Domenico Gilardi’s Sketch of a Park Pavilion: Aspects of Attribution

This article is devoted to the problem of the attribution of architectural graphics, the identification and analysis of the individual graphic style of Domenico (Dementi Ivanovich) Gilardi, a master of Swiss origin, the chief architect of post-fire Moscow. In spite of the formal, stylistic and iconographic knowledge of the Moscow Empire style, the issue of attribution of architectural graphics to the period remains open. The work of Gilardi is no exception in this respect.

The objective of this research is to use stylistic and iconographic analysis of his most outstanding works to form an idea of the nature of his graphic style and its peculiarities. The relevance of the topic is dictated by the need to distinguish the graphic works of Gilardi himself from the sheets created by his pupil — the architect A. Grigoriev (and in the longer term — to identify the “hand” of A. Grigoriev).

The method of formal and stylistic analysis and iconographic comparison was chosen. Artistic sources are the most striking architectural and graphic works by Gilardi, which have not yet been studied in detail: several signed drawings, as well as a draft design of a park pavilion from the collection of the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture (the latter was introduced into academic circles by the author and is central in terms of representation). The style of the unrealised design of the park pavilion reflects the historical perspective of birth, development and decline of the Moscow Empire style in one of its variants. The style distinctly refers to the antique, Renaissance and classic monuments.

The following complex of problems is being solved within the framework of the research: the genesis of the post-fire Moscow style is presented, the specific features of the architectural graphics of the first quarter of the 19th century are evaluated; the sketch of the park pavilion and the series of several drawings (so called master’s exemplary graphics) are described and analyzed as the basis for the attribution; the work of Gilardi is examined in the context of the global neoclassicism style development.

The conducted study, in which the relationship between architectural and graphic style plays a key role, allows us to form an idea of Gilardi’s individual style and approach a more complex issue of attribution, chronology and style in his constructions. The unity of harmony, beauty and technicality of Gilardi’s works is expressed in the juxtaposition of his manner with the ideal of timeless classicism.

1. Zombe S.A., Beletskaya E.A., Afanasy Grigorievich Grigoriev (1782—1868), Arkhitektura SSSR [Architecture of the USSR], Moscow, 1939, no. 5. pp. 66—71 (in Russ.).

2. Zgura V.V. Starye russkie arkhitektory [Old Russian Architects]. Moscow, Petrograd, Gosudarstvennoe Izdatel’stvo Publ., 1923, 62 p.

3. Vvedenskaya A.G. Architect A.G. Grigoriev and His Graphic Heritage, Arkhitekturnoe nasledstvo. Vyp. 9 [Architectural Heritage. Issue 9]. Moscow, Leningrad, 1959, pp. 106—116 (in Russ.).

4. Baldin V.I. (ed.). Arkhitektor A.G. Grigor’ev: katalog vystavki [Architect A.G. Grigoriev: exhibition catalogue]. Moscow, Stroiizdat Publ., 1976, 96 p.

5. Sedov Vl.V. Only Italy. Discovering the Country in Architectural Graphic Art, Tol’ko Italiya! Arkhitekturnaya grafika XVIII—XXI vekov. Katalog vystavki v Gosudarstvennoi Tret’yakovskoi galeree. Moskva. 17 aprelya — 17 iyulya 2014 g. [Only Italy! Architectural Graphic Art of the 18th—21st Centuries. Catalogue of the Exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow, April 17 — July 17, 2014]. Moscow, Iskusstvo — 21 vek Publ., 2014, pp. 9—30 (in Russ.).

6. Borisova E.A. Russkaya arkhitekturnaya grafika XIX veka [Russian Architectural Graphics of the 19th Century]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1993, 222 p.

7. Beletskaya E.A., Pokrovskaya Z.K. D.I. Gilardi. Moscow, Stroiizdat Publ., 1980, 168 p. (in Russ.).

8. Pfister A. Domenico Gilardi between Italy and Moscow in the Time of Aleksandr I, Ot mifa k proektu: vliyanie ital’yanskikh i tichinskikh arkhitektorov v Rossii ehpokhi klassitsizma [From Myth to the Project: The Influence of Architects from Italy and Ticino in Russia in the Epoch of Classicism]. St. Petersburg, Gosudarstvennyi Ermitazh Publ., 2004, pp. 399—408 (in Russ.).

9. Tedeschi L., Navone N. (eds.). The Imperial Academy of Arts and Its Pensioners in Italy. Catalogue 58—73, Ot mifa k proektu: vliyanie ital’yanskikh i tichinskikh arkhitektorov v Rossii ehpokhi klassitsizma [From Myth to the Project: The Influence of Architects from Italy and Ticino in Russia in the Epoch of Classicism]. St. Petersburg, Gosudarstvennyi Ermitazh Publ., 2004, pp. 168—172 (in Russ.).

10. Pfister A., Angelini P. Gli architetti Gilardi a Mosca. La raccolta dei disegni conservati in Ticino. Mendrisio, Mendrisio Academy Press Publ., 2007, 244 p.

11. Benois A.N. A Hotbed of Art, Starye gody. Ezhemesyachnik dlya lyubitelei iskusstva i stariny [The Old Years. A Monthly Magazine for Lovers of Art and Antiquity]. 1909, April—June, pp. 175—202 (in Russ.).

12. Percier C., Fontaine P.F.L. Recueil de decorations intérieures, comprenant tout ce qui a rapport à l’amenblement [...]. Paris, Louvre Publ., 1812, 43 p., 72 pl.

13. Fouché M. Percier et Fontaine: Les Grands Artistes. Paris, Librairie Renouard Publ., 1904, 128 p.

14. Turchin V.S. Empire... New Art in Europe, Arkhitektura v istorii russkoi kul’tury. Vyp. 5. Stil’ ampir [Architecture in the History of Russian Culture. Issue 5. Empire Style]. Moscow, Rokhos Publ., 2003, pp. 12—28 (in Russ.).

15. Faibisovich V.M. The Napoleonic Era and the Style of Empire, Pod znakom orla. Iskusstvo ampira [Under the Sign of the Eagle. Empire Art]. St. Petersburg, Gosudarstvennyi Ermitazh, Slaviya Publ., 1999, pp. 14—31 (in Russ.).

16. Kurbatov V.Ya. Classicism and Empire, Starye gody. Ezhemesyachnik dlya lyubitelei iskusstva i stariny [The Old Years. A Monthly Magazine for Lovers of Art and Antiquity]. 1912, July—September, pp. 105—119 (in Russ.).

17. Arkin D.E. Classicism and Empire in Moscow, Arkhitektura SSSR [Architecture of the USSR], Moscow, 1935, no. 10—11, pp. 82—89 (in Russ.).

18. Chekmarev A.V. New Attributes of Church Buildings by A.G. Grigoriev, Russkaya usad’ba [Russian Estate]. 2014, issue 19 (35), pp. 374—409 (in Russ.).

19. Beletskaya E.A., Pokrovskaya Z.K. Little-Known Projects of Domenico Gilardi, Arkhitekturnoe nasledstvo. Vyp. 36. Russkaya arkhitektura [Architectural Heritage. Issue 36. Russian Architecture]. Moscow, Stroiizdat Publ., 1988, pp. 237—244 (in Russ.).

20. Nekrasov A.I. Russkii Ampir [Russian Empire Style]. Moscow, Izogiz Publ., 1935, 128 p.

21. Allenov M.M. Russian Art of the 18th — Early 20th Century, Istoriya russkogo iskusstva: v 2 kn. Kn. 2 [The History of Russian Art: in 2 books. Book 2]. Moscow, Trilistnik Publ., 2000, pp. 122—151 (in Russ.).

22. Turchin V.S. Aleksandr I i neoklassitsizm v Rossii: stil’ imperii ili imperiya kak stil’ [Alexander I and Neoclassicism in Russia: Empire Style or Empire as Style]. Moscow, Zhiraf Publ., 2001, 511 p.

23. Sedov Vl.V. Moscow Empire Style, Proekt klassika [Project Classic]. 22.01.2004. Available at: http://www.projectclassica.ru/school/09_2003/school2003_09_01e.htm (accessed 05.06.2023) (in Russ.).

24. Nashchokina M.V. Unknown Album of Buildings of the Moscow Empire, Arkhitektura v istorii russkoi kul’tury. Vyp. 5. [Architecture in the History of Russian Culture. Issue 5]. Moscow, URSS Publ., 2003, pp. 54—67 (in Russ.).

25. Chekmarev A.V. Previously Unknown Works of the Gilardi Family in Russia, Russkaya usad’ba. Vyp. 17 (33) [Russian Estate. Issue 17 (33)]. St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kolo Publ., 2012, pp. 192—247 (in Russ.).

26. Chekmarev A.V. Two Previously Unknown Mausoleums of Domenico Gilardi, Materialy nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii MARKHI “Nauka, obrazovanie i ehksperimental’noe proektirovanie” 9—13 aprelya 2012 goda. Istoriya arkhitektury i gradostroitel’stva. Tezisy dokladov sektsii no. 4 [Proceedings of Scientific and Practical Conference MARCHI “Science, Education and Experimental Design”, April 9—13, 2012. History of Architecture and Urban Planning. Abstracts of Section no. 4]. Moscow, 2012, pp. 27—32 (in Russ.).

27. Klimenko Yu.G. To the 225th Anniversary of Domenico Gilardi, Nauka, obrazovanie i ehksperimental’noe proektirovanie v MARKHI. Tezisy dokladov nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii professorsko-prepodavatel’skogo sostava, molodykh uchenykh i studentov, 12—16 aprelya 2010 g. T. 2 [Science, Education and Experimental Design in MARCHI. Abstracts of the Scientific and Practical Conference of Teaching Staff, Young Scientists and Students, April 8—12, 2019. Volume 2]. Moscow, Arkhitektura-S Publ., 2010, pp. 259—260 (in Russ.).

28. Tedeschi L., Klimenko Yu.G. Restored Moscow (1813—1843): Architecture, Sources, Interaction. International Scientific Conference (December 5—6, 2016), Iskusstvoznanie [Art Studies], 2017, no. 3, pp. 276—291 (in Russ.).

29. Karaulov E.V. The Lunins’ House in Moscow, Arkhitekturnoe nasledstvo. Vyp. 20 [Architectural Heritage. Issue 20]. Moscow, Stroiizdat Publ., 1972, pp. 75—84 (in Russ.).

30. Beletskaya E.A. “High mountains”. To the Characterization of the Works by D. Gilardi, Arkhitektura SSSR [Architecture of the USSR], 1939, no. 4, pp. 65—69 (in Russ.).