Bartolomeo Rastrelli

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The Summer Palace in St Petersburg (1741-44, destroyed in 1797).

Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (Russian: Франческо Бартоломео Растрелли) (1700-1771) was a Russian architect of Italian origin. He developed an easily recognizable style of late baroque, both sumptuous and majestic. His major works, including the Winter Palace in St Petersburg and the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, are famed for extravagant luxury and opulence of decoration.

Bartolomeo went to Russia in 1715 with his father, Italian sculptor Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli (1675-1744). His ambition was to combine the latest Italian architectural fashion with traditions of the Muscovite baroque style. The first important commission came in 1721 when he was asked to build a palace for Prince Demetre Cantemir, former ruler of Moldavia.

Rastrelli was appointed to the post of senior court architect in 1730. His works found favour with female monarchs of his time, so he retained this post throughout the reigns of Empresses Anna (1730-40) and Elizabeth (1741-62). His major works were as follows:

The Church of St Andrew in Kiev (1749-54).

1730 - The Annenhof Palace in Lefortovo, Moscow, demolished in the 19th century
1733 - The first Winter Palace in St Petersburg, subsequently demolished
1736 - The Rundāle Palace for Ernst Biron, Duke of Courland and intimate friend of Empress Anna
1738 - The [Mitava Palace] in Jelgava, Courland, also for Biron
1741 - The Summer Palace in St Petersburg, demolished in 1797
1747 - Expansion and renovation of the Grand Peterhof Palace
1749 - The Church of St Andrew in Kiev
1749 - The [Vorontsov Palace] in St Petersburg
1752 - The Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo
1752 - The Mariyinsky Palace in Kiev (now the ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine)
1753 - The [Stroganov Palace] on the Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg
1753 - The Winter Palace in St Petersburg

Rastrelli's last and most ambitious project was the [Smolny convent] in St Petersburg where Empress Elizabeth was to spend the rest of her life. The projected bell-tower was to become the tallest building in St Petersburg and all of Russia. Elizabeth's death in 1762 prevented Rastrelli from completing this grand design.

The new empress Catherine dismissed baroque architecture as an old-fashioned "whipped cream", and the aged architect had to retire to Courland where he supervised decoration of the ducal palaces. His last years were spent in obscure commerce with Italian art-dealers. He was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts several months before his death. A square before the Smolny convent bears Rastrelli's name since 1923.

Bartolomeo Rastrelli

See also