In this painting, Leonard Turzhansky depicted a part of the northern wing of the Horse Courtyard of the Vlakhernskoye-Kuzminki estate near Moscow. The first owners of the estate were the Stroganov family to whom it was granted by Peter I. In 1758, the estate went to Mikhail Golitsyn as a dowry when he married Alexandra, a daughter of Baron Stroganov.
It was the Golitsyn family that began the active development of the estate. A wooden house, wings, outbuildings and a reconstructed Church of the Vlacherna Icon of the Mother of God appeared in its territory. But later, the estate was destroyed during the Patriotic War of 1812.
To reconstruct the estate, the Golitsyns invited the famous architect and restorer Domenico Gilardi. In this period, the palace depicted in the painting was erected. It became a masterpiece of the Russian Empire style in the middle of the first third of the 19th century. Its appearance combined solemnity and refined elegance, symmetry and clarity of forms, as well as multiple decorative elements.
The most famous owner of the estate was Sergey Golitsyn, an official and philanthropist. He held many important positions: he served as a vice president of the commission for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, head of the Moscow school district, director of the Golitsyn and Pavlovsk hospitals. Empress Maria Fedorovna visited Golitsyn in Kuzminki many times, and later the estate was also visited by Nicholas I and Alexander II.
During the First World War, the Experimental Veterinary Institute was evacuated to Kuzminki, and it stood there for almost 85 years. In 1999, the Museum of Estate Culture was opened there, and in 2004, the Horse Courtyard was completely restored.
It was the Golitsyn family that began the active development of the estate. A wooden house, wings, outbuildings and a reconstructed Church of the Vlacherna Icon of the Mother of God appeared in its territory. But later, the estate was destroyed during the Patriotic War of 1812.
To reconstruct the estate, the Golitsyns invited the famous architect and restorer Domenico Gilardi. In this period, the palace depicted in the painting was erected. It became a masterpiece of the Russian Empire style in the middle of the first third of the 19th century. Its appearance combined solemnity and refined elegance, symmetry and clarity of forms, as well as multiple decorative elements.
The most famous owner of the estate was Sergey Golitsyn, an official and philanthropist. He held many important positions: he served as a vice president of the commission for the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, head of the Moscow school district, director of the Golitsyn and Pavlovsk hospitals. Empress Maria Fedorovna visited Golitsyn in Kuzminki many times, and later the estate was also visited by Nicholas I and Alexander II.
During the First World War, the Experimental Veterinary Institute was evacuated to Kuzminki, and it stood there for almost 85 years. In 1999, the Museum of Estate Culture was opened there, and in 2004, the Horse Courtyard was completely restored.
