Prazdnichnyi Peterburg (Festive Petersburg)
St. Petersburg: Muzei istorii Sankt-Peterburga / Art Deko, 2003. sewn cl. This catalogue of an exhibition at the Manège (Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg) marking the Tercentenary of the imperial capital publishes works from eighteen collections to give a visual overview of festive events in the imperial capital. The authors have compiled a broad range of visual material show how holidays in the imperial capital chronicled state events, which were the usual occasions for revelry. Especially important to Peter the Great were the successes of Russia’s new navy, and he introduced elaborate celebrations carried out by flotillas and regalia on the waters of the Neva. Bells and cannons also signaled political and military successes. Most state celebrations culminated in fireworks, which in the early eighteenth century were elaborate displays drawing on several sources of fire and sparks. Medals and prints commemorating victories in the Northern War against Sweden, ship models, Peter the Great’s personal belongings, paintings and drawings of the Patriotic War of 1812, and the Russo-Turkish wars are among the objects nicely reproduced in color. Also published are uniforms of Russian regiments, artifacts of masked balls, and articles pf costume from court dresses to dresses for folk festivals, public amusements, official jubilees, the unveiling of monuments, opening of bridges, etc. A final chapter looks at Soviet celebrations and publishes items that typify the period: posters such as “Glory to Great Stalin, Creator of the Soviet Constitution,” the painting “10 Years of the October Revolution,” and photographs of residents of Leningrad meeting the soldiers of the Leningrad Front on Palace Square in May 1945. 218 pp., 9 5/8 x 11 ins., 24.5 x 27.5 cm., 87 b-&-w illus., 197 color,, Rus. Item #1192
ISBN: 5895760058
Price: $76.00