Pyotr Klodt was born in 1805 in St. Petersburg into a military family that came from an old German family. His father was a general, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. Despite the fact that the future sculptor was born in the capital, he spent his youth in Omsk, far from European education and culture. He wanted to connect his life, like his ancestors, with a military career - in Omsk he was a cadet at the Cossack school, and upon returning to St. Petersburg he entered the artillery school. Despite this choice, during his years of study, whenever possible, he took up a pencil or a penknife - he carved out figures of horses and people - a hobby that his father “infected” him with.
After completing his studies, Klodt was promoted to ensign, served in an artillery brigade, but left the service in 1828 to focus exclusively on art. For two years he studied independently, after which he became a volunteer student at the Academy of Arts: the rector of the academy, Martos, and the teachers, seeing talent and skill in Klodt, helped him achieve success. Over time, he became a true master of his craft and was known not only at the imperial court, but also far beyond its borders. Klodt's most famous creation is, of course, sculptures horse tamers on Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg, but his other works are no less magnificent. "Evening Moscow" invites you to remember the most famous of them.
Horses of the Narva triumphal gates
Klodt carried out this large government order together with such experienced sculptors as S. Pimenov and V. Demut-Malinovsky. On the attic of the arch there is a set of six horses carrying the chariot of the goddess of glory, made of forged copper according to the model of Klodt in 1833. Unlike classical depictions of this plot, the horses performed by Klodt rapidly rush forward and even rear up. At the same time, the entire sculptural composition gives the impression of rapid movement. After completing this work, the author received worldwide fame and the patronage of Nicholas I. There is a well-known legend that Nicholas I said: “Well, Klodt, you make horses better than a stallion.”
"Horse Tamers" of Anichkov Bridge
The famous "Horse Tamers" were initially supposed to be located completely different from where they can be seen today. The sculptures were to decorate the piers of Admiralteysky Boulevard, at the entrance to Palace Square. It is noteworthy that he personally approved both the place and the project itself Nicholas I. When everything was ready for casting, Klodt decided that it was inappropriate to tame horses near water and ships. He began to look for a place and quite quickly his choice fell on the Anichkov Bridge, which was already in need of reconstruction and was quite unattractive. The sculptor hinted at his idea, and the emperor supported him. Nikolai provided the sculptor with two purebred Arabian stallions - he was allowed to do whatever he wanted with them. Klodt found his experience gained during his studies at the Academy very useful - at that time he was a student of one of the outstanding Russian foundry workers, Ekimov, and by the time he created “Tamers” he had already managed to head the entire Foundry Yard. Having seen the first bronze blanks, the emperor told the sculptor that they came out even better than the stallions actually looked.
On November 20, 1841, the grand opening of the Anichkov Bridge after reconstruction took place, to which St. Petersburg residents literally came in droves. But then the residents did not see the true beauty of Klodt’s work - Nicholas I decided to give two sculptures to the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm, and instead of them painted plaster copies were installed. Three years later, copies were made again, but they also did not last long - this time their lucky owner was the “King of the Two Sicilies” Ferdinand II. It was only in 1850 that the plaster copies finally disappeared from the bridge, and bronze figures took their place.
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Monument to Ivan Krylov
The life of the famous fabulist is almost inextricably linked with St. Petersburg - he lived in the city for almost sixty years, rarely traveling beyond its borders. His death in 1844 became a national tragedy, and a year later a voluntary subscription was announced, the purpose of which was to raise money for a monument to the famous poet. In 1849, Klodt's project won an open competition. The initial sketches suggested the creation of an almost ancient image of the poet, but the sculptor took a bold step - he abandoned the ideas of embodying idealistic images that were dominant at that time, and wanted to depict the poet as accurately as possible, in a natural setting. According to contemporaries, he managed to achieve an almost portrait resemblance to the original. Along the perimeter of the pedestal, the sculptor placed animals - heroes of Krylov's fables. The monument still adorns the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg to this day.
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Monument to Prince Vladimir of Kyiv
In 1833, sculptor V. Demut-Malinovsky worked on a project for a monument to Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, the initiator of the baptism of Rus' in 988. The work culminated in the presentation of the project to the president of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1835. For unknown reasons, work on the project was suspended for a decade. In 1846, Demut-Malinovsky died, after which the architect K. Thon took over the work, who designed the pedestal in the form of a high tower-shaped church in the pseudo-Byzantine style. At that time, Klodt headed the foundry of the Academy of Arts and was entrusted with casting the monument in bronze. Before casting, he had to reproduce a small figurine made at one time by Demut-Malinovsky on the gigantic scale of the monument. When performing this work, it is inevitable to make changes regarding the model. It is impossible to assess these differences, since it is not possible to compare the draft design with the monument: the draft model has not been preserved. Klodt did a lot of work on the face of the sculpture, giving it an expression of spirituality and inspiration. The sculptor did his work very conscientiously, transported the statue from St. Petersburg to Kyiv, and very well chose the place for it: it is inscribed in the high mountainous landscape of the banks of the Dnieper.
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Monument to Nicholas I
The monument to the controversial but outstanding emperor was founded a year after his death - in 1856. This was initially a complex project, on which several sculptors had to work, but the most important work - the embodiment of the figure of the sovereign - was entrusted to Klodt. He was able to successfully complete the task only the second time - during the first attempt, the shape of the sculpture could not stand it, and the molten bronze flowed out. Nicholas' heir, Alexander II, allowed the sculptor to make a secondary casting, which turned out to be successful. In order to take the sculpture outside the Imperial Academy of Arts, where it was cast, it was necessary to break the walls: its size was so large. On June 25, 1859 the monument was inaugurated in the presence of Alexandra II. Contemporaries were amazed at the hitherto unprecedented achievement: Klodt managed to ensure that the sculpture of the rider rested on only two points of support, on the horse’s hind legs! In Europe, such a monument was erected for the first time; the only earlier example of such an embodiment of a miracle of engineering was the American monument to President Andrew Jackson in the US capital. After the October Revolution of 1917, the question of dismantling the monument as a legacy of the tsarist regime was repeatedly raised, but Klodt’s artistic genius saved the monument from destruction: thanks to the uniqueness of the system of only two supports, it was recognized as a miracle of engineering and was preserved.
"Klodt's horses". Anichkov Bridge. - part 3.In November 1832 in life Peter Karlovich Klodt An important event occurred: the young academician married Juliania Ivanovna Spiridonova, A.A.’s niece. Martos - wife of the sculptor, rector of the Academy of Arts I.P. Martos. First, Klodt asked for the hand of the rector’s daughter Katenka, which he was refused. However, having fallen in love with the young master, the Martoses immediately offered him their “poor but hardworking” niece. And he agreed. The young wife was pretty, slender and graceful. “With Yulenka, I’m like Christ in my bosom,” said P.K. Klodt. He received an apartment at the Academy and a workshop. A unique gift to the newlyweds was the Tsar’s order, which years later became a world masterpiece - sculptures of the Anichkov Bridge.....
Anichkov Bridge (Anichkin Bridge ) - one of the most famous bridges in St. Petersburg.Anichkov Bridge across the Fontanka River it is part of Nevsky Prospekt. The first wooden bridge here was built by order of Peter I in 1715. Then it became the border for the city. The bridge was named after Major Mikhail Anichkov, who commanded a battalion of naval engineers who built the bridge, the battalion was stationed on the banks of the Fontanka in an old Finnish village, since then nicknamed “Anichkova Sloboda”. Later, 3 other names arose: Anichkov Bridge, Anichkov Gate on Nevsky Prospect, which did not stand for long, and Anichkov Palace. Subsequently, Anichkov reached the rank of colonel and owned the site where the Alexandrinsky Theater is now located. From there to Sadovaya street. passed Anichkov Lane (now Krylov Lane), which during the time of Peter the Great was stationed behind the Fontanka in the so-called Anichkova Sloboda. The length of the crossing was 150 meters, covering not only the Fontanka, but also the swampy floodplain of the river. The wooden bridge had a barrier, and at night the barrier was lowered. There was a checkpoint here through which they entered St. Petersburg. At the outpost they checked passports and charged entry fees. Moreover, such payment could be not only money, but also stones that the city needed to pave the streets. In order to allow ships with high masts to sail along the Fontanka, the bridge was made as a drawbridge in 1726. According to the design of M. G. Zemtsov, a guard house was built next to the bridge, where soldiers took shelter from bad weather. Before this, a simple hut served as shelter for soldiers. The Anichkov Bridge was also raised at night, so that wolves would not run into the city from the forest. In 1742, new piles were placed under the crossing. In 1749, according to the design of the architect Semyon Volkov, the Anichkov Bridge was rebuilt. It was thoroughly fortified, since elephants were supposed to walk across it - a gift from the Persian Shah to the Russian Empress. The bridge is no longer a drawbridge. It was covered with boards and decorated to look like granite. The length of the Anichkov Bridge was more than 200 meters, which is almost 4 times the length of the modern bridge. In the 1780s, the banks of the Fontanka were dressed in granite. At the same time, seven similar stone crossings were built across the Fontanka according to the design of J.R. Perrone. In 1783-1787, the Anichkov Bridge was also rebuilt according to a standard design. From that time on, it was a three-span granite bridge, the middle draw span of which was wooden. On the piers of the bridge were towers with adjustable mechanism.
Anichkov Bridge in the 1830s.
In 1841, the Anichkov Bridge was rebuilt according to the design of engineer I.F. Butatz. Construction work began on May 22 and was completed by the fall of the same year. The new Anichkov Bridge became a stone bridge with three spans. At the beginning of November 1841, railings and granite pedestals for statues were installed on it. The fence was created according to the drawings of the German architect Karl Schinkel. Exactly the same design was previously used to construct the railings of the Palace Bridge in Berlin. According to reports from the Ministry of Finance, the construction of the crossing cost 195,294 silver rubles. The grand opening of the crossing took place on November 20, 1841. Traffic on the bridge was opened in January 1842.
Vasily Sadovnikov. "Anichkov Bridge".
A contemporary of these events wrote: “The new Anichkov Bridge delights all residents of St. Petersburg. They gather in crowds to admire the amazing proportions of all parts of the bridge and the horses - dare we say, the only ones in the world. There is something open, deft, and attractive about the Anichkov Bridge! Having driven onto the bridge, it seems that you have rested!... None of the St. Petersburg buildings made such an impression on the residents of the capital as the Anichkov Bridge! Honor and glory to the builders!” The new Anichkov Bridge, created according to the design of engineer A.D. Gottman, was opened on October 20, 1841. The drawing of the railings was made by architect A.P. Bryullov, and the main decoration of the bridge was the sculptural groups of horses with drivers, made by Klodt. Truth first sculptures "Conquering the Horse by Man" it was decided to install it to decorate the piers of Admiralteysky Boulevard, at the entrance from the Embankment to Palace Square.
Paolo Sala."Anichkov Bridge".
In 1833, both the models and the place for the sculptures were approved by the emperor himself and approved by the council of the Academy of Arts. However, when the first two groups were ready for casting, Pyotr Klodt, having gone to the proposed installation site for the sculptures, concluded that it was not correct to place them on the banks of the Neva between the Admiralty and the Winter Palace - “How can you tame horses next to water and 
ships?" Klodt began to look for another place, and soon discovered that the most suitable one was on Nevsky Prospect, on the Anichkov Bridge. It was in those very days that N.V. Gogol wrote: “There is nothing better than Nevsky Prospect, at least in Petersburg!" It’s curious what Nikolai Vasilyevich would say if he saw the sculptural group of Peter Klodt on the Anichkov Bridge of Nevsky? But the Anichkov Bridge was then still narrow and empty. Having decided, contrary to the tsar’s plan, to place his sculptural “poem” on Anichkov, Klodt only hinted about this to Nikolai I - agreement came by itself. The Tsar understood that Anichkov was indeed outdated, reconstruction was needed. And then Klodt’s horses would be in place here. Two purebred Arabian stallions were brought from the imperial stables to the sculptor’s complete disposal: Klodt could paint them, and sculpt, and feed from your own hands, and harness to your carriage. After some time, Nicholas I, who visited the workshop and saw the horses still in clay, said admiringly: “Baron, your horses are better than my stallions.” While still a volunteer student at the Academy, Klodt became an apprentice to the best Russian foundry worker, Vasily Ekimov. And having already become famous, the baron did not give up artistic casting in order to know exactly what and how from what was sculpted would turn into bronze. In 1838, when the first models of the Tamers were ready for casting, Ekimov suddenly died. And, as the only sculptor who had mastered casting perfectly, Klodt was offered not only to dress his products in bronze himself, but also to head the entire Foundry Yard. Thus, for the first time in the history of Russian art, a sculptor, without any professional education, became the head of a foundry. And when the solemn hour of casting arrived, many people gathered at the smelting furnaces. The crowd, taking off their hats and crossing themselves, became silent. Soon molten bronze flowed into the molds. Klodt was all tense. The workers were feverish and were given milk to drink. The President of the Academy, Olenin, unable to stand from excitement, sat outside the doors and muttered prayers. Suddenly there was a powerful "hurray". It's finished! Klodt came out to Olenin, collapsed next to him on a stool... And on Nevsky, the reconstruction of the Anichkov Bridge was underway. Architects, railway workers, builders - all of St. Petersburg worked for Klodt's horses. Soon the second group of “Tamers” was cast. For both the first and second bronze groups, Klodt made copies of them in plaster, tinted to resemble bronze. The Tsar was impatient to open the new Anichkov as soon as possible, placing sculptures on all four corners of the bridge. Did Pyotr Klodt think then that it would take another ten years before he would perform his entire brilliant performance on Anichkov - in four bronze paintings. The grand opening of the Anichkov Bridge took place on November 20, 1841. What St. Petersburg saw delighted everyone: “People are gathering in crowds at the new Anichkov Bridge,” newspapers wrote. “The life of a horse and a man on Anichkov Bridge represents a new world in art.” Like a waterman besieging his horse, the sculptor Peter Klodt took part of this art into my own hands and turned from the wrong road to the real one.” After the installation of the first two equestrian groups on the Anichkov Bridge, their repeated bronze casts were sent to Berlin as a gift to the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm, who was crazy about the sculptures. Nicholas I gave them directly “from the bridge”. Klodt had to go to Berlin with the gift. The horses were installed at the main gate of the royal palace. “Upon delivery to Berlin of two cavalry groups donated by the Sovereign Emperor to His Majesty the King of Prussia, His Royal Majesty awarded him a Knight of the Order of the Red Eagle, III degree” on August 14, 1842. While in Germany, Klodt wrote to A.P. Bryullov: “I would exchange the local dishes and wines for black bread and kvass - just to return to Russia as soon as possible.” Descendant of foreigners, P.K. Klodt was so Russian in his spirit, habits, and preferences that, while in Germany, he was terribly homesick for his homeland. However, Klodt’s “suffering” was rewarded: Friedrich Wilhelm, in addition to the order, also granted him a diamond snuffbox.
On April 1, 1843, Klodt “for the excellent performance of the equestrian groups he made again for the Anichkov Bridge, was most mercifully awarded a Knight of the Order of St. Anne, III degree.” In 1843-1844 he is casting bronze copies of “The Tamers” for the third time. But another guest of Nicholas I, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, having seen Klodt’s divine horses, wished to see them every day in his home in Naples. In the spring of 1846 they were sent to where they stand today at the entrance to the palace garden. In July 1846, Klodt was granted by His Majesty the King of Naples a Knight of the Order of St. Ferdinand. European newspapers reported: “In Naples today there are three miracles: the body of the Savior, taken from the Cross, covered with a transparent marble veil, “The Descent of the Savior from the Cross” - a painting by Españoletto, and bronze horses of the Russian Baron Klodt.” Berlin, Paris, Rome awarded Peter Klodt the title of honorary member of their Academies. The sculptor’s inspired and painstaking work lasted for almost twenty years. In 1850-1851, all plaster sculptures were replaced by bronze ones. The direct prototype of Klodt’s horses were the figures of the Dioscuri in the Roman Forum on Capitol Hill, but these ancient sculptures had an unnatural motive of movement, and there was also a violation of proportions: in comparison with the enlarged figures of young men, the horses look too small. Another prototype was “ Horses Marley» French sculptor 
Guillaume Coustou (French), created by him around 1740, and located in Paris at the entrance to the Champs Elysees from the Place de la Concorde. In Coustou’s interpretation, horses personify the animal nature, symbolize swift, indomitable ferocity and are depicted as giants next to short drivers. Klodt, in turn, depicted ordinary cavalry horses, the anatomy of which he studied for many years. The realism of proportions and plasticity was depicted by the sculptor in the traditions of classicism, and this helped to fit the sculptural design of the bridge into the historical architectural landscape of this part of the city. One of the serious differences between this composition and the works of its predecessors is the rejection of the idea of complete and unconditional symmetry and the creation of a consistent work consisting of four compositions. The prototype of the horse sculptures on the bridge was the Arabian horse Amalatbek. Klodt was helped by his daughter in working with them. She sat on the horse, raised it on its hind legs, which is what the sculptor sketched. The horse groups are ingeniously simply connected by a plot concept - four moments of taming an unbroken horse are taken. The structure of the horse was recreated with infallible accuracy, all its muscles and folds of skin were carefully identified. In depicting a horse, Klodt achieved perfection; he was able to convey its internal state - fear, anger, fury, proud obedience. Anichkov's horses are rightly considered the pinnacle of Klodt's creativity. Sharp dynamics, expression, original development of the theme, combined with harmonious balance and strict consistency of proportions, and finally, high quality workmanship, jewelry precision of casting, brought the author worldwide fame.In the first group
the animal is submissive to man - a naked athlete, squeezing the bridle, restrains the rearing horse. Both animal and man are tense, the struggle is intensifying. This is shown using two main diagonals: the smooth silhouette of the horse's neck and back, which can be seen against the sky, forms the first diagonal, which intersects with the diagonal formed by the athlete's figure. The movements are highlighted by rhythmic repetitions.
In the second group the head of the animal is raised high, the mouth is bared, the nostrils are flared, the horse beats the air with its front hooves, the figure of the driver is deployed in the shape of a spiral, he is trying to rein in the horse. The main diagonals of the composition are brought closer together, the silhouettes of the horse and the driver seem to be intertwined with each other.
In the third group the horse overcomes the driver: the man is thrown to the ground, and the horse tries to break free, victoriously arching its neck and throwing the blanket to the ground. The horse's freedom is impeded only by the bridle in the driver's left hand. The main diagonals of the composition are clearly expressed and their intersection is highlighted. The silhouettes of a horse and a waterman form an open composition, unlike the first two sculptures.
In the fourth group a man tames an angry animal: leaning on one knee, he tames the wild running of a horse, squeezing the bridle with both hands. The silhouette of the horse forms a very gentle diagonal; the silhouette of the waterman is indistinguishable due to the drapery falling from the horse’s back. The silhouette of the monument again received isolation and balance. None of the groups of the Anichkov Bridge repeats the other either in the plot motif or in the outline of the silhouette. The movement is subject to an organizing rhythm that binds all four groups together, giving them the character of a harmonious ensemble. Later, copies of “Tamers” were installed in Peterhof, Strelna, and the Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki near Moscow (preserved).Klodt's horses on the Anichkov Bridge have become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
A. Blok wrote about the sculptures of the Anichkov Bridge:
"...The horse was drawn by the bridle onto a cast-iron
Bridge. The water turned black under the hoof.
The horse snored and the air was moonless
Snoring remained on the bridge forever...
Everything remained. Movements, suffering -
Did not have. The horse snored forever.
And on the leash in the tension of silence
A man hung forever frozen."
Robert Miph "Anichkov Bridge"
In 1902, the condition of the Anichkov Bridge was recognized as emergency. Restoration work was carried out in 1906-1908 under the leadership of architect P.V. Shchusev.During the siege of Leningrad, horse groups were buried in the courtyard of the Palace of Pioneers. Boxes with sown grass were displayed on granite pedestals. The crossing became a monument to the blockade: on the granite pedestal of Klodt’s horses, they deliberately did not restore the mark from the fragments of a German artillery shell. The design of the bridge was not damaged by the war, and the bridge continued to function properly without major repairs. Even before the end of the war, the equestrian statues were returned to their place on the eve of May 1, 1945. In the second half of the 20th century, several ongoing repairs to the bridge were carried out. The bridge continued to collapse over time and from static loads. In 2000, restoration of the bronze equestrian groups was carried out. Restoration work was headed by sculptor V. G. Sorin. In 2008, another major overhaul of the bridge was carried out. Now the length of the bridge is 54.6 meters, width - 37.9 meters
In the mid-90s, a major reconstruction of the cast iron fences of the bridge was carried out. They were copied and re-cast at the enterprise of the Federal Nuclear Center in the city of Snezhinsk, Chelyabinsk region. This little-known fact is evidenced by the emblem of the city of Snezhinsk, which can be found on the casting of the railing.
The sculptor spent 20 years of his life on this work. This work became one of the most significant and famous works of the sculptor. After discussing the first two sculptural compositions at the art council in 1833, the academic council decided to elect the sculptor as an appointed academician, which was done five years later - in 1838. Also in the same year, he was appointed professor of sculpture and headed the Foundry Yard of the Imperial Academy of Arts. The work itself was recognized by contemporaries as one of the pinnacles of fine art, comparable to K. P. Bryullov’s painting “The Last Day of Pompeii.” In a short time it gained European fame. The statues finally took their places only 10 years after the installation of the first versions. They left their pedestals twice: In 1941, during the blockade, the sculptures were removed and buried in the garden of the Anichkov Palace and in 2000 sculptures were removed from the bridge for restoration. “Tamers” on Anichkov became Klodt’s swan song!
Anichkov Bridge (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The bridge over the Fontanka on Nevsky Prospekt, framed by four sculptures of horse tamers, is one of the most recognizable bridges in St. Petersburg.
The total length of the bridge is 54.6 m, width - 37.9 m. Anichkov Bridge has three lanes, as well as pedestrian sidewalks.
Its official name “Nevsky Bridge” did not take root. The name “Anichkov” comes from the name of lieutenant colonel-engineer Mikhail Anichkov, whose labor battalion rebuilt the settlement that was located nearby. He also took part in the construction of the bridge. Stories that trace the name of the bridge to a certain Anichka or Anya are simply urban legends.
The first wooden bridge on this site was built under Peter I in 1716 and was about 150 meters long. Subsequently, the bridge changed many times: expanded, strengthened, rebuilt in wood and stone. The bridge acquired its modern appearance in the mid-19th century. Three spans, covered with gently sloping vaults, were made of brick and faced with granite. Wonderful cast-iron railings appeared, made according to the sketches of the German architect Karl Schinkel, depicting mermaids and seahorses.
In 1841, Klodt's famous equestrian sculptures, cast in bronze, appeared. First, on the western side, “Horse with a young man walking” and “Young man taking a horse by the bridle.” On the eastern side, symmetrical sculptures were installed five times. Nicholas I presented the first pair as a gift to the Prussian king - the tamers still stand in Berlin in Kleist Park. The latter ended up in Naples - gratitude for the hospitality to the King of the Two Sicilies from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The rest “fled” across Russia. Afterwards, Klodt decided not to repeat the sculptures, but made new ones, showing the four stages of taming a horse.
It is interesting that the two horses that look at the Admiralty are shod, while the other two do not have shoes. They say that in the 18th century there were forges on Liteiny. So it turns out that the horses go to Liteiny without horseshoes, and back with shod ones.
Anichkov Bridge is one of the cultural heritage sites of the Russian Federation. The operation of the bridge is monitored, the wear of the supports and coating is monitored, and planned reconstructions of the structure itself and sculptures are carried out. During the Leningrad blockade, the tamers were removed and buried in the garden of the Anichkov Palace. And on one of the pedestals you can still see the trace of an artillery shell.
Four sculptural groups, called “Horse Tamers,” decorate the Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky Prospekt. They depict various moments of taming a horse, symbolizing the struggle of man with the wild, unbridled forces of nature.
It is best to start getting acquainted with this wonderful sculptural ensemble from the right group (if you go from the Admiralty side), proceeding further counterclockwise.
The young man, standing up to his full height, is trying to grab the rearing horse by the bridle. With his left hand he rested on the animal's rump; the fluttering drapery emphasizes the dynamics and tension of the moment. The fight has begun...
Second group: an acute moment of struggle came - the horse almost defeated the man, the young man, leaning on the ground with his right hand, grabbed the reins with his left and, at the risk of his life, with the last of his strength, held the horse rearing up.
In the next group, the tamer is almost at the goal: he rests firmly on his right knee and firmly holds back the animal that is gradually submitting to him.
Finally, the fight is over. The young man rose to his full height again, pulled the reins and confidently grabbed the horse’s bridle with his right hand. Victory is on the side of the young athlete. The horse obeyed the man’s tenacity and perseverance. This group completes the storyline of the entire sculptural composition.
The author of decorative groups, P. K. Klodt, knew how to perfectly depict animals. Even at the Academic Exhibition, which opened in 1833, his model of a sculptural group: a horse tamed by a man, enjoyed great success. For this work, a volunteer student of the Academy of Arts, at that time a 28-year-old retired officer, was awarded election to the “appointed academicians”, and it was decided to use the sculpture to decorate the Admiralty Embankment: paired groups of “Tamers” were supposed to be installed on the banks of the Neva. However, intentions soon changed. In St. Petersburg at that time, construction began on a new bridge across the Fontanka on Nevsky Prospekt, and Klodt proposed decorating it with the decorative sculpture “Horse Tamers.” According to the original plan, the western and eastern sides of the bridge were to be decorated with paired sculptural groups that duplicate each other, where a person is depicted standing at full height.
Work on the sculpture was complicated by the fact that... In 1838, the head of the foundry workshop at the Academy of Arts, Ekimov, died. Klodt himself was forced to do the casting, who proved himself to be an outstanding foundry master and was later even awarded the title of academic foundry master. Already in 1841, the Khudozhestvennaya Gazeta noted “the perfection to which P. K. Klodt brought our foundry art... In a short time, he cast many things that would have done honor to the best foundry worker.”
The first two identical groups were completed in 1839, and the second in 1841; all of them were installed on the Anichkov Bridge by the time of its opening on November 20, 1841. However, already in 1842, one pair was removed and sent to Berlin as a gift to the Prussian king, and groups of alabaster painted bronze were installed instead. In 1846, a new pair cast for installation was also donated, this time to the King of Naples. (Both pairs of horses were preserved both in Naples and in Potsdam, near Berlin.) Only in 1850, Klodt cast two original new groups (prostrate and kneeling young man), after which all four groups (two original and two made according to new ones) models) decorated the Anichkov Bridge.
This is how one of the most famous sculptural ensembles in world art arose.
With all the diversity of groups decorating the bridge, Klodt managed to achieve amazing unity, integrity of semantic and compositional solutions, and perfectly convey dynamics and impulse. The sculpture captivates with its clear plastic forms, the originality of the use of rhythm in the placement of figures: the alternation of standing and kneeling young men, the thoughtful distribution of horses, sometimes with their heads bowed, sometimes with their heads raised up.
During the Patriotic War, the sculptural groups were removed from their pedestals and buried in the garden of the Palace of Pioneers named after A. A. Zhdanov. And only when the danger had passed were they put back in their old places.
The horses of the Anichkov Bridge are inseparable from the Leningrad landscape: they organically merged with Nevsky Prospect, with its wonderful architectural structures, with the seething life of this busy thoroughfare of the city.
At any time of the year, at any time of the day and in any weather, on the Anichkov Bridge you can see someone taking pictures against the backdrop of the legendary bronze horses. Bringing home such a photograph is as much an obligatory part of the tourist program as a trip to the Hermitage or tossing a coin over the Chizhik-Pyzhik monument.
Meanwhile, the bridge did not immediately acquire its “postcard” appearance: at first it was made of wood, and then it was rebuilt several times in stone..
Non-existent Anechka
“Restoration” in this case is not just a repair, but a radical change in appearance, which was preceded by a long history. For the first time, Peter I decided to replace the ferry service on foot in this section in 1715, ordering “a bridge to be built across the Bolshaya Neva on the Fontannaya River along the prospect.”
After the wooden crossing, it was decided to build a stone one. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org Wooden bridge construction was widespread in St. Petersburg in those years - crossings appeared here and there, and no sacred meaning was attached to their name. Since soldiers of the nearby Admiralty “construction battalion” under the command of Major Mikhail Anichkov were contracted to build the bridge on the Fontanka, the bridge began to be called “Anichkov” (with the emphasis on the second syllable). Much later, rumor gave rise to a myth about a certain Anechka - the unknown heroine of a foggy love story, connected either with an architect or with one of the bridge builders. People even called the bridge Anechkin for some time. But this is nothing more than a beautiful legend. In 1739, the Commission on St. Petersburg Buildings decided to call the bridge Nevsky, but this name never took root.
Anichkov himself belonged to a noble family, whose roots go back to the 14th century. It is known that after the construction of the bridge he rose to the rank of colonel and owned the site where the Alexandrinsky Theater is now located. From there Anichkov Lane led to Sadovaya Street, which today is called Krylov Lane. And the Anichkov Palace, built here in the 1740s, was named simply by its proximity to the bridge of the same name and had nothing to do with the Anichkov family.
Stone Age
The wooden one was replaced by a stone crossing in 1785. Before it, the Prachechny, Panteleimonovsky, Izmailovsky, Semenovsky and Obukhovsky bridges, Lomonosov and Belinsky bridges were built of stone on the Fontanka River.
However, the wooden bridge began to deteriorate already in the 1720s. In addition, it was so narrow that two carriages could hardly pass each other on it. In 1921, the Dutchman Herman van Boles undertook its reconstruction, and Domenico Trezzini brought his project to life. “In the month of January 1721, the architect Andrei Trizin was ordered to be released from the city to build a drawbridge, which is being built across the fountain river, for boxes of wild stone, fourteen fathoms from the city...”, said one of the documents of that time.Thanks to Boles, the bridge acquired a drawable span that could be opened by two people (previously, one of the spans had to be dismantled to allow ships to pass through). In 1749, according to the design of the architect Semyon Volkov, the Anichkov Bridge was rebuilt. One of the reasons why it needed to be strengthened was a gift to the Empress from the Persian Shah - elephants, which were to be solemnly led along Nevsky Prospekt.
This is what the bridge looked like in the 1830s. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
We had to sacrifice the drawbridge, but lanterns on wooden poles appeared at the entrance. The length of that Anichkov Bridge was more than 200 meters, which is almost four times longer than the modern one.
After another 30 years, the entire Fontanka was dressed in granite, and the bridges were designed in the same style according to the design of the Frenchman Perrone. The Anichkov Bridge was also rebuilt: it became granite, three-span and again gained an adjustable mechanism. At the beginning of the 19th century, the stone parapets of the bridge were replaced by trellises with stone pedestals in the spirit of river embankment fences. At the entrance to the bridge, stone obelisks with lanterns were installed.
But by 1839 it became clear that the bridge, although reliable, was too narrow for the expanding city. A decision was made to rebuild, which gave the bridge its modern appearance.
Finding horses
The project for rebuilding the bridge was drawn up by engineer-major Ivan Buttats with the participation of engineer Alexander Reder and signed by Nicholas I in December 1840, and on May 22, 1841 the first stone was laid at the foundation of the new Anichkov Bridge. The work, under the supervision of the director of the Puteya Institute, Lieutenant General Andrei Gotman, proceeded quickly: within three months, new brick arches were laid out, the vaults were lined with pink granite, left over from the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The bridge was built in just six months, after which the question arose about its aesthetic design.
Klodt's horses are one of the most famous "postcard" views of St. Petersburg. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org At first they planned to decorate the vaults with bronze plates, the bulls with decorative vases, and the coastal abutments with horse groups. Later they decided to limit themselves to only the latter. St. Petersburg animal sculptor Pyotr Klodt was at that time working on sculptures of horses led by young men, which were to decorate the pier on the Neva embankment near Admiralteysky Boulevard. As a result, lions and vases remained on the pier, and the horses found another use: in November 1841, a platoon of sappers moved them from the foundry on Vasilyevsky Island to the Fontanka. They were installed on the western bank of the river. On the east side there are plaster copies painted bronze.
It took Klodt another year to create a second pair of equestrian groups, but they were not destined to end up on the Fontanka: on the instructions of Nicholas I, the figures were presented to the Prussian king Frederick William IV and transported to Berlin. Meanwhile, the chief police officer, who monitored the condition of the bridge, reported that “the alabaster figure of a horse had a crack, and the alabaster began to fall off in places, making the figure ugly.” One of the plaster copies is so dilapidated that its tail has fallen off.
New bronze sculptures on the Anichkov Bridge were installed only on October 9, 1843 and stood for only three years - this time they were presented to King Ferdinand II of Sicily and taken to Naples. Klodt saw this as a sign of fate and, instead of making further copies, decided to make a completely new composition on the theme of the conquest of nature by man.
The bridge today is under state protection as a monument. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Potekhin
Sketches of the last two groups were ready in 1848, and in 1850 the sculptural groups finally decorated the bridge. Four images correspond to the stages of taming a horse: the first group depicts a man with a cord in his hands, the second - the horse’s attempt to break free, the third - the gradual assertion of the person’s will, the fourth - a man calmly walking next to the tamed horse. The horses of the third and fourth groups, unlike the first ones, are shod. Legend has it that Nicholas I, at the opening ceremony of the bridge, patted the artist on the shoulder and said: “Well, Klodt, you make horses better than a stallion!”
Three more pairs of the same sculptural groups were later installed in Strelna, Peterhof and in the Golitsyn Kuzminki estate near Moscow. They became one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg. Alexander Blok wrote about the Anichkov Bridge.