The Small Library Hall of the Alexander Palace houses a painting titled “View of the Palace in Alupka”. It occupies its original place between the bookcases.
The picture was painted by Iosif Yevstafievich Krachkovsky, a Russian artist who glorified Russian nature in his landscapes. As a freelance student, Iosif Evstafievich attended the Imperial Academy of Arts. In the 1880s, he traveled around Europe, perfecting his skills. Every year since the 1900s he worked for a long time in Crimea. The artist created many masterfully executed landscapes.
The painting shows one of the most beautiful corners of Crimea — the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka, at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri. In the foreground on the right there is the arch of the palace gate with two towers and blossoming wisteria shoots, on the left — a stone fence with a gate, behind which you can see the park, and in the distance there are mountain peaks against a background of blue sky.
The complex was built in 1828–1848 as a summer residence of a prominent statesman of the Russian Empire, Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. The Count commissioned the design of the palace to the English architect Edward Blore. In the English art of the time, a movement of “Gothic Revival” was gaining momentum, and Blore executed the project exploring the new ideas. The architect never came to Alupka himself, but he sent a design of the palace to Russia in 1832. On site in Crimea, the work was supervised by William Hunt. The design was subjected to a number of changes in the course of construction, with some Oriental details added to the appearance of the palace, which allowed it to blend harmoniously with the romantic surroundings.
After the revolution, the palace was nationalized, and in 1921 a museum was opened there. During the Second World War, Alupka was occupied by Nazi troops. The collection of the museum was severely damaged, many works of art were taken to Germany. Only a small part of the paintings was found after the war and returned to the museum. In February 1945, during the Yalta Conference, the Alupka Palace was the residence of the British delegation led by Winston Churchill. The meeting of the heads of the Allied Powers — Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt — that determined the fate of post-war Europe took place in the State Dining Hall of the Palace. Since 1990, the palace is part of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve.
The picture was painted by Iosif Yevstafievich Krachkovsky, a Russian artist who glorified Russian nature in his landscapes. As a freelance student, Iosif Evstafievich attended the Imperial Academy of Arts. In the 1880s, he traveled around Europe, perfecting his skills. Every year since the 1900s he worked for a long time in Crimea. The artist created many masterfully executed landscapes.
The painting shows one of the most beautiful corners of Crimea — the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka, at the foot of Mount Ai-Petri. In the foreground on the right there is the arch of the palace gate with two towers and blossoming wisteria shoots, on the left — a stone fence with a gate, behind which you can see the park, and in the distance there are mountain peaks against a background of blue sky.
The complex was built in 1828–1848 as a summer residence of a prominent statesman of the Russian Empire, Count Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov. The Count commissioned the design of the palace to the English architect Edward Blore. In the English art of the time, a movement of “Gothic Revival” was gaining momentum, and Blore executed the project exploring the new ideas. The architect never came to Alupka himself, but he sent a design of the palace to Russia in 1832. On site in Crimea, the work was supervised by William Hunt. The design was subjected to a number of changes in the course of construction, with some Oriental details added to the appearance of the palace, which allowed it to blend harmoniously with the romantic surroundings.
After the revolution, the palace was nationalized, and in 1921 a museum was opened there. During the Second World War, Alupka was occupied by Nazi troops. The collection of the museum was severely damaged, many works of art were taken to Germany. Only a small part of the paintings was found after the war and returned to the museum. In February 1945, during the Yalta Conference, the Alupka Palace was the residence of the British delegation led by Winston Churchill. The meeting of the heads of the Allied Powers — Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt — that determined the fate of post-war Europe took place in the State Dining Hall of the Palace. Since 1990, the palace is part of the Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve.
