Malaya Nikitskaya 6. In the latest fashion
In a small wooden house built after a fire in the 20s of the 19th century, the private “Museum of Personal Taste”, famous throughout Moscow, was once located, and today it is the scientific and exhibition department of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V. I. Dal. Wooden house with a mezzanine on a stone base, it was built in 1822 for the collegiate assessor Elizaveta Sontseva. The mansion changed its owners more than once: at different times it was owned by the architect Alexander Martynov, the founder of the famous almshouse Ivan Barykov. At the end of the century before last, the house with a mezzanine belonged to representatives of a large merchant family, brothers Dmitry Petrovich and Pyotr Petrovich Botkin. The museum history of the mansion can be traced back to 1889, when the daughter of a millionaire tea merchant Nadezhda Petrovna Botkina married a landscape artist, friend of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, collector Ilya Semenovich Ostroukhov. As a dowry, Pyotr Petrovich Botkin gives his son-in-law a house on Trubnikovsky Lane, which he in turn turns into a famous home museum. Ostroukhov's collection includes paintings by Levitan and Serov, Vrubel and Repin, Matisse and Degas, Renoir and Manet. Deserves special mention huge collection Russian icons. “Museum of personal taste” is what Ilya Semenovich himself calls his collection.
After the revolution, in 1818, the “Museum of Personal Taste” was nationalized, and the former owner of the collection was appointed its lifelong custodian. For 11 years, until the death of Ilya Semenovich, the mansion bore the name “Museum of Iconography and Painting named after I. S. Ostroukhov”, becoming a department of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Less than a month after the funeral of Ilya Semenovich, the “Museum of Iconography and Painting named after I. S. Ostroukhov” was liquidated, and the collection was divided between large galleries.
In 1979, it was decided to transfer the mansion on Trubnikovsky Lane State Museum history of Russian literature named after V.I. Dahl. Restorers tried to restore the building in the form in which it existed in late XIX century. During the renovation, the layout and decorative elements were preserved. From 1984 to 1992 there was an exhibition dedicated to the history of Russian literature of the 20th century. And in 2014, the museum received another name - the scientific and exhibition department “House of I. S. Ostroukhov in Trubniki”. Large, including international, historical and literary exhibition projects take place here. Conducted creative evenings modern writers, music concerts, classes for children, lectures and discussions, as well as scientific conferences, dedicated to the history of literature and the modern literary process. And on the ground floor of the mansion there is a museum book Shop"Ostroukhov" with an excellent selection of humanitarian literature.
The Ryabushinsky mansion is, one might say, a modern architectural monument that attracts tourists from all over the country to this part of Moscow. It was built not so long ago, at the beginning of the 20th century, and since then it has delighted the eyes of passers-by and visitors with its exquisite beauty. However, despite this fact, this house did not become famous due to its splendor.
Ryabushinsky's mansion as a partial reflection of the inner world of Maxim Gorky
The fact is that this estate used to be the home of Maxim Gorky, a classic of Russian literature, whose works educate the younger generation and shock adults with their depth and morality. The Ryabushinsky mansion is also distinguished by the fact that it is completely open to the public, so anyone can purchase a ticket and explore the museum-apartment not only in the photographs in the booklet, but also in person. Despite the enormous size of Moscow, in the capital of Russia you can find very few similar houses that are accessible to the eyes of a curious tourist from the inside, and this further fuels interest in this mansion.
Beauty for everyone
The Ryabushinsky mansion is also interesting because it is a real museum. Many Art Nouveau houses house foreign embassies within their walls, and therefore entry into them is not so free, although, of course, no one forbids viewing them from the street.
However, some special architecture lovers are not satisfied with such a superficial inspection, so they have to wait for the right moment to examine the building from the inside.
The first-class Gorky Museum is located in the same private building. The Ryabushinsky mansion is interesting not only because a classic writer once lived within its walls, but also because of its unusual and very beautiful architectural design. It is located on Malaya Nikitskaya, close to a metro station. Local residents know the location of this architectural and cultural monument well, so at any time you can ask a passer-by for directions and be sure that he will tell you the right way.
A cozy haven for a believer
Many people are interested in what is so interesting about the Ryabushinsky mansion? The official website, offering professional tours inside this private house, says that it was designed and built under the supervision of the architect F. O. Shekhtel. Initially, the latter simply fulfilled the personal order of Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky, who could afford it, being a millionaire, a successful banker and manufacturer with a prominent position in society.
Ryabushinsky is known for collecting icons all his life - he was a pious believer. His personality is also interesting because he was one of the first to try to restore old damaged images. He fought for their cultural and historical significance and could not allow damaged masterpieces to be disposed of, so he began to engage in this noble activity. However, the Ryabushinsky mansion in Moscow attracts tourists precisely because of the fact that Maxim Gorky lived there.
Asymmetry and originality
Even modern architects emphasize the very colorful design of the building. It is believed that every line of the pattern decorating the mansion is unique and individual. Residential buildings that are being built today are focused more on convenience than on aesthetics, therefore to modern man This approach to the housing issue may seem somewhat wild. However, earlier architects treated their work solely as creativity, so each structure they created had to be a real work of art.
We can say that Ryabushinsky’s mansion is distinguished by somewhat sharp, asymmetrical projections of the walls, which, oddly enough, do not spoil its appearance at all. The stylized floral motifs are executed very subtly and gracefully, and each of them is also extremely original. Any skeptic who took just one careful look at the exterior of this mansion would begin to admire the talent of F. O. Shekhtel.
Unforgettable experiences for little money
There are few things that attract Moscow tourists with unsolved mysteries and general atmosphere some mysticism as much as the Ryabushinsky mansion does. Its opening hours are standard: from 11 to 17 pm. At the same time, most historical museums in Europe are open.
A ticket to view the mansion from the inside costs very little - only 200 rubles per adult. Tourists begin their excursion from the back door, which adds more flavor to it. Of course, not all interior items from the time Gorky lived here have been preserved; many have been replaced. General interior repeats the standard 30s.
It is very interesting that the museum carefully keeps a so-called “visitor diary”, where the names of absolutely everyone who wants to take the tour are entered. Needless to say, this diary is far from being a school notebook in a 24-page square, but the most real book quite serious looking.
A good place to be alone
The mansion of S.P. Ryabushinsky is interesting not only because it very accurately recreates the atmosphere in which the Russian classic lived, but also because it has preserved the entire personal library of the famous writer. It is of particular value, so visitors can only take a quick look at it, but they won’t be able to sit and read old books here.
If you are lucky enough to visit the museum-apartment in the evening or in cloudy weather, you can see the unique floral patterns in the chapel, which glow dimly but very beautifully in the dark. Visitors can enjoy almost this magical view as long as they want (of course, until the apartment museum closes).
Since it is not customary to talk loudly in museums, here you will be able to be alone with yourself and, perhaps, experience exactly the emotions that the Russian classic Maxim Gorky, who lived here, once experienced.
Savior of the Ryabushinsky mansion, Maxim Gorky
Visitors must keep in mind that Maxim Gorky himself lived only on the first floor of the mansion, and his family once lived on the second floor of the museum-apartment. Of course, due to the fact that the mansion changed owners several times, the situation in it was constantly changing. But visitors can, if they wish, see the original interior of the building in numerous photographs. Here, those interested will see many photographs depicting the former owners of the mansion and some scenes from their lives. We can say that Gorky at one time saved the building from complete destruction, but this sad fate befell many private Moscow houses of that time.
A place that every tourist should visit in Moscow
Initially, Ryabushinsky’s mansion was not suitable for receiving a large number of visitors, and this is very much reflected in the interior. It is not always convenient to book excursions here in whole groups, so it is better to visit the museum-apartment on your own. The talented architect Shekhtel made sure that a person completely alone would be as comfortable as possible in this house, despite the many asymmetrical design solutions and sharp corners. In general, the impressions after visiting the Ryabushinsky mansion are very positive, and this is largely facilitated by the color scheme of the Art Nouveau style - light, life-affirming colors and beautiful plant patterns.
And here is the promised story. It’s just scary how much text I ended up with. Don’t blame me, I can’t do this without getting to the bottom of things and delving into interesting details. The excitement of a researcher, what can you do? At least look at the photos, it’s really worth going there.
Hidden treasure: Ryabushinsky's mansion - a stone story by Fyodor Shekhtel.
It was wonderful. It was wonderful because this was our first walk around Moscow together with my husband after the birth of our son. We left Igor with his godmother for a few hours and went to the center. It doesn't get any more central: Malaya Nikitskaya, 6/2. On one side is the noisy Nikitsky Boulevard, on the other - the old curving Spiridonovka, opposite - the domes of the Church of the Great Ascension - witnessmarriage of Alexander Pushkin with the beautiful Goncharova.
The museum-apartment of A.M. is located at this address. Gorky. But here’s a paradox: most visitors come here not to look at the personal belongings of the proletarian writer, but to see the interiors invented and implemented by the famous Moscow architect Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel. And most people know this house not as Alexei Maksimovich’s apartment, but as Ryabushinsky’s mansion.
As sometimes happens, the real treasure is hidden in plain sight. I think many who live or work in the center have more than once passed by this house with a smoothly curved cast-iron fence. It instantly attracts the eye with an unusual mosaic frieze with intertwining stems of flowers.
Mosaic ornament: soft lilac orchids and irises on a blue background
But does everyone know that you can freely go inside and inspect the house absolutely free of charge (only photography is paid: 100 rubles in the museum apartment and 30 rubles separately for photography in the prayer room on the third floor)?
Rushing past, an ordinary passer-by will fleetingly admire the mosaic, glance at the tightly closed front door facing Malaya Nikitskaya, and then run on. Only by pausing at the inhospitably locked door and peering through the bars of the fence, you can see a small piece of paper stuck on the door with an arrow pointing somewhere to the side, “Entrance to the Museum.” The entrance to the museum is from Spiridonovka Street, from the former back staircase of the mansion. Why is it always like this with us? Although, on the other hand, the real treasure does not lie entirely on the surface, you need to look for it, and the greater the joy from its discovery.
So let’s discover one of the recognized masterpieces of Moscow Art Nouveau.
Crossroads of destinies
First, I’ll write a little about the people, because this house would not be what it is without the people who shared its fate. It so happened that in this house the fates of three bright, charismatic, each in their own talented and extraordinary personalities crossed: Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky, Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel and Alexei Maksimovich Gorky.
Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky
Stepan Pavlovich (1874-1842) is one of a large family of Russian merchants and then entrepreneurs Ryabushinsky, an entire dynasty that left a noticeable mark in industry, science, and culture of Russia.
The generation to which Stepan Ryabushinsky, the owner of the house on Malaya Nikitskaya, belonged, consisted of eight sons and four daughters, most of whom had outstanding abilities and became famous in various activities. The five brothers were mainly involved in trading, industrial and banking affairs of their family's huge company, as well as charitable activities. Two brothers went into science, one became an artist and writer, publisher of the once sensational magazine “ The Golden Fleece" Many family members were collectors, collecting paintings by Russians and foreign artists, icons, art objects.
Stepan Pavlovich was completely immersed in the affairs of the company, headed the trading part of the cotton production, and subsequently became the initiator and creator of Russia's first automobile plant in Moscow. Just imagine what an innovation it was at that time, and what remarkable breadth of views, courage and flair you had to have to start and raise such an adventure to a worthy level.
It was he who ordered the then young Shekhtel to build a mansion for his family. They just started talking a lot about the architect after he built a mansion for Zinaida Grigorievna and Savva Timofeevich Morozov on Spiridonovka in 1893 (This house can still be seen now at number 17. No sign, a high solid fence, a checkpoint with a barrier. There is now a hall there receptions of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One can only guess about the interiors, they say it’s something magnificent).
Stepan Pavlovich's family was Old Believers. Apparently, this partly explains one of the main interests of his life: he collected, researched, put in order ancient Russian icons and organized their exhibitions. He has published articles on this topic in specialized journals. He was an archaeologist by training and a real expert in pre-Nikon icon painting, which existed before the split between the Orthodox and Old Believer churches. He was the first to begin the scientific clearing and restoration of ancient icons. His restoration workshop was also located in a mansion on Malaya Nikitskaya. Only from Tretyakov Gallery catalogs, where after revolutionpart of his collection was transferred, there are 57 iconsXIII— XVII centuries V.
He chaired the Ostozhensk Old Believer community and headed the commission for the protection of antiquities of the churches of the Rogozhskoe cemetery. The most valuable icons of his collection were kept in the churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery. It’s interesting how when writing historical posts you come across the intertwining of places and destinies..html, but I only learned about Ryabushinsky’s participation now, while collecting material for this story.
After the revolution of 1917 he emigrated to Milan.
Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel (1859-1926)
“... when art is accessible and understandable to the entire population. Only then will it be able to show its mighty power: it will raise the taste for the elegant, ennoble the soul, awaken and develop more high needs spirit and will raise life to a higher level of development.” From the collected works of F.O. Shekhtel
Fyodor Shekhtel was originally named Franz Albert, as he was born in St. Petersburg into a family that went back to immigrants from Bavaria and moved to Russia under Catherine II. However, most of his life is connected with Moscow, where he arrived at the age of 16.
How to be able to write about such a block briefly, unboringly, but at the same time give it its due To the Big Man and Talent.
Shekhtel is a man of diverse abilities and talents, multifaceted interests, broad outlook, and incredible performance. He was friends with many prominent people of his era: Chekhov, Levitan, Tsvetaev.
He started out as a book designer, was an excellent draftsman, collaborated with various magazines, and out of close friendship, designed collections of stories by A.P. Chekhov. For some time he was a stage designer, creating sets and costumes for theatrical performances, sketches, programs, and posters.
Over time, around the end of the 1890s, he devoted himself entirely to architecture. According to his designs, about 50 buildings were erected in and near Moscow alone, many of which have survived. The most famous, besides the mansions in the center, are the Yaroslavsky Station, founded together with Chekhov, the Art Theater in Kamergersky Lane. Shekhtel designed the entire theater building, both inside and outside, to the smallest details- chairs, doors, dressing rooms, entrances, lanterns. He designed a stage with a very complex mechanism, thought through the lighting of the stage and hall, the color of the walls, carpets that absorb sound, and, of course, the curtain. So Chekhov’s seagull, a symbol of the theater, can rightfully be called Shekhtel’s.
For many years he taught at the Moscow Stroganov School. For the design of the pavilions of the Russian Department at the International Exhibition of 1901, the Imperial Academy of Arts awarded Shekhtel the title of Academician of Architecture. Shekhtel himself took his academic status seriously and signed his works “academician Shekhtel.”
And how many estates and dachas were designed by Shekhtel? apartment buildings, public and business buildings, temples! And not only in Moscow. During his life, Shekhtel created a total of 19 country estates, 23 mansions, 14 public buildings and monuments, 5 apartment buildings, 9 business buildings, about 20 temples and tombstones. In addition, there are many unfulfilled projects. For example,Shekhtel was carried away by the plans of I.V. Tsvetaev on the creation of the Museum of Fine Arts and became the author of the unrealized project of the main staircase and the Hall of Fame. He generously donated money to the museum, was a consultant in architectural matters and an active like-minded person of Tsvetaev.
In the conditions of the subsequent wars and revolutions, he continued to work, trying to find a place for himself in the new time and new order. He creates projects that are in tune with the spirit of the 20s with their industrial construction: Dneproges, the Optical Plant in Bolshevo, the city of power engineers "Electropol", many hydraulic structures, bridges.
None of these powerful projects were implemented; Shekhtel's architectural vision turned out to be unnecessary and even annoying in the new conditions. He was reproached for excessive romanticism, and philosophical understanding of the purpose of architecture turned out to be a completely alien idea in the new state.
Shekhtel deeply felt his uselessness and worked on “ideological” projects, hoping to once again become useful to his contemporaries. For example, he created a project for the Lenin Mausoleum “with a crypt, an audience and a podium,” which remained only on paper.
His last years truly tragic. He was evicted from his own house on Bolshaya Sadovaya, wandered around communal apartments, went hungry, sold his library and collections in order to feed himself. Summing up his life, he admitted with bitter irony that, having built for all the Morozovs and Ryabushinskys and von Derviz, he remained poor.
A. M. Gorky (Peshkov)
After the revolution, Ryabushinsky's mansion was nationalized. Many different institutions were located within its walls: the department of visas and passports, the State Publishing House of the RSFSR, and even the Psychoanalytic Institute of Professor I.D. Ermakova with an orphanage-laboratory.
In the end, A.M., who returned from abroad, became the owner of the house. Gorky, who received the house as a kind of gift from I.V. Stalin. On the memorial plaque on the facade of the mansion you can read: “A.M. Gorky lived here in 1931-1936.”
Of course, the nationalization and forced immigration of the original owners of the mansion is sad, nevertheless, it happened. And we can only rejoice in the fact that it was the years that Gorky lived here that later turned into a memorial museum and served as a safe conduct for the mansion, which escaped destruction and became accessible to everyone.
What's inside: a wave staircase, a necklace of rooms and a secret prayer room
So, go inside the house through the door with reverse side mansion, you go up the narrow, steep back staircase, pass the somewhat deaf old watchman, put on ugly, oversized museum slippers on your feet (if you have medical shoe covers at home, it’s better to take them with you, you can too) and immediately find yourself at the foot of the “ business card» house - marble main staircase-waves.
It soars in a smooth semicircle to the second floor, proudly carrying fantastic railings reminiscent of the winged curls of a sea wave. The wave begins with a powerful marble splash, on top of which a jellyfish chandelier is thrown. Unusually shaped glass bulbs hang down, reminiscent of the tentacles of this sea creature.
From below you can admire stained glass window over a small platform in the middle of the stairs.
For some reason, it is not allowed to climb the main staircase to the second floor, but in case Have a good mood caretakers and your polite requests, a miracle may happen: they will unhook the rope and allow you to climb to the middle of the sacred staircase. Well, you have to be content with little.
Among smooth lines The heavy stepped cabinets climbing up to the second floor along the wall opposite the railings hurt your eyes. It is difficult to imagine that this is how Shekhtel intended it. And rightly so, not them. This is Gorky's library.
Having gathered our strength and finally managed to turn away from the beautiful staircase, we begin a circular journey through the suite of rooms on the first floor. Through the magnificent doorway We find ourselves in the first room of the circular enfilade-necklace - the dining room or living room.
It must be said that the doors in this house attract most of the attention and seem to direct the visitor from room to room. Some attract the eye with the dominant size of the opening, some - with unusual decorative design platbands or door panels themselves.
Here is a photo of the door leading from the dining room to the library,
The same door, but in the other direction in the direction of travel, looks like this
Movement from room to room is not difficult, the space is not enclosed. The movement stops only on the third floor, in the prayer room, but more on that later.
So, living-dining room.
Numerous meetings of Gorky with guests took place here: writers, playwrights, creative people. Meetings of the Writers' Union were held here more than once, one of the main initiators of which was Gorky himself. In this room, discussions were held about the then literary method called socialist realism. Almost all famous writers of the 1930s. We visited Gorky here - this house served as a writer's club for them.
A permanent place at Gorky's table is marked with a tea set.
Library
From the dining room through another unusual doorway (see photo above) we find ourselves in the library.
Gorky always had an extensive library. This one, located in the Ryabushinsky mansion, is already the sixth in a row. He donated previous ones to public city libraries, for example, in Nizhny Novgorod, or simply to private individuals. You can have different attitudes towards a writer’s work; it can even be annoying, especially in our time. However, one thing cannot be taken away from him: his colossal educational activities.
The library room is unique with its ceiling, decorated with a panel on which chrysanthemums are blooming, and stucco flowers and leaves. This design turns the room into a real gazebo
Here's a closer photo of the panel
And stucco
Here is a photo from the library to the street, I really like it
The books did not fit in the library and dining room cabinets and gradually crept into the hall, where cabinets were built for them along the stairs (remember?).
Cabinet
In this room was Alexei Maksimovich’s office, where he worked every day according to a strict schedule, from 9 am to 2 pm, holidays and weekends almost did not exist. During these years creative activity Gorky was huge. Self-discipline and organization led to high efficiency, and successful work gave rise to inspiration, as the writer himself admitted. He probably wasn't joking, since the result of his work is only 35 volumes works of art, not counting articles and letters.
In this room, Gorky's presence is felt most of all. A large work desk was made to his order: without drawers, higher than usual, so that it would be more convenient to work at it due to lung disease. The order in the workplace was unchanged: an inkwell, large sheets of paper with wide margins, many colored pencils, a wooden pen, notepads and pieces of paper for notes.
This is also a photo from the table, it seems to me that this says something about the personality of the person who wrote here
In the cabinets above the fireplace and near it there is a Gorky collection of works by oriental bone carvers of the 18th-20th centuries: a carved box, vases made of lacquer, bamboo, porcelain, figurines, balls.
This collection is considered one of the best; a similar collection of the Oriental Museum in Moscow is inferior to Gorky’s. Alexey Maksimovich showed it with love and knowledge of the secrets of craftsmanship. Throughout his life, the writer collected various objects of art, many of which he donated to museums and just people. According to him, he would like the energy contained in them to give birth new wave creativity.
Next to the cabinets there is Chinese furniture - a carved table for a lute, two stools, a carved chair at the table. This is a joint gift from the family and writer A.N. Tolstoy, who found them from antique dealers.
Bedroom
There are only the essentials here: a bed, a bedside table, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers. Corner bookshelf hung at Gorky's request, books were placed on it for nightly reading. The last selection included “Russian folk tales” collected by A. Afanasyev, “Vanity Fair” by Thackeray, works by R. Rolland, books by K.S. Stanislavsky and V.G. Korolenko, poems by N. Yazykov, “Songs” by Beranger. Sometimes Gorky jokingly called himself a “professional reader.”
The Japanese cabinet contains part of the oriental collection: a dragon, vases and miniature sculptures.
And here is the lid of the chest of drawers with a colorful gargoyle.
This is the view from the bedroom window now. The window frames of the house become picture frames that frame what you see in the window. I think that's how it was intended
And here is the front entrance with a tightly locked door overlooking Malaya Nikitskaya
To the right of the door is a glass cabinet with the writer’s personal belongings
The second floor was closed at the time of our visit to the museum for technical reasons. We were told that there were living rooms and children's rooms there, and now there is an exhibition dedicated to the work of Gorky there.
On the third floor you are greeted by a photo exhibition dedicated to the Ryabushinsky dynasty, and a small exhibition of young artists painting Russian estates. But, of course, the main treasure of the third floor is the prayer room of the Ryabushinsky family.
Prayer room - hidden space
The prayer room was built by Shekhtel for the Ryabushinsky family secretly in 1904. A little later, the persecution of the Old Believers weakened, but at that time it was possible to act only covertly. Therefore, the staircase to the prayer room is located in a tower specially attached to the house. It ends the unimpeded circular movement around the house: you have arrived where you need to go - to the end of everything or, conversely, to the beginning. Having entered through the door, symbolically leading from the lower world, a person finds himself in front of a single door - the Royal Doors.
The low altar barrier has not survived, but one can easily imagine where it was: in front of three high windows with typical temple slopes directing the gaze to the sky. From the site of the former altar, rays laid out on the parquet also diverge to the sides. It is known that the main protecting icon of the house on Malaya Nikitskaya was the image of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush” from Pskov writing from the late 15th century - quite rare even among collectors.
If on the traditional icon “The Burning Bush” the Mother of God is depicted with one ladder leading upward, then Stepan Ryabushinsky kept a more ancient image, in which the Mother of God holds not one, but two ladders. The first, leading upward, speaks of the Mother of God as a helper who gives believers access to the heavenly heights, and the second staircase, lowered down, symbolizes the Queen of Heaven as the protector of sinners, helping everyone who sincerely turns to her. There is a version that investing precisely this secret meaning, Shekhtel introduces two staircases into the house design - the front and the back, which both lead to the prayer room. Here it is - a symbol of different roads to enlightenment and the Kingdom of Heaven
The prayer room occupies a small room, but it seems quite spacious thanks to its excellent proportions and the upward looking dome. Quite poorly lit: skylight at the top of the dome
and the three already mentioned narrow lancet windows in the wall behind the former altar. And they are located above human height, so the light does not flood the room, but diffusely penetrates it from above.
Photo In this room sits a sad caretaker, accepting money for photography and selling literature relevant to the place. She selects someone worthy of her trust from a series of visitors and begins to complain about her fate as a caretaker. He says that he has been sitting there for ten years and is going blind from the light of energy-saving lamps. I advised her to bring a brighter lamp from home, but from the way she looked at me incomprehensibly, I realized that she did not need a solution, but sympathy, so then she only sighed empathetically. So, for some it’s a masterpiece of architecture, and for others it’s a personal calvary.
However, the poorly lit prayer room has its own secret. Thanks to the peculiarities of wall painting, in the evening it turns into an open space with starry sky: the dark spirals of ivy stems on the walls merge at dusk into a common background, and the white dots on the leaves begin to glow like stars. Of course, I didn’t see the prayer room late in the evening, but I’m ready to believe that there is a feeling of space, an endless universe.
I was so absorbed in contemplating the appearance of the prayer room that I didn’t even immediately realize that in it decoration there are no familiar images of the Savior, the Mother of God. There are many things that are vitally told here, but only through eternal ancient symbols.
On the towels decorating the three-part window in the altar, the ancient symbol of Jesus Christ is indicated - a fish with an equal-pointed cross above it and the inscription in Greek “Ichthus” (fish). This encrypts the oldest formula of the creed: the five letters of the word “Ichthus” are the first letters of the five words Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior (Jesous Christos, Theou Uios, Soter).
At the base of the dome, an abbreviated inscription in ancient Greek is repeated four times: “true Christian women will receive holiness for their suffering on the day doomsday" The triangles scattered on the inner surface of the dome are reminiscent of the Trinity, just like the three-part window itself.
At one time the prayer room was lit with candles. Everything that is now painted yellow was gilded. The wall paintings were restored in 1977-89, but in the altar several fragments of original painting from the early 20th century were preserved: symbols of Christ and towels. The medallions on the sails with images of the symbols of the evangelists are also considered authentic.
Sketches for them are preserved in Shekhtel’s archive. They were rolled, cut along the contour of the design with a knife and sprayed onto the sails. Thus, they were not touched by the hand of a modern artist. In the photo you can also see the same leaves with white dots, which in the evening create the impression of privacy with the starry sky.
Mysteries of the house: secret meanings and allegories
How subjective it is, in my opinion, to look for subtexts and secret meanings in works of art. Is this really necessary to understand the author? Maybe it’s better to just enjoy the perception of beauty without reflecting or breaking it down into its component elements? However, how would critics and historians live then? J
Sometimes you are amazed when reading, say, the interpretation of a painting or sculpture. Do you really think that the artist sat just like that and thought about how many symbols and allegories to encrypt in his work? The exception, of course, is medieval painting, written in a language of symbols at that time understandable to every enlightened person. Although than new story worse? Maybe the creator put it into his work secret meaning. Or maybe he simply obeyed inspiration and created without thinking about future interpretations?
However, I cannot ignore the so-called mysteries of Fyodor Shekhtel. Mostly because when you delve into various guesses and versions, you get a feeling of some mystery, almost mysticism, which gives the whole house a slightly magical flair. So what did he want to say with his vision of the mansion’s interiors?
In one article I found the opinion that “an unprepared viewer often finds in a mansion only an obvious, literal image of the natural elements, flora and fauna.” This supposedly hides Shekhtel’s special approach to his works, dividing the viewer according to the degree of preparedness. Sounds a little arrogant, in my opinion. It is unlikely that Shekhtel intentionally introduced the idea of such intellectual discrimination into his works, although he really makes you think and look for an explanation for the mysteries of the house.
Any museum curator will tell you that the lamp on the main staircase is a symbolic image of a jellyfish, but if you go up the stairs a little, you can see the lampshade covering the top of the lamp, which looks like a tortoise shell.
It would seem that these are natural motifs, the use of images of the animal world. However, the inexhaustible imagination of art interpreters offers the following interpretation: the jellyfish at the beginning of the stairs, with its characteristic plasticity, is comparable to the image of a person who is confused by vanity and haste on the path to God. The transformation of the image into a turtle refers us to associations with calm, balance, and wisdom, the symbol of which is this animal. Thus, the staircase itself appears before us as a symbol of spiritual formation, the path to perfection and to God.
There is an opinion that the framework of purely “natural” motives for Shekhtel is too narrow and primitive. Remember the photo of the wave splashing at the base of the stairs? So, with a serious approach and a strong desire, you can see in it the image of a woman leading a person ascending the stairs, the medallions on the railings of which are made in the form of the Sanskrit “yin and yang” - light and darkness. This can be interpreted as an image of the Mother of God herself.
Or here is a column on the second floor, which you can see by politely asking the caretakers. I already wrote that I have no idea why the entrance along the main staircase to the second floor is blocked by a traditional museum rope, and only upon great request can you be allowed to climb to the middle of this very staircase and, craning your neck, look at the column with a sculptural top.
The capital of the column is an interweaving of monstrous lizards or salamanders with beautiful lilies. They say that this technique carries deep philosophical meaning, clearly depicting the organic connection of everything that exists. Scary lizards are the personification of evil, lilies are a symbol of good - everything is intertwined in the “here” world.
I only told you about part of the house’s mystery symbols, I hope this is enough to get interested and want to make your own impression.
It’s time to end here, so as not to continue endlessly, because the meaning of the symbols of modernity is inexhaustible.
Finally, a photo of the house from Spiridonovka
Update: my husband read the post and explained to me, who was inattentive, why visitors in the museum are not allowed up the main staircase to the second floor: there is a crack. That is why we were asked to climb along the very edge of the staircase. I managed to ignore this moment of the museum employee’s explanation.
Ryabushinsky's mansion (Russia) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The Ryabushinsky family is one of the brightest examples Russian merchant dynasty. Most famous representative clan - Stepan Pavlovich, Old Believer, banker, philanthropist, collector, founder of the automobile plant, the future ZIL. He harmoniously combined a sharp mind, commercial talent, delicate taste, love of antiquity and contemporary art. He ordered the house for himself not just anyone, but to his friend Fyodor Shekhtel, a modernist architect, the forerunner of the great Antonio Gaudi. The mansion Ryabushinsky built on Malaya Nikitskaya street in Moscow caused a mixed reaction from critics, but today it is perceived as a new word in the architecture of the 20th century.
Art Nouveau style in Europe is more often called Art Nouveau, and in America - Tiffany. It is characterized by the rejection of right angles and straight lines, combination of dissimilar materials, floral motifs in decor, careful artistic elaboration of all details.
Masterpiece of Russian Art Nouveau
The house stands close to the street, its facades are lined with light finishing bricks and decorated with a frieze depicting blooming irises. The varied shapes of windows and balconies with wrought iron grilles create a whimsical, unique pattern.
In the hall behind front door The guest is greeted by the main decoration of the interior - a white marble staircase in the form of a falling wave. A chandelier hanging high under the ceiling looks like a jellyfish; in the window there is a huge stained glass window depicting the wings of a butterfly. Even the bronze seahorses where the door handles are are in keeping with the overall theme. The floor and walls in blue-green tones resemble a pond covered with duckweed. The capitals of the columns were made according to the drawings of Mikhail Vrubel, another friend of the owner of the mansion.
During construction, the Old Believers were still illegal, so the architect, at the request of the client, built a secret prayer room inside the house, which is not visible from the outside. Its interior repeats in miniature a church with a dome, iconostasis and paintings. Ryabushinsky bought ancient icons and organized the first workshop in Russia for their restoration in his home. Most of His collections after 1917 settled in the Tretyakov Gallery. They say that in the dark, letters and patterns glow on the ceiling of the chapel.
Ryabushinsky's mansion today
Date of creation: 1900 - 1902 Architect: Shekhtel F.O.
Ryabushinsky's mansion on Malaya Nikitskaya Street is a classic example of an early modern mansion. In contrast to the “facade” architecture, the cubic volume triumphs here, emphasized by the horizontals of the cornice slabs that are strongly set forward and the whimsically asymmetrical protrusions of the walls, massive porches, balconies, each time individually unique and therefore asserting the equivalence of all facades.
The cladding with light glazed bricks and the wide mosaic frieze with images of irises, covering the top of the building, reveal the aesthetic expressiveness of the surface of the walls, cut through by squares of large windows.
The rationalism of the layout of the interior spaces, grouped around the main staircase, is combined with the irrationality of sophisticated and refined forms of decoration (the parapet of the main staircase, the relief decorating the fireplace, the metal lattice in the tympanum of the arch of the dining room doorway and its wooden frame, the iron frame of chandeliers, etc.) . Each room, thanks to the architect’s rejection of the enfilade principle of arrangement of rooms, acquires independence and isolation; at the same time, the desire to unite the internal space and its free fluidity is clearly expressed. All interior finishing details, right down to door handles, lighting fixtures, furniture, are carefully thought out and endowed with aesthetic value, the care for beauty and comfort is visible in everything.
Moscow and Moscow region. M., Art. 1979. P.500
After 1917, Ryabushinsky’s mansion became the property of the city and belonged alternately to the People’s Commissariat for foreign affairs, State publishing house, psychoanalytic institute, kindergarten.
Since 1931, M. Gorky lived in the mansion. Nowadays, the Ryabushinsky mansion is occupied by the Gorky Memorial House-Museum.
Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky (1874-1942) was a representative of the famous pre-revolutionary Russia dynasties of industrialists and bankers. The foundations for the future prosperity of the Ryabushinsky family were laid by his paternal grandfather, Mikhail Yakovlevich (1787-1858), who arrived in Moscow from the Kaluga province to trade fabrics in Gostiny Dvor. A devout Old Believer, a “thrifty man”, close to the working people, who survived the ruin and invasion of Napoleon, he was still able to save money through hard work and acquire several manufactories, where he himself often worked as a foreman. He left his heirs a capital of two million rubles - unheard of money at that time!
His eldest son Ivan, having married against the will of his parents, was excommunicated from home and from the family business. And here younger sons Pavel and Vasily turned out to be very enterprising, with their family income growing and strengthening. In 1882, the Ryabushinskys received the right to depict on their goods National emblem- sign High Quality products. Pavel Mikhailovich took an active part in the life of his class: he was elected to the Moscow Duma, the commercial court and was an elected member of the Moscow Exchange Society. The family also paid great attention to charitable activities: during the famine of 1891, the Ryabushinskys used their own money to build a shelter and a free public canteen, which could accommodate up to a thousand people a day
In the summer of 1900, construction began on a luxurious mansion on Malaya Nikitskaya for Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky, one of the representatives of the third generation of the dynasty. Malaya Nikitskaya in those years looked very provincial: low wooden or stone houses, chickens walking along the cobblestone streets, the aroma of samovar smoke. To place here an urban estate with an exquisite house, courtyard and services - laundry, janitor, storage room, garage and stables - required an experienced architect who could think outside the box. The order for construction was received by Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel (1859-1926), whose work Stepan Pavlovich especially liked.
An amazing dreamer and great experimenter, Shekhtel was the most brilliant and prolific master of the Art Nouveau style in Russia. Moscow celebrities gladly gave him orders, and the buildings he built largely determined the appearance of old Moscow. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the main customer of professional craftsmen was the Russian merchant class, which replaced the impoverished nobility. Industrialists and bankers sought to show themselves not only as masters of life, but also as highly educated people keeping up with the times. Modernity has come to the court.
By 1902, construction work was completed, and the luxurious mansion immediately became a tourist attraction. Three publishing companies - M. Kampel, P. von Girgenson and Sherar, Nabholz and Co. - published postcards depicting the Ryabushinsky estate in 1903-1905.
The main highlight of the house was the main staircase of the hall, made in the shape of a wave. A cascade of marble waves throwing a jellyfish chandelier high up, greenish walls imitating sea element, subdued lighting, seahorse-shaped door handles create a picture of the underwater world. Shekhtel continued this game in the design of the remaining rooms - plant motifs, marine themes, fancy snails and butterflies disguised in interior details - this house is full of special life.
The mansion also has its own secrets - a secret Old Believer chapel located in the attic of the northwestern part of the house; You can't see it from the street. The walls and dome of the chapel are covered with a unique abstract temple painting - the small room is maximally stylized as an ancient church. To go to secret room, you had to go up to the second floor, walk along a narrow gallery and up the back stairs. Outsiders had no idea that there was such a room in the house.
The Ryabushinskys were deeply religious people; faith in God and the desire for moral perfection were passed down in this family from generation to generation as the highest value. And even in difficult times, when, by order of Nicholas I, who fought against the “schismatics,” Old Believers were not accepted into the merchant guild, and their children were threatened with a 25-year conscription, the Ryabushinskys were adamant, while many merchant families could not withstand the pressure and left from the "schism". Complete equation The Old Believers received rights with the official church only in 1905 after the manifesto of Nicholas II on religious tolerance. That’s why the prayer room in Stepan Pavlovich’s house was a secret.
Stepan Pavlovich Ryabushinsky went down in history not only as an entrepreneur and philanthropist, but also as a scientist and collector who collected icons. He was one of the first to begin restoring icons and proved their artistic and historical significance. Ryabushinsky even planned to open an icon museum in his mansion. Probably, the rooms on the second floor, the walls of which were covered with leather, were intended for this purpose.
The whirlwind of the October Revolution crippled the fates of more than one family. The Ryabushinskys, prosperous and successful, after 1917 became a symbol of the domestic bourgeoisie and synonymous with the anti-people essence of Russian entrepreneurship. Forced emigration became their only salvation from the attacks and accusations of the new regime.
Shekhtel’s fate was also tragic. Fyodor Osipovich remained in Russia and refused very tempting offers received from foreign customers. He sincerely tried to find his place in the new, alien country of socialism. Shekhtel's family was evicted from their mansion on Bolshaya Sadovaya, and the great architect, who stood at the origins of Russian Art Nouveau, building for the Morozovs, Ryabushinskys, Smirnovs, until the end of his days wandered around rented communal apartments and died sick and poor. Today, the history of architecture is studied based on his projects, and there is a small planet in the sky named after him...
Main facade. Drawing. History of urban art volume 2
D. Andreev. Perspective of the Ryabushinsky mansion. Ink, watercolor
D.B. Barkhin. Remake of Ryabushinsky's house. Side western façade.
1st floor plan. Shekhtel's drawing.
F. O. Shekhtel. Staircase in the Ryabushinsky mansion in Moscow. 1902 - 1906.
Sukharev N.I. Paper. Italian pencil.
