The ceremonial halls of the Main building of the Worontsov Palace
The exposition
“Ceremonial halls of the Main building of the Worontsov Palace”
The Alupka Palace is an outstanding monument of the Romantic era of the 1830’s and 1840’s. The palace belonged to the Governor—General of the Novorossiysk Territory, Count M.S. Worontsov (1782-1856). The palace was designed by one of the best English architects, Edward Blore (1789-1879), the court architect of King William IV. The construction, which lasted 20 years, was completed in 1848 with the installation of marble sculptures of lions. The main building material was local diabase, which is harder than granite. The palace complex consists of five buildings with towers, open and enclosed courtyards, terraces, and stairs. The bold, unusual layout of the palace and the original architectural solution give it an amazing originality. The palace has a rich museum collection. There are several permanent exposition in the museum. The ceremonial halls of the main building of the Worontsov Palace have almost completely preserved their original decoration. The front office with a bay window, wood paneling, fireplace resembles a traditional English interior. An ebony bookcase made in the style of “Boulle” at the end of the XVIII century, a round table, English chairs and armchairs with Gothic carvings make up the decoration of the room, where the picturesque portraits of M.S. Worontsov and his comrades in the war of 1812 are presented.
The lobby can be accessed both from the main courtyard and from the southern entrance, bypassing a small vestibule with Persian embroideries depicting Fath-Ali Shah (late XVIII century). The room has the appearance of a typical English hall. The wooden ceiling with profiled rods, two fireplaces made of polished diabase, austere furniture, ceremonial portraits enhance this impression. The unique originality of the Blue living room is given by the finest stucco ornament of flowers and leaves, made under the guidance of the serf master Roman Furtunov. The elegant carved fireplace made of white Carrara marble and furniture in the style of late Russian classicism perfectly harmonize with the wall decoration. The winter garden appeared in the palace in 1838. A ficus repens climbing on the walls has been preserved from old plants. Now rare thermophilic plants and flowers are collected in the garden. To the right of the fountain are sculptures sculpted from marble according to antique patterns. The expressive plasticity is distinguished by the “Girl” of the Italian master Quintilian Korbellini. A number of sculptural portraits are installed along the southern wall. The Worontsov portraits were made in the 1820’s in Paris by the French sculptor Denis Foyatier.
The decorative design of the State dining room resembles the decoration of the knights’ halls in medieval castles. It is decorated with the richest wood carvings, monumental panels by the famous French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808). In the center of the north wall there is a fountain in the form of a fireplace, above it there is a balcony for musicians. In the bay window opening there is a massive sideboard with a wine stand. The furniture for the dining room was ordered in England, the buffets in France, in the workshop of the furniture maker Guyon. The billiard room completes the suite of formal interiors. Paintings by Dutch, Flemish, Italian and German artists are exposited here. The billiard table was made of mahogany by the English firm Barrow and Watt in the middle of the XIX century.