The country estate of Kuskovo on the outskirts of the modern Moscow is a unique monument of artistic culture of the 18th century. It is one of the earliest surviving summer country seats in Russia. This country estate was built through the count Sheremetev’s request for parties, large theatrical performances and mass outdoor festivities. The architectural complex of Kuskovo includes 20 unique architectural monuments. The mansion-house survived its interiors, full of authentic accessories and art works of the Russian and European artists. A special point of interest of Kuskovo is excellently survived Garden à la française, a park with regular design with ponds, pavilions and marble sculptures. Moreover, there is a State Museum of Ceramics in one of the pavilions, where the artifacts from the antiquity to modernity are collected and exhibited. It is not a problem to get there, because now this country estate is on the territory of Moscow.

History

The members of the Sheremetev family have owned this place already in the end of the 16th century, but the ensemble we can see now is creation of the mid-18th-century. The prosperity of the estate is aligned with the activity of Petr Borisovich Sheremetev (1713-1787), the son of the Russian Field Marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetev (1652-1719), the hero of the Northern War between Russia and Sweden. The main part of the architectural complex was created in 1750 -1770-s in the baroque and rococo style. The architects, who created it were Feodor Argounov and Alexei Mironov. The surviving mansion-house was built later, in 1774. The author of its project is the Moscow architect Karl Blank, but its neoclassical facade is attributed to the French architect Charles De Vaye. By the end of the 18th century, the estate went into a decline. After the 1917 Revolution, the estate was nationalized and turned into a museum.

Architectural complex

The architectural complex of Kuskovo consists of the mansion-house and pavilions in the park. The palace was designed in the new neoclassical style, then becoming popular for state buildings in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The exterior was made of wooden planks, which were plastered and painted in soft pastel colors. The mansion-house, or the palace looked out onto a court of honor, formed by the palace, the church and the large lake. The six-column portico at the front of the house was designed with a ramp so that carriages with as many as eight horses could come directly to the front door. When the carriage arrived, servants would rush out the front doors and hold the horses while the guests descended. Twelve large state rooms and two smaller ensembles of rooms for residential use are to be observed inside the palace. The pavilions in the park are: the circular Hermitage pavilion (1764-77), where the Count Sheremetev spent most of his time, the Grotto (1755 – 1761), which is situated next to a large pond and represents the palace of the King of the Seas. The interior space, under dome, is meant to be the throne room of Neptune, crusted with seashells (1771-1775). The grotto is one of the few 18th century grottos still perserving its original decoration. The third pavilion is the Dutch house. It is a real traditional brick Dutch house, constructed in the 1750s on a small pond near the Palace. It is decorated with Dutch tiles and furniture. The orangerie (1761-1764), designed by F. Argounov, had never been used for growing exotic plants. They were grown in the green-house outside the park. This orangerie was used as a large banquet hall for guests. In the 1960s, it was turned into an exhibit hall for the collections of porcelain.

The state Museum of ceramics

The State Museum of ceramics is situated in Kuskovo from the end of the 1930-s. Among the artifacts it possesses, are wares of Italian majolica, Venetian, English and Russian glass, Saxe, Russian and Oriental porcelain. A crown jewel of the Museum of ceramics is a collection of the Russian porcelain from 18th century to today.

How to get

The museum is opened on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You can get there walking from the metro station of Vykhino or from the metro station Ryazanskiy prospect by buses 133 and 208 to the bus-stop “Muzei Kuskovo”.

Source:
    www.kuskovo.ru;ru.wikipedia.org