Panorama of the Summer Gardens in St. Petersburg. View from the Neva River.
Alexei Zubov
1717
Etching
16.5 x 20.3 cm
Alexei Zubov, one of the most talented engravers of Peter's time, was also an excellent painter and often produced his prints from his own drawings. This etching represents the Summer Gardens laid out in 1719 around Peter the I's Summer Palace. A contemporary wrote, "The garden has an oblong shape; in the east it is adjacent to the Summer Palace of the Tsar, in the south-a greenhouse, in the west-a large beautiful meadow… In the middle gallery there is a marble statue of Venus, which is of so high value to the Tsar that he has appointed a guard to look after it. Opposite this gallery there is an avenue, the widest in the garden; standing there are fountains thrusting water high into the air."
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