'AMUSEMENT' SUMMER CARRIAGE. MOSCOW, 1690 - 1692

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 summer "amusement" two-seater carriage was executed in the Moscow Kremlin Stables Workshops in 1690-1692. Such carriages were called "amusement" as they were used in children's games and amusements. The carriage is likely to have belonged to Tsarevich Alexey, the son of Peter I. This small equipage has some interesting technical innovations, namely a C-spring and a pivotal axle between the front runners. The Kremlin masters implemented this improved way of turning already in the second half of the 17th century.

A beautiful wavy bending of the lower part of the carriage, as well as dynamic lines of the relief, shows a creative mastering of the Baroque style by the Kremlin craftsmen. According to archive documents, the leather upholstery of the carriage was executed in the Moscow Kremlin Workshops too, though it had been thought to be produced in Spain for quite a long time.