CARRIAGE. FRANCE, EARLY 18TH CENTURY

EXPOSITION
HALL 1. RUSSIAN GOLD- AND SILVERWARE OF THE 12TH - EARLY 17TH CENTURY
HALL 2. RUSSIAN GOLD- AND SILVERWARE OF THE 17TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY
HALL 3. EUROPEAN AND ORIENTAL CEREMONIAL ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE 15TH - 19TH CENTURIES
HALL 4. RUSSIAN ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE 12TH - EARLY 19TH CENTURY
HALL 5. WEST EUROPEAN SILVER OF THE 13TH - 19TH CENTURIES
HALL 6. ECCLESIASTICAL ATTIRE, PICTORIAL AND ORNAMENTAL EMBROIDERY OF THE 14TH - 18TH CENTURIES. RUSSIAN ROYAL GARMENT IN THE 16TH - EARLY 20TH CENTURY
HALL 7. ANCIENT STATE REGALIA AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS OF THE 13TH - 18TH CENTURIES
HALL 8. CEREMONIAL HORSE HARNESS OF THE 16TH - 18TH CENTURIES
HALL 9. ROYAL CARRIAGES OF THE 16TH - 18TH CENTURIES

The big four-seater carriage is executed in the early 18th century in France. Some researchers say it was owned by Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Charles Frederick came to Saint Petersburg in 1721 as a groom to Anna, the daughter of Peter I. According to another version, the carriage is a gift from Peter I to his daughter, who left for Holstein with her husband in it. It’s also possible that future Emperor Peter III, Empress Anna’s son, came in this carriage in Russia in 1742.

The carriage attracts attention by its beautiful silhouette and perfect proportions. It’s equipped with springs, a turning axle, a coachman’s seat, a servant’s seat and a footboard fastened inside the body. A carved gilded pattern of the carriage, images of putti, muses and nymphs are executed in the Regency style, which was popular in French art of that time.