St. Petersburg's equestrian monuments are an integral part of the city's "myth of sculpture". Much of the Northern Capital's mystique is concentrated in these imperial horsemen. The full name that Peter I chose for the city contains elements of three European languages (Catholic Latin, Orthodox Greek and Reformation German) - "Sanctus Petros Burg", "The City of the Sacred Rock." Here is indeed a Holy Rock where the earth meets the sea, consolidated by Falconet's Bronze Horseman and by the poem with that title by Pushkin, whose inspired verse gave the monument its popular name. The statue was unveiled on 7 August 1782, 100 years to the day after Peter I's accession to the throne, and everyone who saw it was astonished by the monumental power it exuded. More than 160 tonnes of bronze were used in the making of the statue, as well as around four tonnes of iron as reinforcement for the horse's hind legs. The snake is the work of sculptor Fedor Gordeyev, who followed Falconet's design in creating this feature, which symbolises the enemy being crushed by the horse's hooves and at the same time serves as a third point of support for the statue.

Natalya Smolina

TO EVERY MONARCH HIS OWN TRUSTY STEED!

The full name that Peter I chose for the city contains elements of three European languages (Catholic Latin, Orthodox Greek and Reformation German) - "Sanctus Petros Burg", "The City of the Sacred Rock." Here is indeed a Holy Rock where the earth meets the sea, consolidated by Falconet's Bronze Horseman and by the poem with that title by Pushkin, whose inspired verse gave the monument its popular name. The statue was unveiled on 7 August 1782, 100 years to the day after Peter I's accession to the throne, and everyone who saw it was astonished by the monumental power it exuded. More than 160 tonnes of bronze were used in the making of the statue, as well as around four tonnes of iron as reinforcement for the horse's hind legs. The snake is the work of sculptor Fedor Gordeyev, who followed Falconet's design in creating this feature, which symbolises the enemy being crushed by the horse's hooves and at the same time serves as a third point of support for the statue.

Peter I's classic portrayal in sculpture is not only associated with the Bronze Horseman, but also with the statue by the Mikhailovsky (or "Engineers'") Castle. That equestrian statue of Peter, by Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli, was erected in Paul I's reign and bears the carved inscription: "To Great-Grandfather - from his great-grandson". Here we see Peter the triumphant, the reformer who "pulled Russia up on her hind legs" and destroyed the order and fabric of Russian life with his "noisy gallop down the trembling highway".

Despite the differences between these two portrayals of Peter I, there has been a definite link between them since the middle of last century, albeit on an unreal level. In his drawing for the poem "The Bronze Horseman" in 1830, Pushkin depicted Falconet's monument, but... without the horseman (although according to the text of the poem, the horse and rider are indivisible). Maybe the thought occurred to the poet that the city's founder had found himself in a different guise - by the Mikhailovsky Castle.

A MYSTICAL NUMBER

There are reckoned to be four equestrian monuments in our city - to Nicholas I, Alexander III and two to Peter I. If we go back to the beginning of this century, we come across this same number, the so-called "mystical quadrangle". In 1918, D. Zaslavsky applied quotes from the Revelation of St. John the Divine to St. Petersburg's equestrian statues, which to a certain degree became local stereotypes: The White Steed (Peter the Great), The Chestnut Steed (Nicholas I), The Black Steed (Alexander III) and The Pale Steed ("who stands invisible on the Field of Mars"). One also comes across these definitions in Russian literature: for example, the Bronze Horseman appears to D. Andreyev as a white vision... As far as the horses' temperaments are concerned, one can agree entirely with Polonsky, who wrote, with reference to the Bronze Horseman, of "...the horse that bears him..." If one looks closely at the St. Petersburg statues, all the horses are "bearing" - scarcely tamed by their powerful riders.

The most typical in this respect is the monument to Nicholas I in St. Isaac's Square, in front of the Mariinsky Palace. The statue was made by Peter Klodt to a design by Montferrand and unveiled in 1859. Comparing the deeds of the two tsars - Peter I and Nicholas I - Pushkin said of the latter that there was "a lot of the ensign in him and not much of Peter the Great". The horseman is indeed shown as a despotic tsar, haughty and arrogant, which in fact entirely corresponds with the original. The base is of the old classical type, with allegorical figures, and the bas-reliefs were intended to glorify the tsar's achievements. The statue is particularly interesting in terms of its design concept - it is the only one in St. Petersburg where the horse has only two points of support (there are indeed few such examples in the world).

No less remarkable is the monument to another Russian monarch, Alexander III (in the courtyard of the Marble Palace), but it is interesting above all for its "relocations". In 1909, the statue of Alexander III on horseback was erected on Znamenskaya Ploshchad (now Ploshchad Vosstaniya); the sculptor, Paolo Trubetskoy, was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir (4th class) for his work. If only he could have known the fate that awaited his masterpiece!

It had been bad enough when Demyan Bedny had called the monument a "scarecrow" - and the nickname stuck - but in 1937 it was removed from the square altogether and taken to the Russian Museum, where it spent long years "guarding" the staff courtyard. It was only in 1994 that the bronze likeness of Alexander III was mounted on the base which had once been graced by the historic armoured car of the "leader of the world's proletariat".

Of course, the choice of location is controversial - it is impossible to say that the sculpture is in harmony with its surroundings at the Marble Pa-lace - the monuments belong to different eras and the little courtyard is too small for the statue, which is capable of occupying a much larger area. Besides, if we recall the sculptor's intentions, the base should be much higher - five metres... Having said that, at least one of the world's finest equestrian statues is again on public view, and it is not inconceivable that in time a more suitable site will be found for it.

THE CLERGY VERSUS THE DIOSCURI

In addition to the above-mentioned equestrian monuments, St. Petersburg boasts two other world-famous sculpture groups which are also connected with the taming of horses: the Dioscuri in front of the Horseguards' Manege and Klodt's celebrated horses on the Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka.

The Horseguards' Manege, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1807 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Light Brigade, is a simple, one might even say modest, building; it is only the side facing St. Isaac's Square that has an ostentatious appearance. Since the manege was intended for equestrian training, the two sculptures that were placed in front of it were of the Dioscuri brothers, taming horses. They are scale copies of the ancient Dioscuri statues which stood at the entrance to the Quirinal Palace in Rome, sculpted in Italy by P. Triscorni and brought to Russia in 1817.

The Dioscuri had a long wait before occupying their present location, however: first, their delivery to Russia was prevented by the continental blockade imposed by Napoleon; then later, after standing in front of the Manege building from 1817 to 1840, they were removed. The blame for this action lay with the arrogance of the clergy, who called it blasphemy for two naked youths to be in close proximity to St. Isaac's Cathedral. The statues spent more than a century by the entrance to the Light Brigade's barracks, but in 1954 they were returned to their accustomed place.

Another adornment of the city, or of Nevsky Prospekt, to be more precise, are Klodt's four equestrian groups on the Anichkov Bridge, which also depict the horse being tamed by man. The first two groups, made in 1841, were intended for the landing-stage by the Admiralty, but Klodt himself suggested casting two copies of each group and erecting them on the bridge in pairs. When the horses were ready, Nicholas I sent two of them to Berlin as a gift to the King of Prussia; the new pair of bronze horses did not stay long in Russia either - they were presented to the King of Naples. The sculptor was not about to copy his work yet again: in 1850 he made two entirely new groups, portraying the very beginning of the taming of a horse - these statues adorn the bridge on the side nearest Moscow Station to this day.

In creating his composition, Peter Klodt made a long and careful study of the Dioscuri, which partly served him as a prototype. The sculptor could hardly have imagined that a few years later two of his sculptures would end up in Italy, from where the Dioscuri had earlier been brought...The monument to Nicholas I is particularly interesting in terms of its design concept - it is the only one in St. Petersburg where the horse has only two points of support.