, Pyotr Arsenievich Morozov, he was involved in the family business. Thus, in 1894, the “Partnership of a vodka distillery, warehouses of wine, alcohol and Russian and foreign wines P.A.” was formed. Smirnov" with an authorized capital of 3 million rubles at that time.

Pyotr Morozov's family grew and there was not enough space in his father's mansion, after which Pyotr Arsenievich decided to buy a house for his son's family.

Photo 2. The former mansion of Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov on Tverskoy Boulevard

Architecture of a city mansion

Pyotr Petrovich himself took up the reconstruction of the purchased mansion on Tverskoy Boulevard, 18, for which he invited the architect Shekhtel, with whom their family was well acquainted by that time.

The task was set to create beautiful and decent housing with the obligatory preservation of the existing multi-level internal structure. At the same time, the customer wanted to make the mansion a decoration of Tverskoy Boulevard, so Shekhtel paid special attention to the street facade, leaving the walls on the courtyard side virtually unchanged.

The dominant feature of the main façade is a wrought-iron balcony, reminiscent of a ship floating above the heads of people passing under it. It could be reached through the front hall of the mansion.

The second most important element was the high attic, decorated with tall stained glass windows and with a cartouche with the owner’s personal monogram placed on it.

The first level of the mansion was reserved for household needs, but on the second floor Shekhtel managed to create a superbly arranged suite of living rooms for adult family members and state rooms. The children's half was located in the attic.

The main staircase was made of white natural marble, and the balustrade itself was decorated using Shekhtel’s favorite technique - in the form of an oncoming wave. On the second floor of the flight there was an impressive window opening with faceted multi-colored glass, which on sunny days cast a mosaic of all the colors of the rainbow around it.

On the walls of the lobby hung ceremonial portraits of Pyotr Petrovich and Evgenia Ilyinichna.

All the halls of the city mansion in house No. 18 on Tverskoy Boulevard were decorated in different styles.

Thus, the formal dining room with wooden panels, a barrel vault, squat columns, a huge fireplace and a lancet window with built-in stained glass belonged to the Romanesque style. The large living room is decorated in a classic way: rich stucco, greenish tint of the walls and ceiling paintings, into which Shekhtel wove the monogram of the hostess.

The Egyptian Hall stood out in particular; to increase its area, an extension was built on the side of the courtyard. The decor was represented by copies of drawings in golden beige tones, made from ancient papyri, as well as Egyptian columns. It was here that the owners held exhibitions of realistic painting, which did not particularly fit with the existing surroundings.

For the owner, Pyotr Petrovich, Shekhtel furnished a study room, decorated in the Gothic style. For Evgenia Ilyinichna herself, an elegant boudoir was provided, the main decoration of which was a sailing ceiling with ornamental stucco with images of roses, two sculptures of female figures dressed in a tunic, and lighting through lampshades resembling blossoming buds.

The Smirnov mansion at 18 Tverskoy Boulevard also had a winter garden with a variety of plants and even a small menagerie. The premises for children were decorated using scenes from Russian fairy tales.

In 1821, it was an elegant empire-style mansion with two separate wings, a typical representative of the development of Tverskoy Boulevard of Pushkin's time. A little later, the house merged with the outbuildings, and in 1901-1903 Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel rebuilt it by order of the famous winemaker Smirnov. He changed the building with just a few touches, which nevertheless gave it a completely different character. The main decoration of the discreet facade was a lace wrought-iron balcony, reminiscent of a ship sailing on the waves - Shekhtel’s favorite marine theme.

In the 19th century, the luxurious building, the creation of the world-famous Russian Art Nouveau architect Fyodor Shekhtel, was the center of Russian public life. Since 1906, in the luxurious interiors of the ceremonial premises, festive meetings of the nobility have been held, concerts with the participation of S. Rachmaninov and F. Chaliapin have been held, and significant events have been celebrated magnificently. The luxury of the interiors had to correspond to the status of the “new Russian” elite of the early twentieth century. The main rooms, assembled in an enfilade, replace one architectural style with another: “Romanesque Hall”, “Classical Hall”, “Egyptian Hall”, “Rocaille Room”, “Boudoir”, “Cabinet”. The building was not only one of the richest, but also one of the most advanced in terms of technical equipment.

This house has a strange fate. It was built for a beautiful life, but became the residence of one of the most sad institutions in the city. One of the richest houses of pre-revolutionary Moscow, one of Shekhtel’s most interesting buildings, located on the most famous boulevard of the city - and at the same time, almost no mentions in the literature. The fact is that for many years the mansion of P.P. Smirnova belonged to the city prosecutor's office and was one of the “closed” monuments in the capital.
In 1922, the Revolutionary Military Tribunal was located here, and then the Military Prosecutor's Office was located. Court hearings took place right in the Romansky Hall. Thus, for ordinary Muscovites, the entrance to this historical and architectural monument was closed for many decades.
The restoration of the state rooms, carried out in 2005-2006, returned them to their former splendor. Recently it has been occupied by various restaurant and club establishments. Part of the house is owned by the Pension Fund.

Mansion P.P. Smirnova - a weaving of incredible events and destinies in mystical interiors. We are given a rare opportunity to visit the “Palace of the Vodka King”.

This is interesting:
Engineering innovations of F. Shekhtel in the Smirnov mansion:
- one of the first buildings in Moscow with central steam heating with its own boiler room (until the mid-90s of the 20th century, German radiators from the early 19th century were used, replaced only during restoration);
- one of the first mansions in Moscow with full electrification, including the use of built-in lamps in the decoration of the halls (a prototype of modern suspended ceilings with built-in lighting);
- the first house with forced ventilation (the prototype of modern air conditioners);
- the first mansion where in the winter garden there is an original application of industrial glazing principles: large metal frames 2.5 x 3 meters with fine division, with double glazing (a prototype of modern double-glazed windows). Such windows practically did not freeze and retained heat even with a large illuminated volume.

The Smirnov mansion, which we will talk about today, is located on Tverskoy Boulevard. It is clear that such a place in the central part of the city has been used for development for a long time, but we will consider interiors created at the very beginning of the twentieth century. In 1900, these properties were acquired by Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov, the eldest son of the founder of the dynasty, founder of the world famous vodka brand Pyotr Alekseevich Smirnov. The famous and very popular architect Franz-Albert Schechtel was invited to rebuild the mansion. The architect worked on the house twice: in 1901-1903 and at the request of the heirs in 1910-1913. F. Shekhtel did not radically rebuild the mansion, he only changed the layout, combined a number of buildings under one facade and left the multi-level internal structure of the house, playing with it in interior solutions. The building turned out to be multi-story and extended, which did not fit into the lens. Let's look at the facade of the mansion. Here is a view from Tverskoy Boulevard to the left side of the building. Pay attention to the inconspicuous bay window - a protruding, fully glazed balcony, then we will see it from the inside

Here is the central part of Smirnov’s mansion, three-story...

...here is the right side

In fact, the mansion has more floors than it seems. Firstly, the first floor of the Smirnov mansion became a semi-basement due to the raising of the cultural layer of Tverskoy Boulevard by 70 cm. Secondly, from the boulevard, fortunately, the attic built in the 1990s is not visible. All the halls that we will walk through are located along the facade and have windows overlooking Tverskoy Boulevard. Remember the huge three-part window with stained glass and the stucco motif at the top of the windows and arches

The openwork balcony deserves special mention. It is raised to a level much higher than the floor of the room it belongs to. But the reasons for this decision are various: from the mistake of the architect, who was in great demand and was simultaneously managing several projects, to the need to allow passage under it on the street. There are also conflicting opinions about whether it is possible to go out onto it: somewhere the balcony is called purely decorative, somewhere they talk about the possibility of going out onto it. By the way, I have never seen such reasoning about the bay window anywhere, although there is the same solution, as we will see later.

Let me make a reservation right away that I was not on the right side of the building, because... it is occupied by the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation - not an agency that willingly displays its interiors. As a consolation, we can say that there are few interesting objects in the part occupied by the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. This is the main staircase made of snow-white Italian marble (by the way, its first flight can be seen from the street through the glass of the door), stucco on the ceiling, bas-reliefs on the walls, design of door groups

It was along these stairs that guests entered the Smirnov mansion. Nowadays, visitors pass through the so-called Northern Entrance Hall to view the halls, the small entrance door of which is located to the left of the arch under the stained glass window. When entering, you have to go down the steps, since the floor of the lobby is below the level of the boulevard - this is the cultural layer that I mentioned above. The floor of the North Entrance Hall has a very unique covering

Floor of the Northern lobby of the Smirnov mansion on Tverskoy Boulevard

The vestibule vaults were originally painted, but the paintings have not survived. In the corner of the lobby there is a broken doorway, through which a marble staircase is visible leading to the second floor, where the main rooms are located

Here is a view of the slanting doorway from above, from the landing. Please note that the staircase here is also not straight, it bends in a broken way and...

... around the corner a staircase hall in a classic style, with strict straight lines, opens up to us...

...and the same classic design

The staircase divides and leads to different rooms. One of them is an office, it is also called Gothic, but now there is no basis for such a definition. The original ceiling beams are made of bog oak, cleared of many layers of paint during restoration...

...and the doors, also restored. Please note that the pattern at the top of the door repeats the pattern of stucco on the facade of the building

The office has access to a bay window located on the left side of the facade. The last photo shows that the floor level of the bay window is raised in relation to the office and that the exit to the bay window was originally provided

The premises are designed in such a way that the office can be accessed directly from the stairs, bypassing other rooms: this is convenient both for the work of a busy businessman and for business meetings. Next to the office is the hostess’s boudoir or small living room

It is notable for its ceiling - sail vaults with flowers and rose leaves...

...and a corner fireplace made of pink marble, with deep turquoise interior trim with hog tiles. The fireplace is decorative, as the estate had central heating with its own boiler room. In general, Smirnov’s mansion was equipped with the latest technology: full electrification, forced ventilation, double glazing frames in the winter garden (based on the principle of current double-glazed windows).

From the boudoir and the staircase you can enter the so-called Romanesque Hall or Romanesque Living Room, one of the most impressive rooms of the mansion. The wall opposite the window is designed in the form of an arch with an ornament of cedar branches and medallions with images of mythical beasts

Along the wall opposite the window there are powerful columns with stylized capitals

Column capitals in the Romanesque Hall

At the side wall there is a monumental fireplace with a bas-relief depicting the battle of medieval knights

This bas-relief is supported by two columns that rest on the backs of reclining lions...

Lion by the fireplace in the Romanesque Hall

...and at the top they end in capitals with an ornate floral pattern, in which are found...some demonic faces!

Capitals of fireplace columns in the Romanesque hall

Perhaps F. Shekhtel encoded a meaning in the design of the fireplace that was not obvious upon a cursory examination. The fact is that on the bas-relief of the fireplace it is impossible to distinguish between friends and enemies, winners and losers, it’s just a battle of everyone with everyone. And this senseless killing of each other by people is the apotheosis of evil (devilish masks) based on power (lions at the base). In the living room there is another bas-relief, with more clearly readable symbols - on the opposite wall, by the window, above the passage to the antechamber

It depicts a dragon and a dog fighting - Masonic symbols. This scene can be interpreted as an eternal battle for the soul of man

Bas-relief in the Romanesque Hall

I also want to draw attention to the careful attention to the smallest details. This is how the area in front of the fireplace is designed. This photo also shows that the inside of the fireplace is made of brown hog tiles

Area in front of the fireplace in the Romanesque Hall

The Romanesque hall is designed in brown and green tones. The walls are covered with stained oak, the window frames are also made of that material, and the window sills are made of marble

Window sill in the Romanesque Hall

The Romanesque living room occupies two floors in height and it was its high triple windows that we saw from the boulevard. The stained glass window depicts a grapevine, the wall is filled with a floral pattern

Stained glass window of the Romanesque Hall

The ceiling of the Romanesque Hall is semi-cylindrical, with prominent ribs and a large ornament of uneven spirals on a light field

Ceiling of the Romanesque Hall

The transition of the ceiling to the wall is decorated with a wide dark green stripe with images of animals and birds. A chandelier is suspended from the ceiling on chains, which fits very well with the interior, although it appeared here much later

Romanesque Hall Chandelier

The fact is that after the revolution, the mansion housed first the Revolutionary Military Tribunal, and then, for many years, the Military Prosecutor's Office. After the war, the military prosecutor of Moscow brought this chandelier from Germany as a trophy, made in Art Nouveau, an art nouveau style characteristic of Germany.

From the Romanesque Hall, through an opening with a bas-relief of a dragon and a dog, we find ourselves in the antechamber - in fact, a passage room designed to formalize the difference in floor level between different parts of the building

You can immediately recognize Shekhtel by the curvature of the oak railings and the lantern at the beginning of the stairs

Twisted staircase in the entrance hall

Look how thoroughly the windows are made in this passage room, essentially a corridor

Window sills of the entrance hall

Here is the completion of the pilaster window frames

From the antechamber through doors like these

we go to the next room of the enfilade - the Rocaille or Pink Hall. Only the ceiling has been restored here, but what a one!

Take a closer look at the curls of the stucco - in the corners there are women in tunics - the so-called “decadent ladies”

In addition to its undoubted artistic merits, this ceiling is also notable for its technical innovations. Here, what would later be called built-in lamps and spotlights was invented and implemented. And this was done more than a hundred years ago! Subsequently, Shekhtel will repeatedly use this method of lighting in his projects, but such a sophisticated and elegant embodiment will not happen again

From the Pink Living Room we enter the Classic Hall, the second largest hall in the suite. It is made in the late Renaissance style, dedicated to a marine theme and designed in greenish tones. Only the ceiling and fireplace have been preserved.

In the center of the ceiling, in an empty octagonal lampshade, there was most likely a picturesque panel. There were no photographs of the ceiling, so the paintings were not restored. The rest of the ceiling space is decorated with stucco reliefs on the theme of the sea element with images of mythical characters - sirens, nereids - and various fantastic sea creatures

Fantastic sea monsters are one of Shekhtel’s favorite decorative techniques

In addition to sea nymphs, sea spirits or sea gods are depicted here in front and profile

My all-time love is window sills from the beginning of the last century :)

It is from this hall that the wrought-iron balcony that I spoke about when reviewing the facade is visible. From my photographs it is not clear whether it is possible to reach it, and I do not remember the guide’s comments on this topic. Let's just admire the lines and motifs characteristic of Art Nouveau

View of the balcony from the Classic Hall

Opposite the windows is a dark green marble fireplace with brown hog tile interior trim. The fireplace is decorated with a mirror in a stucco frame. Along the same wall there are doors to the next hall - the Egyptian one, where we will go.

The Egyptian hall is the only one that is not part of the enfilade and has windows not on Tverskoy Boulevard, but on the courtyard. This is the largest hall, with an area of ​​more than 200 square meters. m. It was originally intended for large-scale events: art exhibitions, balls and large receptions. Here is a view of the Egyptian Hall from the entrance from the Classical Hall

Here is the view from the opposite point, from the windows. Before the Shekhtel reconstruction there was a wall in place of the massive columns, and the hall itself was an outbuilding

The hall is designed in beige and golden colors. The walls are decorated with decor reminiscent of the portals of Egyptian temples. The same frames around large, square, reaching almost to the floor windows

The upper part of the portals is decorated with relief images and paintings with Egyptian motifs

Design of the top part of the portal

At the top of the walls, interspersed with portals, along the perimeter of the entire hall stretches a frieze with hieroglyphs and paintings on themes of Ancient Egypt.

The projections in place of the demolished wall are decorated with capitals with lotuses and platforms with hieroglyphs

There are also large images on the walls, covering the entire height of the wall.

In the center of the ceiling is an octagonal lampshade with a symbolic image of Ra, the sun god of Ancient Egypt.

Plafond on the ceiling in the Egyptian Hall

During the restoration, an original engineering and artistic solution was discovered. The ceiling lamp was not mounted on the ceiling, but was lowered below, which made it possible to discreetly place a ventilation hole behind it, which was very important for the dance hall. From the central lamp emanate either rays or snakes - symbols of Egyptian deities associated with the sun. Along the perimeter of the ceiling there are scenes from the life of the Egyptian pharaohs.

From the Egyptian and Classical halls you can get to the Greek living room. This small room continues the suite of halls along Tverskoy Boulevard. Opposite the window there is a pair of Ionic columns made of artificial marble

Along the perimeter of the wall under the ceiling stretches a stucco frieze on an antique theme with images of chariots, warriors and the crafts that serve them

Initially, there was a passage to that part of the mansion that is now given to the Pension Fund and is tightly isolated from the one we viewed.

Our walk through the Smirnov mansion is over. See you again in beautiful interiors!