Study of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna,the Consort of Nicholas II, in the Winter Palace(Room 185)

Princess Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice von Hessen-Darmstadt, the future Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the consort of Nicholas II, was born on 6 June 1872. After their wedding and up till the birth of Cesarevitch Alexey Nikolaevich, the imperial couple lived in their “private apartments” at the Winter Palace during the cold months of the year. Here they spent the happiest years of their married life. The Corner Study that occupied the former living quarters of the spouse of Nicholas I and was located on the spot where the two enfilades of the north-western risalit met, occupied a special place in the apartment. In terms of style and concept, this room represented something in between the resplendent reception rooms overlooking the Neva River, and the more intimate, private rooms facing the Admiralty building. The room was decorated to the design of the architect A.F. Krasovsky in imitation of Rococo or the Louis XV (Louis Quinze) style. The general colour scheme of the interior was based on soft pastel shades: the yellow silk that covered the walls was mimicked by the combination of yellows, blues and pinks in the furniture upholstery. The central decorative piece of the room was a fireplace with the white marble portal, above which there was a tall mirror set in an intricately shaped carved gilded frame. Rocaille gilded furniture of fanciful shapes was next to the working area, with the mahogany furniture in the Jacobean style. The genuine items from the 18th-19th century complemented the interior and reminded of the palace’s historical past. The walls were decorated with the portraits of the members of the Imperial family, amongst which one could see the portraits of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna, the parents of Nicholas II. Above the writing desk of Alexandra Feodorovna hang the portrait of the Empress Elizaveta Alexeevna, the consort of Emperor Alexander I, one of the former owners of the Winter Palace. Apart from its intended function, the Study also served as the Third Drawing Room and was one of the favourite places for the family pastimes. One of the contemporaries recalled how once after the Easter breakfast, Nicholas II invited him “to follow the empress into her corner room, past the parlours, decorated with flowers, into the room overlooking the Neva River”. The memoirist writes,” It was a stunning view. Here I spent nearly an hour, a very memorable one. The emperor was very vivacious and talked a lot.… The empress did not say much. She was all busy with the children. Besides Olga, Tatiana and Maria came as well. The empress gave each of them a notebook and started to draw the outlines of the house and trees, while the children made drawings with coloured pencils asking those charming questions”. After the long-awaited birth of the heir, Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna with the children moved from their city residence to a more secluded and quiet Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. However, they quite often returned to their Winter Palace “apartment” where they would happily spend a few days. Like other private quarters, until 1917, the Study of the empress was maintained in the same condition as when the Imperial family was still residing in the Winter Palace. During the revolution the interior of the Study was damaged, but it was subsequently restored and included in the exposition of the Historical Rooms that recounted the story of the life of the last Russian imperial couple. In 1926 the living quarters were handed over to the Hermitage for arranging exhibition halls in them. The same year the décor of the Study was destroyed: the yellow damask wall covering was taken off and the vault painting with flowers and garlands was painted over (currently it has been restored). They dismantled the viewing platform in the corner, from which the imperial couple liked to look at the Neva River at different times of the year from “Alix’s window” as Nicholas II used to call it in his diary. Now a memorable inscription saying “Niki watching the hussars” cut with a diamond on the glass in 1902 by Alexandra Feodorovna, that has miraculously survived all the turmoil of the 20th century, serves as a reminder of those times. At present, Room 185 houses the exhibition dedicated to the work of the famous St Petersburg furniture maker Heinrich Gambs. On view here are pieces of furniture and objects of decorative and applied art executed in the Classicism style.

[@user-ge3kx4uz2w]

Спасибо! огромное за этот короткий, но очень интересный для меня фильм.

[@MylenaAlexandrovna]

"Ники смотрит на гусар" - это сильно. Особенно процарапанное на стекле жилого помещения. Удивительной странности женщина...
За интересный рассказ - огромное спасибо!

[@ChefIsmet]

Интересно было , спасибо

[@user-oy2or8wy8e]

Вам жена завтра на лобовуху нацарапает " Спасибо за вечер"
. Тоже радоваться будете? Хотя надеюсь, Вы всего добились сами, а цари приезжали на всё готовое! И говорю это честно, я сама потомок исторической белогвардейской крови, будем честны.

[@ChefIsmet]

Я с вами согласен но частично

[@Unfinished-Stories]

Почему бы не восстановить кабинет? А Гамбса поселить в другие покои?

[@Alexander1868]

потому что они продали всю мебель.

[@Unfinished-Stories]

Есть практика воссоздавать утраченные предметы, как было с Янтарной комнатой, к примеру. В чём проблема?

[@Alexander1868]

воля и деньги.

[@MylenaAlexandrovna]

А зачем?

[@Nissanputinhuilo]

Где надпись на окне?

[@thehermitagemuseum]

Надпись находится в Зимнем дворце, на стекле одного из окон в зале №185. Окно, на котором она вырезана, появляется на видео на 2:18, далее ее можно увидеть крупнее. Разглядеть надпись, находясь непосредственно в зале, довольно сложно, на данный момент подход к окну перекрыт стойками ограждения.

[@natashaktrasovskaya332]

" рабочая зона Александры Федоровны" ???

[@annademidova8935]

Я ничего не имею против только одного не могу понять ,вы говорите,что они русская чета ,так ведь они даже по русски не разговаривали ,а если и говорили то с немецким акцентом,жаль,что нам никак не расскажут истину,как эти люди пришли к власти в России,что это не русская чета ,а немецкая Гольштейны и т.д .тогда вероятно многое б было понятно.И я не верю,что обычные люди были столь кровожадны и свергли и всё,что во многом пишут думаю это ложь,единственный кто мог наводить какие то интриги свержение,сплетни -это люди ,которые были всегда при дворе!!!просто смешно слушать некоторых историков,когда там люди взяли вилы и пошли на Зимний-полная чушь и бред.