CARRIAGE. VIENNA, 1741-1742

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

Equipages executed by European masters were highly valuable at the Russian Imperial court. They were often ordered from Austria, Germany, France and England. This two-seater carriage was made in Vienna in 1741-1742 possibly for the coronation ceremony of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Artist G. Kachalov depicted the carriage on a famous gravure “Empress’s Arrival in the Kremlin for the Coronation”.

Typical for its time, the carriage is equipped with bow springs, turning axle and a coachman’s place. The doors are placed low, and the footboard is located inside the compartment. The carriage is decorated with sophisticated Rococo-style carving and gilding. Fanciful curls and shells match the images of animals, playing putti and allegoric male and female figures. A copper crown adorns the roof of the equipage.