Features of the Russian estate: style and interior, history and modern interpretations. Interior

Today, most people prefer a comfortable and highly functional home. However, there are also rare connoisseurs of old classics who wish to decorate their home in the best traditions of the old days. Typically, this category includes wealthy people who have more than one type of real estate, collectors and antique dealers who, on the one hand, have a thirst for experimentation, and on the other, remain faithful to traditions.

Today, the interior of the 19th century, which dominated the houses of the aristocratic nobility, is one of the most revealing among the pages describing the history of architecture and life of the Russian Empire. For example, in the famous Pavlovsk Palace there is a whole exhibition dedicated to the residential interior of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which allows you to travel like a time machine to another century.

Let's try to determine what features of the 19th century interior were present in different decades of the century.

So, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian nobility was often located in country estates or mansions located within the city. Together with the owners, the servants lived in the house, who were classified according to their status. The houses in which the gentlemen lived usually consisted of three floors. It was the rooms of the first floor in the interior of the 19th century that were given under the order of servants, utility rooms, a kitchen, and utility rooms.

On the second floor, there were guest mansions, which were often adjoining living rooms, halls and a dining room. But on the third floor, most of the master's mansions were located.

At the beginning of the century, the interior of the 19th century was dominated by the classicism and empire styles. Most of the rooms were harmoniously combined with each other and included furniture of the same style, often made of mahogany with fabric trim, decorated with gilded, brass or bronze elements. Walls in houses were often painted with a single color of green, blue or purple, or covered with striped paper wallpaper.

An obligatory room in any residential building was the owner's office, whose furniture was often made of poplar or birch. An important place was also occupied by portrait rooms, which were decorated with striped wallpaper and decorated with portraits in heavy and massive gilded frames.

The bedroom was usually divided into two zones: bedroom and boudoir, especially for the rooms of young ladies. In richer houses, the boudoir was in the room next to the bedroom. The boudoir in the interior of the 19th century bore not only the function of a toilet room, but also a personal space of the hostess, where she could read, embroider, or just be alone with her thoughts.

The interior of the 19th century in the 40-60s fell under the influence of romanticism, neo-Gothic and pseudo-Russian style. The windows in the houses began to be covered with heavy draped fabrics. Tablecloths appeared on the tables. The spirit of the Gothic was sometimes manifested in the fashion for lancet windows with stained-glass windows. Around the period of the reign of Nicholas II, a fashion for the French style was introduced. Mahogany furniture gave way to rosewood, and decor items such as porcelain vases and figurines appeared in the interior. And a little later, especially in the men's bedrooms, oriental motives began to be reflected. For example, weapons were hung on the walls as a decor, hookahs and other smoking accessories could be present in the rooms, the owners often liked to dress in dressing gowns with oriental motives. But as for living rooms and women's bedrooms, the style of the second rococo remained dominant.

The interior of the late 19th century is starting to fade slightly compared to the beginning and middle of the century. This is due to the fact that many bourgeois families were ruined and found themselves in an unenviable financial situation. At the same time, scientific and technological progress, which brought tulle and machine lace tablecloths to the interior, did not stand still.

Instead of houses in the 19th century, apartments became more popular, which combined the eclecticism of many architectural styles. The place of estates was taken by country dachas, the interiors of which were often decorated in a pseudo-Russian style, which consisted of beams with carved ceilings and an invariable sideboard in the dining room.

Towards the end of the year, the Art Nouveau style came into its own, suggesting smooth curved lines in all interior items without exception.

The interior of the 19th century, in terms of the richness of different styles, may take, perhaps, the first place among other centuries, since under the influence of historicism such trends as classicism, rococo, gothic were reflected in it, eclecticism of styles arose in the middle of the century, and at the end it entered its rights unique modern.

The beginning of the 19th century is characterized by the emergence in France of an architectural and interior trend called the Empire style. The so-called imperial style is distinguished by luxury and solemnity, designed to emphasize the greatness of the Emperor Napoleon. The organic combination of Roman antiquity, Egyptian motifs, the architectural monumentality of the interiors, the abundance of gilding and bright colors in the decoration allowed the French Empire to exist for a fairly long historical period and, with some changes, was taken over by both the Russian imperial court and bourgeois Germany. The 19th century allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of grandeur and luxury of ballrooms, living rooms, boudoirs of that time.

Characteristic features of the style

Empire style as an architectural and interior style originated in the early 19th century with the light hand of Napoleon Bonaparte. It was intended to emphasize the greatness of the emperor, combining solemnity, luxury and severity.

The Empire style is based on Roman antiquity with its monumental arches, columns, caryatids. The architecture and interiors of the 19th century in the imperial style are distinguished by monumentality, integrity and symmetry.

Mahogany, marble, bronze and gilding were used in the decoration. The walls were decorated with paintings of antique scenes and bas-reliefs. Plaster stucco was used on the ceiling.

The interiors of the 19th century in the Empire style are designed in rich colors: blue, red, green, turquoise, white. They go well with an abundance of gilding and ornate decor. Pastel shades were often used: milky, beige, lavender, pale blue, pistachio, mint.

The decoration was complemented by monumental mahogany furniture with decorative bronze or gilded carvings. Animal motifs in furniture were popular: legs in the form of paws, armrests with lion heads. provoked a fashion for authentic paraphernalia, which later influenced the French Empire style, organically merging into the interior along with antique motifs. The military theme was no less popular: paintings with scenes of battles, weapons.

Walls

The walls in the interior of the 19th century of the imperial style were painted with antique plots and exotic landscapes. Bas-reliefs were often encountered. Wallpaper was rarely used, mainly with a pattern in the form of monograms or strict stripes. In the bedrooms and boudoirs, the walls were draped with textiles decorated with acanthus in the Roman style. The color scheme was dominated by bright shades: red, blue, green, and also white. They are wonderfully combined with an abundance of gilding, emphasizing the majesty and identity of the setting.

A characteristic feature of the Empire style is the stucco molding in the decoration of the walls. The columns were made of marble, malachite and other ornamental stones, the stucco molding was covered with gilding. Huge mirrors are an integral part of the 19th century interior. They were actively used in decoration, complementing them with ornate gilded frames.

Ceiling

The ceilings in Empire style interiors are always high, domed or straight. The main color is white. Decorated the ceiling with painting, as well as grisaille. It is difficult to imagine the interior of the 19th century in an imperial style without stucco molding. Plaster rosettes, cornices, moldings and other decorations were used everywhere. Often the stucco was covered with gilding. The strict centralization of the composition and symmetry, characteristic of the Roman style, can be clearly seen in the Empire style as well. The center of the ceiling was necessarily decorated with patterns and complemented by a magnificent pendant chandelier. Gilding and crystal harmoniously emphasized the solemn

Imperial-style lighting plays an important role. With a large room area, several large symmetrically located chandeliers were often installed. In addition to them, there were wall and table candelabra in the room. Numerous lights, reflected in mirrors and gilding, created a unique atmosphere of solemnity and grandeur.

Furniture

In the interior, the furniture was as monumental as a piece of architectural art. Used exclusively architectural elements such as columns, cornices, caryatids. Tabletops were often made from a single piece of marble or malachite. Sofas, armchairs, couches were smooth ergonomic shapes.

Mahogany was widely used. The furniture was decorated with bronze overlays, gilded carvings, legs and armrests stylized as animals. Animal motifs are clearly traced in the imperial style: heads and paws of lions, eagle wings, snakes. Mythical creatures were also popular: griffins, sphinxes. The upholstery of couches, chairs, armchairs in the French Empire style is predominantly monochromatic, made in marble or leather. The interiors now have round tables on one leg, sideboards for dishes and fashionable knick-knacks, a secretaire with a shelf for books.

Decor

The decor of the 19th century is dominated by antique Roman and Egyptian motives - columns, friezes, pilasters, ornament with acanthus leaves, sphinxes, pyramids. The era of the Napoleonic wars could not but affect the interior. Images of weapons were widely used: sabers, shields, arrows, cannons, and cannonballs. Decorators of that time could not ignore the laurel wreath as a symbol of greatness. It is found everywhere.

The interior is replete with plaster statues, paintings and huge mirrors in massive gilded frames. Intricate draperies on the windows and walls are a characteristic feature of the Empire style. The beds were decorated with canopies. All decor in the interior of the imperial style is carefully checked, and the same images can be found in the decor of furniture, walls, accessories and even books.

Russian Empire

The Russian interior of the 19th century took a lot from the French Empire style, reworking and softening. Instead of mahogany and bronze overlays on furniture, Karelian birch, ash, maple were used. The furniture was decorated with gilded carvings. The creatures of Egyptian mythology were successfully replaced by Slavic ones. Unlike the French Empire style, which elevates primarily the personality of the emperor, the Russian paid more attention to the greatness of state power. The marble was replaced with Ural malachite, lapis lazuli and other ornamental stones.

The Russian Empire style gradually split into two directions: metropolitan and provincial. The capital was more like French, but it was softer and more plastic. An undoubted contribution to the development of the style was made by the Italian Carl Rossi. The provincial version of the Russian Empire style was even more restrained, close to classicism.

Empire style is a bright and majestic style in architecture and interior of the 19th century. The splendor and identity of the interiors was intended to emphasize the greatness of the emperor. The characteristic features of the imperial style are a centered composition, bright colors, an abundance of gilding, stucco molding, huge mirrors, antique, Egyptian, animal and military motives.

There are possibilities of using the 19th century style in modern interior design as well. Designers can bring such a project to life using modern materials and stylized objects. The luxurious Empire style can decorate any apartment, if there is a desire and opportunity.

The Russian estate has become a separate phenomenon in architecture and interior design. And now many country house owners are trying to reproduce this trend. Let's try to figure out how a Russian estate differs from ordinary mansions, let's plunge a little into the past and consider the features of such an interior.

The artist Stanislav Zhukovsky is known for his paintings, in which he lovingly depicted old Russian estates. His paintings can be used to study the interiors of houses from the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

S. Yu. Zhukovsky. Poetry of an old noble house, 1912

S. Yu. Zhukovsky. Large living room in Brasov, 1916

S. Yu. Zhukovsky. The interior of the manor house library, 1910s

We will immediately decide what we will be talking about specifically about estates, and not huts, towers and princely palaces. A lot has been said about the huts and towers, this is also history, and more ancient. And only a few can afford to repeat the luxury and tsarist style of the palaces of Russian princes. And who decides to reproduce such a style - in modern realities it is difficult to imagine.

Russian terem, as a place of residence for fairly well-to-do families, can now be found mainly in ancient cities and villages. Carved platbands, wood as the main material, four small rooms around a solid stove, a veranda - these are the main differences of such a structure.

The interior of the Russian hut can now be found in baths, sometimes people who are fond of antiquity build dachas this way. Everything here is simple, rustic, without frills and unnecessary details.

So, having sorted out a little with the towers and huts, we go directly to the estate. This name comes from "plant" or "plant". A manor house is traditionally understood as a suburban building, a whole complex, which, in addition to the residential building itself, includes outbuildings and an extensive garden. It is customary to distinguish between the following types of estates:

Boyar or merchant estates, which began to appear in the 17th century.
Manor estates, which remained the main place of residence of wealthy Russians until the beginning of the 20th century, and gained particular popularity in the 19th century.

Baron Nikolai Wrangel (brother of Peter Wrangel, the leader of the White movement) in 1902 went to the provinces to study in detail the features of the estates of the then landowners. This is how he described the traditional estate in his book: “White houses with columns, in a shady thicket of trees; sleepy mud-smelling ponds with white silhouettes of swans plowing the summer water ... ".

A white or sometimes blue house in a classical style, columns with Corinthian orders, a maximum of two floors, a wide porch or terrace - this appearance of a Russian estate is not outdated even now.

In this photo, the Galskikh estate, located in Cherepovets. Now it is a house-museum telling about the life of landowners of the early 19th century.

As for the interior of Russian estates, the merchant style should be distinguished from the later one, created under the influence of European, mainly French trends and close to modern realities.

These pictures show the house of the merchant Klepikov, located in Surgut. You can clearly see the abundance of textiles, very simple decoration, plank floor, solid wooden furniture. We are sure that many of you have found such a metal bed with springs at your grandmother's in the village. Let us turn again to Baron Wrangel, who described the interior of the estate as follows: “Inside, in the rooms, there are decorous comfortable chairs and armchairs, friendly round tables, ragged endless sofas, wheezing clocks with a rusty bass beat, and chandeliers, and candlesticks, and sonnets, and screens, and screens, and tubes, tubes to infinity. "

The furniture in such a manor was often motley - an old chest, inherited from a grandfather, could be adjacent to a new-fangled French chair or an English chair, which the owner of the house, at the whim of his wife, acquired during a trip to the city. Traditionally, in the Russian estate there was a hall for receiving guests and, if the size of the house allowed, balls, as well as an office, which became the owner's male refuge.

This photo shows the interior of the estate built in the village of Mednoe Lake (near St. Petersburg) by architects Elena Barykina and Slava Valoven for collectors of antique furniture. Almost all of the furnishings are authentic, but this house also has modern, antique-style replicas.

If you want to recreate the interior of a Russian estate in your home, you should adhere to the following principles:

An obligatory element will be a wooden floor, you can parquet or from boards.
The furniture is laconic, preferably made of dark wood, with thin legs.
Interior doors and skirting boards are white.
The walls can also be wooden, painted in neutral shades (but better - snow-white). You can also use antique wallpaper that mimics textiles.
Tables are round or oval, with beautiful tablecloths, lamps with cozy lampshades and light curtains.

As for the kitchen and bathroom, it is advisable to use tiles here. The doors of kitchen cabinets can be left wooden or painted under Gzhel, as in the example presented by us.

Separately, mention should be made of the influence that the Empire style or late classicism, which came from Europe, had on the interior of the Russian estate. Within the framework of the manor house, this trend was called "rural empire", becoming less pompous and luxurious.

Now, some homeowners imagine the style of the Russian estate as a kind of mixture of a hut, country, chalet, rustic and modern motives.

Well, the style of the Russian estate has always been a kind of mixture of different directions, taking a lot from the classics and history of our country. However, if you adhere to the main canons, in the end you should get a light interior, not overloaded with furniture, cozy, fresh, fairly simple and at the same time really homely, a real Chekhov's dacha, more than once described by the classics of Russian literature.

The other day I managed to visit an incredibly "tasty" ( for both gourmet and photographer) place - the manor house of the manufacturer Dumnov in the village of Zarechye, Vladimir region.

The house of the manufacturer is at the same time a museum of weaving, a demonstrative merchant estate of the late 19th century, and a hotel. The reconstructed interiors of a rich merchant house with antiques are quite impressive ...

Since we came to the estate more on museum business, we did not really manage to immerse ourselves in the most interesting history of this place.

Therefore, we will give its description from a third-party resource (strana.ru), decorating the text with our photographs: "The mansion of the manufacturer I. Dumnov in the village of Zarechye stands out sharply against the general unpretentious background: a nice two-story house with beautiful platbands and a strong fence. a wonderful garden visible from the street, gazebos, a real Russian bath, a well-groomed country estate in the very center of the village.

This splendor is not so long ago - at the end of the 20th century, the century-old house was not much different from other abandoned houses left without owners. The Dumnovs' estate was taken away on the wave of dispossession, almost the entire family was imprisoned and exiled, and a village school was placed in the house, which was closed in the nineties.

Already in the new era, the granddaughter of the last of the Dumnovs, Galina Maslennikova, returned to the District. She managed to buy out the ancestral house and a piece of land under it. The goal was formulated right away: not just to equip a place to live, but to open a museum in the District.

With the help of sponsors and with the assistance of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum, the Maslennikov family managed to put the estate in order, recreate the old interiors, lay out a garden and assemble a collection of exhibits dedicated to the unique craft for which the village of Zarechye was famous.

The fact is that before the historic victory of the proletariat, the Dumnovs' factory produced silk, silk velvet and plush, and in the village, in almost every house there were spinning wheels and looms. Everybody weaved - men, women, old people and children.

After the revolution, it turned out that luxurious thin materials were alien to the people, and the production was retrained for artificial plush and lining fabrics. The craft was almost dead, if not for the enthusiasm of the Dumnovs' heiress, which was supported by the residents of Zarechye.

They willingly gave antiques for the museum collection - in almost every house in the attic there was some kind of historical object, like grandmother's spinning wheel, parts of weaving machines, and various old utensils. They found something in other villages, bought from antique dealers. Today, the museum is rightfully proud of, for example, the presence of a hand loom, which is extremely rare in the world's museums of a similar profile. The whole process of creating the fabric, all the necessary devices for this, are carefully collected and restored.

The exposition is housed in two houses next to the Dumnovs' main house. A typical peasant hut turned into a small museum "House of the Rural Weaver", and next to it was built a copy of an old private factory, which was called a light house: this is a two-story hut, only with many windows to make it brighter.

It is interesting that each window does not consist of the usual two or four glasses, but of a large number of small cells. This is explained by reasonable economy: the spindle often broke off, flew out the window, and in order not to change the entire expensive glass every time, they were prudently divided into fragments.

Rudolph von Alt, Salon in Count Lankorowski's apartment in Vienna (1869)

Today, photographs of impeccable interiors and countless photographs of private homes can be found easily in design magazines and on the internet. However, when the tradition of capturing private rooms arose in the early 19th century, it was very avant-garde and unusual. Before photography even existed, people who could afford it hired an artist to make detailed watercolor drawings of the rooms in the house. Such drawings were inserted into the album and, if desired, were shown to strangers.

These paintings, which have survived to this day, provide a glimpse into the decadent lifestyles of the well-to-do 19th century and appreciate the art of detailed home interior design. There are currently 47 such paintings on display at the Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. The exhibition was organized by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The paintings were usually painted after the room was renovated, as a keepsake for the family, according to curator Gale Davidson.

Rudolph von Alt, Library in Count Lankorowski's apartment in Vienna (1881)

Rudolph von Alt, Japanese Salon, Villa Hugel, Vienna (1855)

Some parents made albums of similar pictures as a wedding present for their own children, so that they have memories of the house in which they grew up. People also often put albums on tables in living rooms to impress guests. According to Davidson, Queen Victoria, who commissioned many paintings depicting palace interiors, wrote in her personal diaries that she and her husband loved looking at these paintings, recalling the years they lived in these houses. Aristocratic families across Europe eventually adopted the practice of these "interior portraits" as well. The exhibition features paintings with interiors of houses from many countries including England, France, Russia and Germany, which show the different trends in interior design of the 1800s, as well as the growth of a consumer culture. As people began to travel more, their homes began to fill with furniture from abroad. Interior illustrations became very fashionable, peaking around the 1870s.

This practice was largely a reflection of the growth of the industrial classes. Many watercolors, for example, depict interiors filled with plants and organic decorations that reflect not only an interest in the natural world, but also a growing trend towards rare exotic plants. The Hotel Villa Hügel in Venice, for example, had a Japanese salon filled with purely decorative elements that turned it into a “garden”; the Berlin Royal Palace housed a Chinese room with a panel of tropical plants and birds that also floated above the space in the ceiling painting. The interiors of that era were also distinguished by the presence of orchids and birds in cages, which people kept not only to impress, but also to entertain guests. Many artists (mostly men) began their careers by drawing topographic maps for military use or painting porcelain, and then specialized in interior painting due to the increased demand. Some painters have even made their name in this genre. The exhibition features works by the Austrian brothers Rudolf and Franz von Alt; James Robertas, a British painter who traveled with Queen Victoria; and designer Charles James - all of whom were known for distinct styles. The approach to painting these interiors has also evolved over time, gradually becoming less formal and more intimate.

Joseph Satira, Study Room of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, Russia (1835)

In the late 19th and early 20th century, a more impressionist form of painting became popular and artists gradually began to depict a more relaxed, homely environment. Sometimes even residents were present in the paintings: the Polish Count Lankoronski, for example, reading a book in his office in Vienna; a girl is playing the piano in the room, and next to her is a dog. Although these paintings were created in order to capture how people decorated their homes, what furniture and fabrics they chose, what they hung on the walls and what they collected, but sometimes they resembled illustrations of everyday life, exactly until the beginning of 20 In the 20th century, this role was taken over by the camera.

James Roberts, The Queen's Living Room at Buckingham Palace, England (1848)