The print by the French artist Paul Jacob Laminit belongs to the series “Views of Moscow”, published in 1799. The suite was based on drawings by Gérard Delabarte (also spelled de La Barthe) and executed by several engravers.
Dominating the composition — nearly at its center — is the Spasskaya Tower (formerly known as the Frolovskaya Tower), the principal ceremonial gateway of the Moscow Kremlin. Originally constructed during the reign of Ivan III by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari (also known as Pyotr Fryazin), the tower was later crowned between 1624 and 1625 with a multi-tiered, Gothic-inspired belfry housing chimes. This addition was the work of the English architect Christopher Galloway. He was assisted by the Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov.
To the left in the foreground stands the Archbishop’s House, commissioned in 1776 by Metropolitan Platon — appointed Archbishop of Moscow by decree of Catherine II — and designed by the prominent architect Matvey Kazakov. Simple in form and modestly decorated, this two-story classical building marked one of the earliest examples of neoclassical architecture within the Kremlin walls. In 1817, it was transferred to the Imperial Palace Department and converted into the residence of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich. The future Emperor Alexander II was born here in 1818. A third, wooden story was added in 1824, and from 1831 the building became known as the Small Nikolaevsky Palace. It was ultimately dismantled in 1929 to make way for the Military School named after the Central Executive Committee.
In the right foreground is the Church of St. Nicholas of Gostun, situated near the eastern edge of Ivanovskaya Square within the Kremlin. Originally, it was a wooden church known as Nicholas the Linen (or “Nikola the Wet”) Church. It was replaced in 1506 by a stone structure. The new edifice acquired the name “Gostunsky” after Grand Duke Vasily III installed there a revered icon from the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Gostunya (near Tula). The church was demolished in 1817 during the clearance of Ivanovskaya Square to create a parade ground.
Also visible in the foreground are the ruins of 17th-century government offices (known as Prikazy), dismantled in the early 19th century. The open space teems with groups of peasants, townspeople, and horse-drawn carriages, while a panoramic view of Moscow unfolds in the background to the right.
