O. Brain, art historian (St. Petersburg)

St. Petersburg is preparing for the 300th anniversary. And as accepted, the city is worse for the holiday. For several years already underway restoration work on the arrow Vasilyevsky Islands. In the XVIII century, it was one of the most significant places in St. Petersburg. It was convenient to move to ships here, so in 1733 the port was moved here from the birch island. On the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island, the building of the exchange, customs, warehouses and other port facilities were erected. At the end of the XVIII century, more than a thousand ships occurred on the arrow.

Currently, the port is located on Gutuyevsky Island, but the traits of maritime greatness still persist on the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island. And among them - Rostral columns.

In ancient Rome, there was a custom: in honor of the maritime victories, triumphal columns decorated with radirats (noses) of enemy ships were erected. In St. Petersburg, Rostral columns were built in 1810 by the project of the French architect Jean Francois Tom de Tomon. There was a time when the columns served as lighthouses coming to the port of ships. The height of each column is 32 meters. On the top platforms where there are tripods for signal lights, lead inside the screw staircases. Upstairs in the roar burned cannol oil, and the hot splashes fell on the head of passersby.

In 1896, electricity led to the lamps. But this method of lighting was used for a long time "because of the great flow."

And only the 250th anniversary of the city, in 1957 (anniversary was celebrated with a delay), gas was supplied to the columns, and 7-meter fiery torches were laid in powerful burners. Lights on Rostral columns ignite only in particularly solemn cases. They light up on November 30 last year, when Rostral columns were solemnly open after restoration.

Sculpture needs to protect

Rostral columns are one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. Triumphal columns are traditionally associated with power and power. The personification of these qualities became monumental figures placed at the foot of the columns.

The sculpture that decorates Rostral columns was created in 1810-1811, simultaneously with the entire ensemble, in which the synthesis of arts characteristic of the arts was fully manifested itself. Architecture and sculpture make up here inseparable unity, complementing each other.

Initially, the author of the project Tom de Tomon was supposed to cast the entire sculptural decor in bronze, however, due to the complexity of work, it was necessary to fulfill the statues from Pudosky limestone. This material was mined in the quarries near St. Petersburg, not far from Gatchina, in the town of large powder, from which he got its name. It is easy to handle immediately after extracting from a career - it can be cut in a knife, the limestone quickly harden outdoors. The structure of the stone does not allow the detailed study of small volumes and polishing the surface, so the master working with pudased limestone is deprived of the ability to demonstrate the viewer the effect of transmitting the texture of various materials, thin ornamint. At the same time, Pudosky stone has its own specific advantages: durability, a beautiful yellowish-grayish warm shade, especially spectacularly released against the background of granite blocks and reddish-ocher columns.

AT last years It was found that French Vyatheli Jag. Cumberman and F. Tibo worked on the creation of sculptures. The first was performed a male figure on the northern column, and the rest of the sculptures belong to Tibo's hand. With a more attentive study of the sculpture, you can see distinction in the style of execution: work J. Cumberman is different from the rest of the greater dynamism and complexity of silhouette.

What are sculptures depict? The view that the foot of the columns presents allegorical images that personify the four Russian rivers (in South - "Volkhov" and "Neva", near the North - "Dnipro" and "Volga"), is not confirmed by the documents and arose relatively recently. Tom de Ton himself wrote that "the base of each column is decorated with huge figures that symbolize the deities of the sea and commerce." The attributes of sculptures are sufficiently stingy, and none of them can confirm or completely refute the version that we are allegory of specific four rivers.

Pudostal limestone is more than other stone rocks, subject to the destructive effects of temperature drops, atmospheric precipitation, industrial emissions, cold and raw climates. Therefore, the sculpture from Pudosky stone has to restore.

Before the restoration of the sculpture of Rostral Columns, held in 1928, the largest specialist in the field of monumental-decorative sculpture I. V. Krestovsky wrote: "Sculptures by the time of their restorations held after the October Revolution turned out to be painted oil paint, and more than once, and several , and every time new color<...> All sculptures from Pudozhsky limestone were ugly smeared by plaster, cement or plaster not only in places of breakdowns, but also in completely whole places. When restoration of stone figures of Rostral columns, two or three foreign cement, gypsum and plastering masses were removed from each of the figures.

However, this critical feedback did not affect the course of repair work, and the cross repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the restoration is again carried out incorrectly.

With subsequent repairs carried out usually in a hurry on the eve of the celebration of Jubileev, iron pins and nails were driven into the stone in places of loss, which served for cement finishes. The destroyed parts of the figures were replaced with new, made of cement or cut from another rock, and everything was covered with paint.

The status in which for decades has been sculpture of columns, testify acts that have survived in the archive State Museum urban sculpture. They were compiled according to the results of the inspections carried out before the next stages of the restoration. However, unfortunately, during the work carried out from 1928 to 1979, the technology did not occur in principle.

There were no measures to strengthen Pudosky limestone, there was no hydrophobization, that is, the protection of the surface of the stone from the impact of moisture. The monument continued to collapse until the lack of structures for fastening protruding parts led to the fall of these parts. In some places, reinforcement of ferrous metal with traces of deep corrosion.

And again - Restoration

In 1996, the question was about the next restoration, as the sculpture was in emergency.

In Russian art, the nearest analogue stone images of Rostral columns can serve as located at the foundation of the admiralty tower of the figure of Alexander Macedonsky, Achillhes, Ajax and Pyrress of the work of the sculptor F. Shchedrin. They are also made of Pudost Stone. When restored by these sculptures in 1997-1998, the staff of the Hermitage was first tested and applied by the methodology developed by the research institute "Special Processation". This technique was used in the restoration of the sculpture of Rostral columns, but here experts faced a much more complex task.

First of all, the sculpture was a variety, resistant sage contaminants, formed as a result of the influence of the atmosphere of the city, and then a special composition neutralized biofractions that covered the surface in many places.

One of the most important measures taken by restorers was the removal of late finishes. Different in their physical properties from Poudost Stone Alien Materials contributed to the destruction of the sculpture. In addition, Kolomna limestone (dolomite), used with numerous restorations, has a different color and surface texture with poudows stone. Therefore, parts of sculptures made of dolomite were clearly not to the place.

The purified stone strengthened, and accurate repeats of lost parts were installed on damaged places. They were performed according to the preserved drawings and photographs fixing their original appearance. First, the missing parts were performed in the plasticine, then in the gypsum, and when the form of the model approved the restoration council - performed them in Pudostoy limestone.

Fastening the missing parts, elimination of small chips and cracks were made by a special composition of lime and marble crumb. This mixture in its porosity and strength most corresponds to the natural pudasest stone. As used in the IV century, the architectural northern Black Sea for processing architectural limestone parts, the composition of lime and marble crumb is still distinguished by durability and good compatibility with the limestone surface.

Hollow rods from corundum ceramics were used to secure lost elements. The technology of manufacturing rods was developed at the Institute of Fireproofs of St. Petersburg. Employees of the NII "Special Procedure" offered to use Corundic ceramics, commonly used in medicine, and in restoration practice. This ceramics is inert to atmospheric influences and has an expansion coefficient close to stone, has high strength and low thermal conductivity. All this eliminates the processes of destruction in the thickness of the stone. Available areas of metal parts that are not removed and replaced, cleared and painted with anti-corrosion composition.

The last stage of the restoration of the sculpture is toning and hydrophobization. The toning of the limestone sculpture is carried out with an aqueous solution of hated lime. Drawing after this composition that protects the stone from the impact of moisture allows the tint to firmly entrenched on the stone. This method was designed specifically for the protection of Pudost Stone and has no analogues in global restoration practice.

For the rescue of the sculpture of Rostral columns, researchers, professional restorers, employees of monument security bodies and patrons were united. Financing Restoration work Baltonxim Bank. There was hope that the patronage in Russia is being revived.

Petersburg is a city of stone "- so called a special program to save monumental sculpture. In the queue restoration of compositions on the front of the building of the Exchange. Exchange marks his anniversary simultaneously with St. Petersburg: in 1703 Peter I signed a decree on the creation of the Russian Exchange.

- This is the Neva Arrow, the eastern tip of Vasilyevsky Islands in St. Petersburg. On the arrow is the stock of the Square.

Before the arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island is the most wide place on the Neva - here it is over a kilometer. Currently, the Arrow of Vasilyevsky Island is one of the main attractions of the city, it is very popular among the residents of the city and tourists. On stock exchanges are held citywide holidays, folk festivities and concerts.

History of arrows

The construction of the arrows began in Peter the first. Here the building of the exchange, customs, warehouses were built here, a living courtyard was built, and the port is organized on the island itself. The arrow space for a long time was empty and only in 1767 it was decided to organize a horseshoe area here.

From 1783 to 1797, the main building of the Academy of Sciences was built, as well as concave part of the Northern Wageza.

In 1805-1810, a new exchange was built and rostral columns were installed. Buildings of customs, southern and north warehouses were built in 1826-1832.

In 1896, the perimeter of the exchange area was broken by Square.

In 2003, in the square was installed memorial sign "Anchor of the Petrovsk epoch", raised from the bottom of the Neva at the skipper duct.

The architectural ensemble of the Arrow of Vasilyevsky Islands make up:

• Birzh Building
• Birzheva Square
• Exchange Square
• Rostral columns
• Memorial sign "Anchor Petrovskaya Epoch"
• The memorable stone "here was the largest center of foreign trade of the Russian Empire"
• Embankment arrows
• Square

Statues of nautical deities on the arrow of Vasilyevsky Island

On the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island there are 4 sculptures - marine deities from Pudozhsky stone, which are allegories of rivers.

All marine deities denoting rivers four:

• Neva,
• Dnieper,
• Volga,
• Volkhov.

However, there is not a single historical document that would indicate that the maritime deities are allegories of rivers.

19. Type of arrows of Vasilyevsky Island. I.V. . 1810th. State Hermitage.

20. Sculpture of the "Maritime Divine" at the foot of the Rostral Column. Photo: G.N. Popov.

21. One of the granite balls of the Okhanov work on the postcard A.P. Outrium-Lebedeva, 1942. Ill.: Babs71.livejournal.com.

Great architectural ensemble On the Arrow of Vasilyevsky Island - one of the most beautiful and recognizable places in St. Petersburg. The arrow is called East Cape Island, washed by a large and small Neva. Here, from Petrovsky times, a shopping sea port was located in which hundreds of overseas ships came with goods.

The arrow received its completed appearance as a result of creation in 1804-1811. According to the project of architect J.F. Tom de Tomon is a grand ensemble in classicism style: with new stock exchanges, Rostral columns and a semicircular embankment. All stone work in the construction of the architectural complex led Artel Samson Sukhanova. Foreign examination of A.G. Bulacha showed that here in large quantities It is skillfully used Finnish coarse granite Rapakivi pink and rare gray flowers.

The main part of the ensemble is the ensemal building of the exchange, built in the form of a peripteer - an antique temple, surrounded from all sides by the colonnade. The rectangular building rests on a high powerful stylobate (stilobate - the surface on which the colonnade was constructed) with a wide parade staircase. On his parties are located gentle ramps. Kamenotians Sukhanov Wall of Stylobate are lined with large rectangular blocks from the Finnish Sea Granite in four rows: from gray granite - two top rows, from pink - lower rows. The wide stairs of the staircase are out of the same stone of two colors (at the bottom of the stairs - pink, above - gray). Sukhanov's columns are carved huge bases with a diameter of about two meters from the monoliths of the gray "Finnish maritime granite". All "Sea Finnish Granite" was mined in the quarries under the election. Sukhanov is attributed to the execution of models of J. Cumberman of sculptural groups ("Neptune with two rivers" and "Navigation and Mercury with two rivers") on the Attics of the Exchange Building.

At the same time on the project of architect J.F. Tom de Tomon and engineer IK Herarda before the exchange was built the square with a semicircular embankment, intended for the device of the Parcel Pier sea Port.. To align the outlines of the coast and the creation of a pier with a deep fairway were clogged into the bottom of the river thousands of piles, a huge weight of the soil was piled, as a result of which the coastline was 123.5 m in the direction of the Neva.

The construction and decoration of the two-tier horseshoe embankment with a length of 561 m, covering the shore of a large and small Neva, the Artel Sukhanov was engaged.

In 1807-1808 Branches were made from the blocks of the pink "Finnish sea granite" a semi-curvature retaining wall with parapet. It is decorated with a symbolic grotto in the form of an arches and decorated with 12 carved from the granite with lion's masks with bronze gear rings. From the outdoor side, the wall is enveloped - ramps from laid with a slope of granite slabs, smoothly leading down to the page of the pier. On the sides of the pier are put on massive stone pedestals of cubic shapes. Huge granite balls of work Master Samson Suanov. The created granite embankment "amazing purity, strength and beauty in the decoration" was harmoniously fitted in the architectural ensemble of arrows.

In 1810, Sukhhangeov's work was completed by the construction of Rostral columns on the sides of the semicircular area at the descents to the Neva. The bases of the columns were carved out of a slightly pinkish, the pedestals are from the gray "Finnish maritime granite", and the festo (trunks) columns of the Roman-Doric order are composed of bricks. Rostral columns, symbolizing sea victories and served by beacons, were decorated with metal radios - the nasal parts of the ships and are crowned with tripod lamps. The height of the column reaches 32 m. At the foot of the columns, huge figures are installed, emphasizing the purpose of Toma de Tomon "Deity of the Sea and Commerce", and now considered by the allegories of Russian rivers Volga, Dnipro, Volkhov and Neva. They are executed in 1810-1811. Samson Sukhanov in the models of sculptors J. Tibo and J. Cumberman from Pudostskogo Stone. Perhaps the ultimate "finishing" were engaged in the sculptors themselves.

When creating an ensemble of Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island, the architect was especially marked among the contractors St. Petersburg merchants Samson Sukhanov, headed by Artel Kamenotesov, and Ivan Zhorrhov with a brigade of carpenters, which "contrast of the proper contractors of the execution of the treasury for the work of the work were beneficial." "For the creation of figures to the beacons" Samson Sukhanov was awarded Kaftan with golden pose (pose - a wicker cord, a brush or fringe, going to decorate the clothes).

P.P. Svignin In 1817, the elegant syllable gave a description of the new Exchange: "The Bordeauge Exchange, which is revered by the most magnificent in Europe, must give way to the beauty and nims of the new St. Petersburg Stock Exchange, which, in addition to the advantages of architecture, has the charming and most profitable location.< …> The building consists of an oblong four-roller with a length of 55, a width of 41, and the embroidered in 14 ½ sage. It is discouraged by a number of doric columns, which amounted to an excellent open gallery around, having 14 pillars from long sides and 10 on both facades. These are the last surrounded by top of the sculptures representing the Allegorically Baltic Sea and Neva.< …> This building is in an open place. From the side of the Board, it is separated by an area having 148 sages of length and 125 widths. The main facade facing the Neva is made an extensive semicircle area for the folds of goods. The shores are laid out with granite slabs and have two round descent leading to the surface of the river. At the ends of the area, two majestic columns decorated with statues, ships noses< …>, Of which you are wonderful of all the colossal figure of Neptune with a trident, the work of the sculptor Tibo from Pudostsky Stone. In the inside of the pillars, steep stairs were carried out, by which it is possible to climb to the very top of them, which concludes quite wide platforms with iron railings. From here in clear weather, the most beautiful species are revealed from all sides. "

This is one of the articles of issue No. 119 charitable wall newspaper "Briefly and clear about the most interesting" - "Art of the Kamenot's Affairs." The reason for creating release was 250th anniversary of the birth of the Master of Master Samson Suanov. His name is now not particularly known, despite the fact that Sukhanov built with his artel almost half of St. Petersburg of the first third of the XIX century. The release continues the series "Stone decoration of St. Petersburg".

Thank you for your interest in our project.

The most favorite museum of Leningrad was not the Hermitage, the most beloved museum was always the Central Naval Museum. CLMM is one of the oldest museums cities, this is the biggest military Maritime Museum The world, and now they were evicted from the previous place and housed the barracks in the hooks, located next to New Golandea - the place of the oldest port of Northern Palmyra, Northern Venice, St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Lenigrad, St. Petersburg.

Intended as the Sea Temple of Poseidon - with the God of the Seas Neptune (Poseidon) on Portika was built by architect Giacomo Kurengy in 1783, and I am sure that much earlier - in the middle of the XV century, but it is no longer fits into the official history of the fleet)

In 1804, the temple was disassembled by the Inquisition, apparently the same inquisition, which was now invented to evict the Military Maritime Museum from the Honorary Place - the building of the Marine Temple.

Nothing at the substitute for the existing style, the building was again built by Arch. J.-F. Tom de Tomonom in 1805-1816, and was adapted immediately under the marine stock exchange. The old foundations of northern Palmyra are preserved and so on, like all the lower floors of the flooded Atlantis buildings, made of tuff.

The most magnificent museum of naval glory on the Arrow of Vasilyevsky Island is a visiting card of North Palmyra, Northern Venice, St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad, St. Petersburg and hope to remain for the descendants for the century. And now this building is very much destroyed, which causes the extreme concern of sailors.

The exhibits of the Museum of Sailors with love began to gather back in the Admiralty model camera - where from May 25, 1708 there were drawings of the ships of the Great Greek-Russian Eastern Emergency.

The model camera was located in the central building of the Main Admiralty Empire in St. Petersburg.

In 1805, "Naval Museum" was created, the basis of which was the collections of the Admiralty-camera model. By the end of the XIX century. The maritime museum became a significant Russian cultural and scientific center, acquired fame worldwide.

"In 1908, before the solemn celebration of the 200th anniversary of the museum, he was assigned the name of the founder - Peter the Great." Why then the year of foundation now write 1709?

Changes another number of items, in 1924 the museum began to be called the Central Naval Museum. The corresponding to the spirit of the time adjustments and in its exposition

In August 1939, the Central Naval Museum was re-transferred to the Marine Temper of Poseidon Building the Exchange. Where in February 1941, a gorgeous exposition was opened in new renovated halls and immediately, in four months the Great Patriotic War began.

Apparently frightened that the gene memory will wake up and everyone will understand our rewritten history.
The city was decided to erase from the face of the earth.

The building of the Exchange managed to save the anti-aircraft battery, which led permanent duty and shelling the parked German aircraft to the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island.

The most valuable exhibits were evacuated to Ulyanovsk. In July 1946, the museum returned from evacuation reopened its doors to visitors.

Work on the propaganda of the fleet The Central Naval Museum was highly appreciated in 1975 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Since the 1980s Again, for the first time after the revolution of 1917, the Foreign exhibition activities of the museum began, which allowed the museum to achieve wider recognition not only in Russia, but also abroad. The exportation of the museum's exhibits began. I wonder everything was brought back?

"For three centuries, the museum collected a huge number of the most valuable museum objects, reflecting the most important events of the Fleet History. The museum funds are kept more than 700,000 exhibits, including over 13,000 vehicle items, more than 11,000 cold and firearms, over 62 000 works of fine art, more than 56,000 items of clothing form, awards and signs, flags and banners, over 44,000 documents and manuscripts, about 300,000 photos and negatives, hundreds of thousands of sheets of drawings.

The museum has the richest collection of models of ships in the world - 2000 ships. The model collection clearly reflects the history of Russian and foreign military shipbuilding.

Hundreds of exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Moscow and cities passed with the participation of the museum Russian Federation. Between CVMM and museums foreign countries Fruit creative ties established, exhibitions with its participation were exhibited in more than 20 countries. It seems now our exhibits are replenished by museums of the world and there our fleet is already showing how their own.

In April 2013, the "derainking" was completed and the movement of the Collection of CLMS in the renovated complex of the Kryukovskaya barracks was completed. In 2013, exhibition complexes from six halls began to work, exposure in the atrium and the first phase of the main exposure as part of 6 halls. On the Day of the Navy, July 27, 2014, was fully opened to visit the exposition in the 19 halls, but there are few people go there until the subway will be revealed. The approach to the museum is intentionally extremely inconvenient to, as few people can get to the museum.

And the building of the empty stock exchange is rotting and destroyed without human heat. But such an object should not be empty, otherwise it will destroy completely. It is necessary to urgently get the Merf to save the exchange. But no action is undertaken, apparently everything is just waiting for the building to collapse
And I will not be surprised if the exchange will figure it out again and will be removed from the portication of Neptune of our god of the seas, so hated ROC.

Save the building can sailors who would love to have taken away the building to themselves, remade under the modern interactive naval maritime museum with multimedia expositions, but for some reason the Ermitage building gave the Ermitage.

I think it is necessary to quickly return the building of the Exchange Museum of the CHMF - as the head building of the Museum of the Navy of Russia. Better museum The cities of sailors are the right place. It is time to reiterate the sea traditions in St. Petersburg again, in the city was originally created as the sea capital of Europe and celebrate Neptune's Day. You can leave exhibition space in hook barracks, as branches of the museum. In New Holdeland, you need to create a museum - the harbor of ships. Sailboats "Poltava" and "Eagle", which are now building in Gazprom's Angaras, can be shown here in the winter under the glass dome and there to create a world of sailors with Russian pirates Catherine II - Eagle columns.
And to the 300th anniversary of the underwater fleet of Russia in 2018, in New Holdeland, it is necessary to make the museum of the underwater fleet and the barrel - the grandmother of the underwater fleet to preserve it in the museum in New Holland.
It will be very nice to our ancestors and is very important to future sailors. IMHO

Petersburg, like others european capital, I dreamed about the sea of \u200b\u200bmaritime. Therefore, some of its corners are inhabited by statues of water gods, ancient and Russians, there are also. And the Arrow of the Vasilyevsky Island on the part of the sea figures could be competing even with world famous celebrities: the Roman Fountain of Trevi and Piazza Navona.

fountain Trevi, Italy

Here is Rome. On his streets and prospects, on his Piazzans and Piazzettes, in his parks and squares frozen, as if in a children's game, bronze and stone sea figures: Neptune and Poseidones; Tritons and Niada; sturgeon and dolphins; Sea skates and sea horses; Water snakes and water lizards; Crabs and turtles. The tone and style of this figure magnificence asked in the middle of the XVII century Sculptor Gianlosento Bernini. He worked under the auspices of the three Roman dads at once, each of whom recalled the magnificent fountain. And funds for construction mined the harvest of the extremely unpopular in the people of taxes on bread and wine.

fountain Neptune

The most magnificent water monument, erected by Bernini in the name of Papal Magicia - Fontana Dei Fiumi (River Fountain) on Piazza Navona. Cyclopeic sizes The structure, on the top of which the sculptor was watering the multi-meter Egyptian obelisk, symbolizes the four main rivers, known at the time - Gang, La fee, Danube and Neal. In the main roles of rivers, muscular stone men with unwitted chapelurs and beards, squeezing in the foot of the obelisk. On the Navona Square - two more fountains, although not so multifigure, as the central, but no less outstanding, including the fury of the boors. Bernini also put her hand to them: in a bowl of one mighty Neptune fighting with the octopus, in the middle of another dozky, the Mavr overwhelms Dolphin. The appearance of the most famous his fountain Rome is also obliged to Genius Bernini - architectural complex At Piazza Trevi built many years after the death of the great sculptor Nicolas Salvi. Salvi did not hide that his work is to imitate the creativity of the maestro. And really: Neptune and two triton, curling aqueous stallions, belong to the same family of marine figures as naked men with Piazza Navona.

Arrow Vasilievsky Islands, St. Petersburg

But the Petersburg is a city, no less than Rome dreamed of greatness. At the beginning of the XIX century, the Swiss architect Jean Francois Tom de Tomon on request and to the glory of the Emperor Alexander I will have an impressive complex, decorated with sea figures. In the center of the ensemble - built according to the sample of the temple of Poseidon in the Pestum and therefore the exchanging building of the Exchange was gone - so to speak, the temple harvested in that epoch of trade and market relations. From the portico above the facade leaves for the Neva Hipped Hippocampa (Seasy Hills) Neptune Chariot. Holding a trident in his left hand, the right sea god extends over the city, and the North Petersburg, he will fit the same vigilantly as South Rome. Not tritons are not trytons as Russian sweets, but powerful figures of Neva and Volkhov. So we have our own figure geography of the seas and rivers.

Rostral column

To transfer to Vasilievsky Island the city center planned still Peter I, but did not have time. Through the century, the will of the emperor, the talent of the architect and the efforts of tens of thousands of fortress men, the arrow became even more firmly. It was scored without the account of wooden piles, and a cape due to gigantic bulk work advanced more than one hundred meters east. As a result, the architectural complex is opposed to the flow of the river and as if divided into two sleeves of the neva channel. The correctness and smooth flow of its flow check two huge Rostral columns, with trunks decorated with copper images of ships's nose. These columns were previously served by the beacons of the St. Petersburg port, on their tops burned cannabis oil. Now on holidays in the bowls-lamps ignite gas burners.

fountain rivers Rostral columns: Dnipro and Neva

At the foot of Rostral, sea figures were settled in pairs. Four statues from Pudostskogo Stone Architect Tom de Tomon considered the deities of the sea and commerce, but in the literature they are called the allegorical images of the main shipping Russian rivers - Volga and Dnipro, Neva and Volkhov. From afar of the figures look no less representativeily than men from Roman fountains, however, at the clue, greatness is slightly lost. The fact is that the money on the sculpture in the imperial treasury was a little, from marble and bronze had to abandon, cost a stone from Gatchina's neighborhoods. Easeless and not too plastic limestone is easy to handle, but it is difficult to keep. The academic sculptor could not be hired, for making models, masters rank down, French Joseph Cumbermen and Francois Tibo. Soft-flame sculptures often had to restore, but in the twentieth century they lost the parade view. Updated the figures casually, to the anniversaries of October, simply covered with oil paint; Places of breakdowns were shuttered with plaster or plaster; It was even, kneaded under the fins of steel pins to strengthen the design. In the end, the brush of the left hand broke away from despair, and Volkhov lost his brush with the right. Only in the late 1990s, the figures were renovated throughout the scientific procedure, and now they finally look fresh.
The fountain of the rivers on Piazza Navona often roam the proven American students studying Rome on the text of the Roman Dan Brown "Angels and Demons." The famous writer did not bypass the Fountain of Dei Fiomi, in the bath of which there was a decisive fight of the main character of Robert Langdon with a religious fanatics, drowned at the feet of Ganges and the Danube Cardinal with a football surname Bajio. On the Arrow of Vasilyevsky, nothing has happened yet, she is still waiting for his hero and his writer. Our marine figures will probably also be found, what to tell the world.

On Friday, in my blog: see Peter - and fiercely fall asleep. Art hostels.